How to Start an English Club

Why should I start an English Club?

Use what you learn
An English Club is a place for language learners to use English in a casual setting.
Practising your skills in the classroom is important, but it is not like real life. In the
classroom, you often focus on one skill and one item (for example: grammar future
tense!. After learning the rules your teacher gi"es you time to practise using the item.
#ou ha"e your papers in front of you and the rules are fresh in your mind. $ill you
remember ho% to use your skills next %eek, or next year& In an English Club, you get
a chance to practise many different skills in a setting that is more like real life.
'hough your English teacher understands your English, your English Club friends
%ill re(uire you to speak more clearly and listen more carefully.
Make English-speaking friends
)tarting an English Club is a great %ay to make ne% lasting friendships. It is
important to ha"e good E)* friends because your confidence %ill increase if you do.
#ou %ill feel more comfortable using English around people you trust and ha"e fun
%ith. +on,t limit your friends to the people in your class.
How can I start an English Club?
ost a sign-up sheet
#ou can start by putting up a sign-up sheet in your school lobby or on a local library
bulletin board. $rite your email address at the top so that people can email you %ith
any ideas they might ha"e. .ake sure they %rite do%n their phone numbers or email
addresses so that you can contact them about the time and place of the club meetings.
Seek help
+on,t try to do e"erything yourself. Each member should contribute to the club. #ou
may e"en %ant to find a fluent English speaker %ho %ill "olunteer to come to your
meetings. /e% teachers or a high school student may be %illing to help you for free
because the experience %ill help them find a 0ob. #ou can put an ad in a local paper or
at the library or supermarket. ($A/'E+: 1olunteer to help %ith English Club. .ust
be fluent in English. /o teaching experience or preparation necessary. Call E"a at
222-2222 for more information.!
Hold an introductory !eeting
After you ha"e enough people sign up (3-45 people is a good number! you %ill need
to hold an introductory meeting. At the first meeting, members can learn each other,s
names and you can talk about %hat kind of club people are interested in. 6ne %ay to
organi7e the club is by putting one member in charge of being the leader each %eek.
#ou can organi7e the %eeks in terms of themes (music8food8tra"el...!, or skills
(reading8%riting8listening...!.
Create rules and routines
At your meeting you can discuss %hat types of rules and routines the club should
ha"e. 9or example, English Clubs usually ha"e an :English only: rule. $ill people be
allo%ed to drink and eat during the meeting& $hat about bringing a friend& It is a
good idea to conduct each club meeting in a similar %ay. $hen people kno% %hat to
expect, they are more likely to attend.
Who will "oin !y English Club?
#ou can in"ite anyone to 0oin your English Club, including friends, family members,
fello% students, co-%orkers, and people from other schools. English Clubs tend to be
more fun %hen they are multigenerational and multicultural. If your best friend is
0oining, %hy not ask her grandmother to 0oin too& English Club members also %ork
%ell %hen members ha"e "arying English language abilities. 6ne member may be
able to teach you something ne%, and another may benefit from a skill that you can
share. 'eaching someone else a grammar point or explaining ho% to use a ne% %ord
is one of the best %ays to re"ie% your skills.
Where should we hold our English Club?
#t an English School
'he easiest place to hold an English Club is in a spare classroom at an English school.
After classroom hours, most schools remain open for an hour or t%o so that teachers
can prepare for their classes. 'his is also a con"enient location because some or all of
the members %ill already be in the school and %ill ha"e no excuses for missing a club
meeting. #ou %ill also ha"e access to materials and tele"ision e(uipment.
In !e!bers$ ho!es
#ou may %ant to take your club out of the classroom in order to make it feel less
academic and more social. If you decide to operate your club from a personal home,
try to find more than one person %ho is %illing to host the meetings. #ou %ill need to
choose homes that are in a central location. $ithin the home, choose a room %ith a lot
of space and fe% distractions. +on,t forget to turn off the telephone. #ou may %ant to
ser"e coffee or tea.
#t a cafe or restaurant
'his type of setting %ill likely in"ol"e a fee. 'he manager may allo% you to reser"e a
small room in the back if you choose a time of day %hen there are fe% customers.
#ou %ill likely be expected to purchase be"erages and tip a ser"er (depending on
%hat country you are in!. 6perating your club out of a cafe may make it difficult to
incorporate mo"ies, music, and other listening practice. A cafe is a good option for a
small con"ersation club (less than 3 people!.
%utdoors
6ne of the best places to hold an English Club is outside. 'his may only be possible
during certain %arm months depending on %hat country you are in. Choose a location
%here shelter can be found in case of rain. 'hough the beach might sound like a great
place to practise your English, remember that you %ill probably be using papers and
books %hich %ill be difficult in the bree7e. A park %ith picnic tables and shady trees
might be better.
Consider at!osphere
$here"er you hold your club, remember that it is a club, not a class. 'o change the
atmosphere in a classroom you might %ant to open %indo%s or ha"e background
music or candles (if the school permits!. A pot of coffee or a bo%l of popcorn can also
make the meeting feel more like a club than a class. $hy not encourage members to
take off their shoes %hen they %alk in the door, or sit on the floor instead of chairs.
;emember, the purpose of the club is to use English in a life-like situation. +o %hat
feels natural and comfortable.
When and how often should we !eet for our English Club?
#bout once a week
)ome clubs fail because they expect too much of the members. It is hard to find time
to commit to something outside of school, %ork, and family. .eeting once a %eek for
about t%o hours is a good start. )ome English Clubs also meet for an additional
excursion once a month. As you make friends you %ill probably begin to get together
in pairs or smaller groups outside of the club meetings.
&he best ti!e of day
Choose a meeting time that is con"enient for the group. <sually late afternoons,
e"enings, or %eekend days are chosen so that the meetings don,t conflict %ith %ork or
school. 'he time that you choose %ill also depend on %hen the room8space is
a"ailable. +uring your introductory meeting find out %hen the most con"enient time
is for the ma0ority of the members. If you make your meetings too early or too late
you may find that people come to the first fe% meetings and then drop out.
Stop and begin again
)tart a ne% club session approximately e"ery three months. 'his %ill keep the club
ali"e= Another good time to take a break is during holiday times, such as /e% #ear,s
or )pring >reak. )ome members %ill return and others %ill mo"e on to other things.
In"ite ne% people to 0oin to fill the empty spots. Change acti"ities8themes that didn,t
%ork the first time. ?eep adding ne% ideas, but try to maintain a club identity.
What should we do in our English Club?
Establish a war!-up routine
#ou %ill notice that teachers often start class %ith a game or con"ersation exercise.
'hey do this to %ake you up= 'hey also %ant to help you focus on a classroom
acti"ity that %ill follo%. In a club that tends to ha"e more of an academic focus the
%arm up could be three ne% "ocabulary %ords. 'he leader could teach a noun, a "erb,
and an ad0ecti"e each session. 'he group practises making sentences %ith the ne%
%ords. In a club that is more social in nature, find an acti"ity that makes people laugh.
'his %ill bring positi"e energy into the room. @ere are ten fun %arm-up acti"ities that
are guaranteed to turn your brains to English (uickly=
&he!es or Skills
#ou can organi7e your club in many %ays. )ome clubs %ill be full of members that
only %ant to practise one skill, such as con"ersation. Con'ersation club meetings are
often "ery casual and re(uire little planning. E"eryone can %rite do%n a topic that
they %ant to debate, or you can talk about popular culture and current e"ents.
)omeone can bring in a ne%spaper article and e"eryone can read it together and
discuss it. (eading clubs are another type of English Club. Each person reads the
same book (outside of group time! and the club discusses aspects such as %hat they
liked about it, %ho their fa"ourite characters %ere, etc.
'he ma0ority of English Clubs, ho%e"er, are designed for people %ho %ant to
impro"e their English in all skill areas. If this is the type of club you %ant to create it
is useful to di"ide the meetings in terms of themes or skills. Each member of the club
can choose from a list of dates. #ou can suggest topic ideas, or ask members to come
up %ith their o%n. Al%ays gi"e members the option of bringing in their o%n idea
(lea"e a blank space for 6'@E; on the theme8skill schedule!. )ee sample meeting
schedule for ideas for your o%n club. 'he leader for each meeting is in charge of
e"erything including the %arm-up, the focus, and the di"iding of members into groups
or pairs. 'his gi"es e"eryone in the group an opportunity to sho% their leadership and
creati"e skills. If someone is extremely shy and un%illing to be a leader, you can still
allo% them to 0oin the club. Perhaps they %ill agree to be a leader a fe% months later
in the next session %hen they ha"e more confidence in English.
Ha'e backup ideas on hand
$hat if your leader for the day doesn,t sho% up& In a classroom, you usually get a
substitute teacher %hen your instructor is sick or una"ailable. 'his should be the same
in a club. If members kno% they are going to miss a meeting that they are supposed to
lead, they should call another member and gi"e them instructions about %hat %as
planned. @o%e"er, it is likely that a day %ill come %hen no leader sho%s up at all. It
is a good idea to ha"e a back up plan in case of this problem.
'he easiest thing to do is keep a list of discussion )uestions in the location of the
meetings. Put them in an en"elope or in the classroom, or gi"e one to each member to
keep in their notebook. #ou can cut them up and put them in a hat and take turns
picking (uestions. Another idea is to get out a dictionary and learn ten new words.
'he group can practise using them and then %rite a group play that in"ol"es all ten
%ords. A deck of playing cards is also a good thing to keep in case of extra time.
#ou can play a game of cards in English. 'eaching each other rules in English is a
great %ay to practise speaking and listening. #ou %ill also ha"e to ask lots of
(uestions %hen you learn a ne% game.
Use a suggestion bo*
If it,s possible, keep a suggestion box in the room %here you hold your club meetings.
At the end of each meeting the leader should encourage members to %rite a comment
or suggestion for the group. E*a!ples: I %ant to practice pronunciation more. *et,s
keep track of our ne% "ocabulary. +oes anyone %ant to practice idioms %ith me& It,s
too cold in this room= $hy don,t %e all bring a snack to share next %eek&
+o on e*cursions as a group
6utside of your %eekly meetings, it is a good idea to ha"e one excursion a month.
'his helps create stronger bonds %ithin the group. It is al%ays fun to ha"e something
to look for%ard to as %ell. Ao out to a mo"ie. Play a sport. +o community ser"ice
together. Ai"e blood. Ao sightseeing. @a"e a picnic. Ao dancing. @a"e a potluck
dinner. $hate"er you decide to do, e"eryone should speak English at all times.
Useful links,
Aet members to gi"e a presentation on a sub0ect that they kno% about.
Aet some cards and games such as )crabble or $ord <p for fun.
Put on a play or get members to do impro"isations.
@a"e a range of ideas for language-learning acti"ities to keep your meetings
"aried.