This guide presents suggestions from experienced teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for the first 2 days of class. An introduction describes how to organize the classroom. Next, the guide describes day 1 (begin to build a community spirit by introducing students to each other and the teacher in a nonthreatening manner) and day 2 (continue to build a friendly community spirit to help students relax and get acquainted, and become familiar with the textbook). The rest of the guide focuses on: "How Do We Discover Our Students' Needs?"; "What Resources are Available? What Materials Match My Students' Needs?"; "How Can I Find Out What Students Know?" (assessment); "How Much Homework is Necessary and What Kind?"; "Who Talks and How Much?"; "How Do Students Learn to Hear and Make English Sounds?"; "How Should Student Records and Reports be Kept?"; "What are Some Basic Teaching Approaches in an ESOL Class?"; "A Few More Thoughts"; and "Summary." (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.) (SM)