Facing a room of learners who understand almost nothing, and wondering how to teach English to beginners? Start with movement, simple commands and repetition, then add words and short sentences. You don’t need their language to begin.
This guide sits within the wider set of esl teaching resources on this site.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Steps in the Total Physical Response (TPR) teaching process | Seven steps |
| Team size in the final TPR partner activity | Teams of four |
| Steps in FluentU’s beginner lesson-planning guide | 10 steps |
| FluentU guide last modified | 25 Feb 2025 |
These figures come from Colorín Colorado’s guide to oral language development for beginners and FluentU’s guide to beginner ESL lesson plans. Pages get updated, so check the sources before you rely on them.
Decide what your beginners need to do
Before you plan a single activity, ask the question FluentU’s guide puts first: what should learners be able to do by the end of the class? That end-of-class goal tells you which words and phrases are worth teaching and which can wait. You can read the guide at FluentU.
Your learners’ age shapes the goal. The same guide offers a quick rule of thumb for each group:
- Children: use all sorts of games and activities.
- Teenagers: choose material that is relatable and engaging, such as pop music and technology.
- Adults: get them talking about themselves and asking questions with other students.
Many new teachers worry that they must share a language with their class. They don’t: as one BusyTeacher author writes, you do not need to speak a second language to teach English to people who know none. You can read the argument in full on BusyTeacher.
Keep the early goals practical. One teacher in a roundup of 18 teachers shared by Off2Class starts with basic vocabulary and says she does not focus on grammar at that stage.
Teach English to beginners with movement first
Total Physical Response (TPR) is the usual starting point for absolute beginners. Colorín Colorado explains that TPR activities elicit whole-body responses when new words or phrases are introduced, and that students become ready to talk sooner when they are learning by doing. You can read that explanation at Colorín Colorado.
The method was developed by Dr. James A. Asher. In the early stages, the teacher does the talking and the students take it in, and speaking comes later once they understand what they hear, according to BusyTeacher.
Begin with imperatives such as sit down, stand up and pick up your pencil. Then move to short narratives like “I am walking to the door” and “You are standing up”, and keep writing the key words on the board.
The TPR routine, step by step
Colorín Colorado’s guide lays out seven steps for the TPR process. Here they are in plain terms:
- Introduction: present a situation where students follow commands using actions, usually with props such as pictures or real objects.
- Demonstration: you, or a student, act out the series. At first, students are not expected to talk or repeat the commands.
- Group action: the class acts out the series as you give the commands, repeating it so students absorb it before they produce it.
- Written copy: write the series on the board or chart paper so students can connect the spoken and written words.
- Oral repetitions and questions: students repeat each line after you, and you point out grammar such as the difference between ate and eat.
- Student demonstration: students take turns as the reader and the performer while you check comprehension.
- Partner activities: students work in pairs or teams to tell or read the series.
The guide’s example script is a pretend trip: “Let’s go to the zoo. Open the door and get in your car.” In teams of four, two students give commands and two respond physically, as the Colorín Colorado guide describes.
TPR is not only for young children. BusyTeacher says it works with a mixed level class, takes little preparation and suits both children and adults.
Build words, phrases and short sentences
Once learners follow commands, widen the language in small, ordered steps. FluentU’s 10 steps for beginner lesson plans, last modified 25 Feb 2025, include a vocabulary sequence you can borrow:
- Start with the pronouns.
- Introduce the most important verbs.
- Pick out the most important nouns or objects.
- Speak in sentences.
- Begin each class with a review.
One teacher in the Off2Class roundup starts with TPR and simple, visible classroom words such as box, drawer, window and door. Students then follow commands with those nouns, and the class takes pictures of them doing the actions and captions them. The full answer is in the teacher roundup.
Pictures carry a lot of meaning for beginners, and another teacher in the same roundup lists using pictures for vocabulary. If you want ideas for turning that into cards, these english flashcards ideas are a good place to start.
For the youngest or least literate learners, another teacher teaches one letter with its sound per class. She runs a review after every 4 letters, drawing pictures to test memory, as she explains in the same collection.
When you reach grammar, keep it tiny. A sample plan from Off2Class, designed for the CEFR A1 level, covers present simple be (he, she, they), positive and negative, including contractions.
Keep students talking and reviewing
FluentU’s advice is blunt: make it your goal to get the students doing most of the talking. In a class, that means pair work, interviews and short reports to the group rather than long teacher explanations, as described by FluentU.
These low-pressure activities suit beginners:
- A find-someone-who or survey task at the start of the lesson, which gets everyone up and speaking.
- Short pair practice, so students hear their own voices often.
- Games such as charades or hangman that revisit last lesson’s topic.
Those ideas come from teachers quoted in the Off2Class roundup. One of them also avoids fancy words, idioms and expressions in her own speech, which is a simple habit you can copy.
Some learners freeze. FluentU notes that in some cultures students of all ages are horrified about making mistakes and reluctant to talk, so show that mistakes are acceptable. BusyTeacher adds that you should look for signs of comprehension and not pressure learners to produce language until they are ready to volunteer it.
When speaking is steady, add quiet reading and writing. Printable english worksheets can give copying and matching practice, and FluentU suggests journals or diaries to build writing skills.
Should you use students’ first language?
Teachers disagree, and the roundup shows it. One coordinator says he would never use or encourage the first language so students realise they can communicate in English early. Another lets students do their own translating rather than doing it for them, and a third lets beginners use Google Translate only to fill gaps in instructions.
All of these are individual teachers’ opinions, as the Off2Class post itself stresses. Try one approach, watch how your class responds and keep the policy consistent so learners know what to expect.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to speak my students’ language?
Show answer
No. BusyTeacher states that you do not have to speak a second language to teach English to people who know none whatsoever; see BusyTeacher.
Should beginners speak from the first lesson?
Show answer
Not necessarily. Colorín Colorado says students are not expected to talk or repeat the commands at first, and BusyTeacher advises waiting until they volunteer language. Listening and responding with actions come first, as in the Colorín Colorado guide.
Can I use TPR with a mixed level class?
Show answer
Yes. BusyTeacher says you can use TPR with a mixed level class or with students with learning disabilities, and that it works for large and small classes.
Is TPR only for children?
Show answer
No. Colorín Colorado says TPR strategies are good teaching strategies for all students, not just English language learners, and BusyTeacher says it works for both children and adults.
