Many of our volunteers do not have any formal training teaching in a classroom setting. If this is your situation, it is important to remember that you are not there to replace a professional teacher. Your role is to supplement the curriculum that is already in place, and to provide more student-teacher interaction. Just be being in the school, you are making a difference by increasing attendance, teacher morale, and excitement about learning!
That said, where should you begin when you are teaching English?
Here are 10 basic themes around which you can build lessons:
1. Greetings and common phrases. Look in your Participant Handbook for the language
section. There will be a list of common greetings and phrases, translated into the local
language of your Program Site. Try teaching these terms to your students in English.
2. Colors, numbers, and days of the week. These concepts may be covered separately, or
used to build off of one another within lessons.
3. Food. You can use food to teach many different lessons, including tastes, types of food, colors,
how to order a meal, and more.
4. Descriptions of objects and people. Good for interaction, you can talk about colors, sizes,
hair types (curly, straight, long, short, bald, etc), personalities, types of clothing, and more.
5. Weather. Discuss words, seasons, and appropriate clothing for different types of weather.
6. Directions. Talk about how to ask and give directions, how to read a map in English, the
names of places and buildings (library, bus station, church, etc), travel, etc.
7. Health. Discuss visiting a doctor, or teach body parts, common ailments, and solutions.
8. Popular Music/Film. What kinds of music or movies to people enjoy? Having a discussion
about movies or music is a great way to use new vocabulary.
9. Family. Teach names of different family members (brother, sister, uncle, etc) and use these
terms to get to know each other.
10. World Cultures. Show a map of the world. You can provide the English names of the
countries, and discuss how your country may be similar and different.
That said, where should you begin when you are teaching English?
Here are 10 basic themes around which you can build lessons:
1. Greetings and common phrases. Look in your Participant Handbook for the language
section. There will be a list of common greetings and phrases, translated into the local
language of your Program Site. Try teaching these terms to your students in English.
2. Colors, numbers, and days of the week. These concepts may be covered separately, or
used to build off of one another within lessons.
3. Food. You can use food to teach many different lessons, including tastes, types of food, colors,
how to order a meal, and more.
4. Descriptions of objects and people. Good for interaction, you can talk about colors, sizes,
hair types (curly, straight, long, short, bald, etc), personalities, types of clothing, and more.
5. Weather. Discuss words, seasons, and appropriate clothing for different types of weather.
6. Directions. Talk about how to ask and give directions, how to read a map in English, the
names of places and buildings (library, bus station, church, etc), travel, etc.
7. Health. Discuss visiting a doctor, or teach body parts, common ailments, and solutions.
8. Popular Music/Film. What kinds of music or movies to people enjoy? Having a discussion
about movies or music is a great way to use new vocabulary.
9. Family. Teach names of different family members (brother, sister, uncle, etc) and use these
terms to get to know each other.
10. World Cultures. Show a map of the world. You can provide the English names of the
countries, and discuss how your country may be similar and different.
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