Lesson starters for language teaching:
12 ideas for 5 minutes
The first five minutes decide whether your class switches into the target language. These twelve starters work in any language and at any level – most with no preparation, some digitally on the projector.
No credit card needed · Always free for students
12 lesson starters for any language
- 1
Live vocabulary quiz
5 minThe class plays against you on their phones, or in two teams against each other, with the leaderboard on the projector. Revises last lesson’s words without feeling like a test.
See the digital lesson starter → - 2
Brainstorming the topic
5 minWrite a keyword from the unit on the board and the class collects every word they can think of in the target language. Activates prior knowledge before a new topic.
Brainstorming on the projector → - 3
Would you rather …?
5 minTwo options on the board – students choose and give a reason in one sentence. Works from the first year with simple sentence starters.
- 4
Two truths and a lie
5–10 minA student says three sentences about themselves and the class guesses which one is the lie. Practises questions and past tenses along the way.
- 5
Word scramble
5 minThe letters of a word from last lesson appear jumbled. Whoever names the word first gets the point.
Play on the projector → - 6
Odd one out
3 minFour words on the board, one doesn’t belong. Students find it and explain why – there are often several right answers, and that is exactly what gets them talking.
- 7
Picture of the day
5 minA photo on the projector: What can you see? What happened before? What happens next? Practises vocabulary and free speaking.
- 8
Conjugation dice
10 minTwo dice decide the person and the verb, and the class conjugates. Ideal for languages with many verb forms such as French, Spanish and Latin.
Play on the projector → - 9
Hot seat
10 minOne student sits with their back to the board and the class describes the word in the target language until they guess it.
Play on the projector → - 10
Date and weather
2 minA fixed routine for beginners: one student says the day, date and weather in the target language. Short, repeatable and good for shy students.
- 11
Word chain
5 minThe first student says a word, the next one says a word starting with its last letter. Whoever hesitates sits down – the last three win.
Rules & template → - 12
One-minute talk
5 minA student talks for one minute about a topic from the unit and includes three given words. The class counts along.
Try the game →
Plan your lesson starters
With Lenguvo you can plan lesson starters for your class in advance and start them with one click during the lesson. The same word set also works for board games and homework.
Vocabulary games for the classroom →Frequently asked questions
How long should a lesson starter be?
Five to ten minutes. Longer rarely stays productive – shorter is often enough when it is a fixed routine your class knows.
Should the starter already be in the target language?
Yes, ideally. The first minutes help students “switch over”. With simple sentence starters on the board this works from the very first year.
How do I plan lesson starters with Lenguvo?
In your class you choose a word set and a game mode and save the lesson starter as planned. In the lesson you start it with one click – students join with a code or QR code.
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