I taught beginners' classes for 19 years - and that's what I did: the first evening was just for orientation, and I always brought a bunch of quilts with me. We talked about supplies, fabric - just basic stuff, and THIMLES!!! Nobody had thimbles, and all hated them - was the same every time. Anyway - I started with handsewing hexagons over papers (I cut the papers), hexagons make pretty flowers, that covers applique. After that I picked easy patterns - Log Cabin, Nine Patch, and then triangles. And I did show them how to quilt.
I am a self-taught quilter, when I started, there were no quilters in Germany (I lived with my family in the States for 4 years).
I always stressed quality - cheap fabric is no fun to work with. If you have more questions, just send me a PM. I'll do my best to answer all questions. Tirolgirl