Intro Lesson: Get to Know Each Other!

Starting a new ESL class can be exciting and a little bit challenging. A good intro lesson helps students feel welcome and comfortable. 

It is always a good idea to start the first lesson by introducing the children to the key stages and routines you can use every day/class.

For that, you will need:

• name tags for all children (if you don't know children's names)
• "Hello song“, download the version you like. I like this one:

• A microphone or a softball
• „Magic box “for keeping the puppet, flashcards and other materials you are going to use. You can easily make it out of a shoebox just wrapping it with decorative paper
•  „What's your name“ song

• flashcards „The circle time rules“, try this one Good Sitting Cards by Twinkl
• Colored crayons or pencils

Circle time activities (children are sitting on chairs or cushions) 

Warm-up activities

Greet the children and invite them to make a circle (to sit down). Play the song „Hello, Hello“and make the gestures. Encourage the children to repeat them too.

Introduce yourself: „My name is teacher ……What's your name?“. Use a microphone or a softball. Say your name and pass it to your nearest student. Have each student say their name as they pass the ball/microphone to each other.

While activities

Introduce the glove puppet that you have put in a magic box before the class. Bring out the magic box, open it enough to see in and say "Hello!“ The puppet jumps out of the magic box saying „Hello“! Finally, get all the students together to shout "Hello! Then model the role play with the puppet:

Teacher: "Hello, what's your name?" Puppet: "My name is...“

Now go to the nearest student and say "What's your name? “. Encourage the students to say their names.

After all the children have said their names, play the song „What's you name“making the gestures using your glove puppet as your pair. Play it again but before, divide the children into pairs and encourage them to sing and do the gestures as well. You will be surprised how fast the children will learn the song.

Finally, go around saying "Goodbye" and "See you" before putting the puppet back into the magic box.

Wrap up activities

Open the magic box again to see if there’s something else. „Maybe the „name of the puppet“has left something for us….“. Bring out the „Circle time“flashcards and introduce them one by one to the children. Ask the children what do they see and encourage them to explain what it means. After you have introduced all the flashcards (all the circle rules you want the children to follow) practice them for repeating today's lesson. For example, ask the children „What's your name“and encourage them to raise their hands in order to answer and wait for you to call them and etc.

Finally, get each student to draw her/himself and, if the children are old enough, write their names on their drawings.