Genki English

24 Quick Tips For Teaching Reading & Writing

Richard Graham — Sat, 09 May 2026 11:56:29 +0000

On Friday’s teachers call we had some fantastic questions on teaching reading and writing.

( We have group calls for teachers every Friday & Sunday in the Skool group – you’re welcome to join us!)

So whilst it was all still fresh in my mind I did a quick Youtube live. You can check it out above!

A few take aways –

Best order: Speaking → phonics → graded readers (reading for pleasure) → story writing → journaling
Speaking first — Build confident speakers before reading and writing (i.e. the main Genki English Curriculum)
Reading = meaning — It is not just saying the words. It’s taking strange symbols on the page and converting them to a thought in your brain.
Phonics helps decode — Use it to work out new words, not as the final goal.
Go for light-bulb moments — Let students figure things out for themselves.
No audio first for beginners — Otherwise they may copy from memory, not really read.
Use graded readers — Start easy and level up step by step.

Reading for pleasure — Enjoyment leads to progress.
Build a book-borrowing system — Let students take books home and choose what they like.
One week loans work best — It gets the books read and shared.
Don’t kill books with too many questions — Over-testing destroys the joy.
Skip “trust” questions — Don’t keep asking students to prove they understood, you’re just telling them you don’t trust them.
Use “thought” questions — Ask things that create real opinions and discussion e.g. “10 hours? That’s crazy!” works better than quiz questions.

1. Respect everyone 2. Tell me when you don’t understand — Applies to all lessons. Students are responsible tell you when they don’t understand.
Delay writing too — More speaking and reading first means better writing later.
Reading gives writing lego blocks — The more they read, the more they can write.
Writing = expressing ideas — Not copying. Not tracing. Real thoughts on the page.
Start writing with stories — Story structure helps organise ideas & is a skill for life.
Then move to Genki journaling — Great for fluency, reflection, and tenses.
Imagination Worksheets – can be a great first step too.
Exam prep comes last — Build real ability first, then teach the test.

Less stress for the teacher — Students become more independent.
Energy matters — Confidence, positivity, and enthusiasm are the method.
Big takeaway — Make reading and writing alive, fun, and meaningful.

If you have more questions or would like to learn more, do join us on our Friday & Sunday calls – they are lots of amazing things that come up each week!

The post 24 Quick Tips For Teaching Reading & Writing first appeared on Genki English.

How Much Can You Earn Teaching English? Try This Calculator

Richard Graham — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:06:59 +0000

Use this free Genki English Teacher Income Calculator to plan your ideal schedule and instantly see how much you could earn teaching English.

Just adjust your fee, class size, and hours — and discover how to hit your income goals faster.

Here’s a quick YouTube video on how to use it …

& If you want to learn how to actually achieve these numbers, check out my online School Owners Program

Hello, I’m Richard & I start teaching when I was 16.

Although I now have millions of students around the world, I’m just like everyone else and started with just 1 student and built things up from there.

Want to know how I did it?

In this course I share with you *everything* I’ve learnt about starting a school, growing a school and making the business and lifestyle you want.

Check it out below or have a look at www.GenkiBusiness.com

—> Check out the School Owners Program <–

The post How Much Can You Earn Teaching English? Try This Calculator first appeared on Genki English.

Superhero Hairstyles in English! + “Who is it?” Game

Richard Graham — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:38:54 +0000

Continuing the social media trend of more advanced Superhero Skits, today we have hairstyles in English!

So make sure your students have become super confident speakers with the quick start curriculum & Teacher’s Set

Then send them the link to the song above!

It’s on Youtube, Tik Tok, Facebook & Instagram too.

There’s also a playlist of all the superhero skits on Youtube.

And for VIP Members, i.e. those amazing teachers who have the Genki English Teacher’s Set – there are also printable flashcards and posters below!

Keep telling your students about these videos, the more people who watch the more new ones I can make for you!

Update: For VIP Members, we also have a brand new “Who is it?” game where you can practice some of these hairstyles if you like!

The post Superhero Hairstyles in English! + “Who is it?” Game first appeared on Genki English.

🎶 ☕️ Types of Coffees in English!

Richard Graham — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:59:02 +0000

I had an interesting request the other day.

It was for a song to learn the different types of coffees in English.

And it turned out really well – you can check it out on Instagram here or Tik Tok, Facebook & Youtube if you prefer.

I have a feeling the last line might stick in your head all weekend

And if you’d like the A4 poster/flashcard pdfs, let me know in the video comments and I’ll DM them across to you when I finish them!

Have a very genki weekend!

Be genki,

Richard

P.S. Yes, all of these extra things are for after your students have mastered the main curriculum & are hence already super genki confident speakers!

The post 🎶 ☕️ Types of Coffees in English! first appeared on Genki English.

New Easier Book Summaries? Atomic Habits

Richard Graham — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 10:23:32 +0000

When I’m teaching advanced, C1/C2 level Genki English there are two main tools I use. One is the Genki Journaling for the output. And for the input we use book summaries. They are a fantastic source of real, up to date audio/visual English and the content is great.

But what about lower levels?

Well, I just tried making some slightly easier book summaries, but in a very different way! I just uploaded the first one for Atomic Habits (25 million copies sold!)

I’d love it if you could give it a listen and let me know what you think in the comments – it’s on Tik Tok, Instagram or Youtube!

And maybe I should make some more?

The post New Easier Book Summaries? Atomic Habits first appeared on Genki English.

🎵 I’m wearing a hat, cap, crown, helmet etc.

Richard Graham — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:58:01 +0000

Just a little experiment in some of the 3D art tools rather than an official Genki English lesson! For “I’m wearing ….” plus several types of headwear – hat, cap, crown, helmet etc.

Let me know in the Instagram comments if you like it!

You can of course use it with the regular Genki English lesson plan:

Warm up & review
Learn the new language with the song (you’ll have to use the Instagram video for this one!)
Practice using the language with a classroom game ( any of the VIP Classroom Games will work with this topic too!)

And if you’re a VIP Member – i.e. you’re an amazing teacher who has bought the Genki English Teacher’s Set – you can find the flashcards below

And the A4 Poster!

Let me know in the Instagram comments if you’d like any other printables making up! ( Maybe the mini cards?)

And of course you can play any of the VIP Classroom Games with this topic too!

Enjoy!

Be genki,

Richard

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