what to teach to beginner adult esl students

Are you wondering what to teach to your beginner adult ESL students? It can be overwhelming to choose which topics to teach since beginners need to learn many things! Therefore, it is important to stick with the basics and to not teach too much at once.

I recommend doing some kind of diagnostic and/or needs analysis during the first days of class to get a feel for what your particular students know and what they need to work on.

For specific strategies and methods for teaching beginners, check out this blog post.

Here are some topics to teach beginner ESL students.

1. The Class, the Campus, and the Community

Beginner adult ESL students will need to know basic information about the class such as when and where the class meets, what materials they’ll need, class expectations, and how to contact the teacher. In addition, they’ll need to know about campus resources like the library, student health center, computer labs, food options, and student clubs. Make sure to tell students information about the greater community. For example, I tell my students about hiking trails, parks, and any local upcoming events.

2. Basic Vocabulary

Teach beginners basic vocabulary such as days of the week, classroom items, clothing, food, emotions, jobs, and daily routine verbs. These vocabulary basics will serve as a basis for grammar, reading, and writing skills. To teach vocabulary, use visual aids, body language, and realia, as much as possible. Translation can be helpful in a pinch, but students shouldn’t rely on it too much.
 

I recommend teaching relevant grammar points along with vocabulary so that students can use the new language in communicative ways. For example, you can teach the be verb along with emotions vocabulary, and like/don’t like along with food vocabulary.

I recommend the picture dictionaries by Oxford and Cambridge. My vocabulary lessons for beginners include a lot of pictures for introducing vocabulary, basic related grammar, and communicative activities with worksheets. Check them out below:

3. Providing Personal Information

Filling in forms for housing, registration, benefits, doctor’s visits, and school enrollment are all tasks that adult ESL students will need to do. Teach them terms such as first name, last name, birthday, phone number, student ID number, emergency contact, income, etc. Provide practice opportunities in class for filling out forms.

4. Phrases for Everyday Communication

Teach learners functional phrases in English for daily life. For example, greetings, how to ask for help, expressing needs/wants, and phrases for the classroom such as “I don’t understand,” and “Can you repeat that, please?”

For no-prep speaking lessons on these types of phrases, check out these resources from my store.

Speaking Activities for Adult ESL

5. Grammar for Beginner ESL

I love teaching grammar! At the beginner level, you’ll want to start with the basics. Most beginner grammar books will go through a similar sequence to what I’ve listed below. Here are some grammar points to start with:

  • – To Be
  • – Pronouns
  • – Like/Don’t Like
  • – Want/Need
  • – Singular and Plural Nouns
  • – There Is/There Are
  • – Prepositions
  • – The simple present
  • – Can/Can’t
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  • For no-prep ESL grammar lessons for beginners, check out these resources from my store.
Beginner ESL grammar lessons worksheets activities

6. Simple, Accessible Reading Passages

Give students simple reading passages, both fiction and non-fiction. Choose passages that are not difficult and include visuals, pre-reading activities, and vocabulary support. There are websites like Readworks.org that have several reading passages that you can sort by level and topic. 

It can be difficult to find reading passages for adults that are not childish, especially fictional texts. Be conscious of choosing texts that are for adults and not for children. Your goal is to get students interested in reading, and they may be bored or offended if you give them children’s books.  

For years, I have had a hard time finding fictional, relatable passages that were simple enough for my beginners to understand. That’s why I created my Maria reading passages for beginner ESL. These stories follow the life of Maria, an adult ESL student from Mexico. Each no-prep lesson comes with pre-reading activities to build background and worksheets that have questions for beginner and intermediate level. They are perfect for a multi-level class. Check out my best-selling bundle below! There is a freebie in the bundle if you want to try it out.

Beginner Adult ESL reading passages

Teaching beginner adult ESL is so fun and rewarding! Try out these tips in your classroom and watch as your students enjoy practicing their new skills.