A good English as a Second Language lesson will have three distinct parts: a warm-up activity, new knowledge acquisition and practicing new knowledge. Each part of the lesson plays a vital role in ESL development. Having a good warm-up activity is important to an English language lesson, as it sets the student up for success on many different levels.

Preparing the Student's Ear
Learning a new language involves training mind, mouth and ear. Whether it's at work or at home, most ESL students will spend the majority of their day listening and speaking in their own language. Whether it's asking and answering simple questions, listening to music or watching a cartoon, warm-up activities tune the student's ear to English nuances. Getting the student used to the English language is the first step in language acquisition.

Student Focus
When students step into the ESL classroom, they are coming from a wide range of busy lives. Warm-up activities will help them to turn off the outside world and focus on the task at hand. By the end of your warm-up activity, every student will be ready to learn. Being able to focus on their language lesson instead of their shopping list will have your students ready to learn.

Engage Every Student
Structured warm-up activities, such as a question-and-answer session or a simple student-led activity, gets everyone involved in the lesson. In any classroom, there always are students who are more reticent and are willing to let others do all the participating. By engaging students to take part in a low-risk, warm-up activity, an ESL teacher will reach every student and will help their students achieve their language goals.

Review
A warm-up activity is the perfect time to review language skills presented in the previous English lesson. Some students will have mastered these skills since the last session and will be proud to show them off, and others will be happy to have the chance to review material they are not completely comfortable with yet. Reviewing the material in a warm-up activity that is different from the one you used to practice the English language skill in the last lesson will also give your students the opportunity to hear and use the material in a new way before moving on to the next lesson.

Scaffolding
Starting a new lesson with English the students are already comfortable with will help ESL instructors present new language skills with little student confusion. By scaffolding new knowledge on previously acquired English, students will be eager to add to their growing language base. Starting from a solid foundation will allow ESL teachers and students to move smoothly through the curriculum.