diff --git a/collects/drracket/private/rep.rkt b/collects/drracket/private/rep.rkt
index bdebc68ff5..a63158f8ad 100644
--- a/collects/drracket/private/rep.rkt
+++ b/collects/drracket/private/rep.rkt
@@ -1590,7 +1590,8 @@ TODO
         (queue-user/wait
          (λ () ; =User=, =No-Breaks=
            (send (drracket:language-configuration:language-settings-language user-language-settings)
-                 first-opened))))
+                 first-opened
+                 (drracket:language-configuration:language-settings-settings user-language-settings)))))
       
       (define/public (reset-console)
         (when (thread? thread-killed)
@@ -1686,8 +1687,16 @@ TODO
         
         (queue-user/wait
          (λ () ; =User=, =No-Breaks=
-           (send (drracket:language-configuration:language-settings-language user-language-settings)
-                 first-opened)))
+           (let ([lang (drracket:language-configuration:language-settings-language user-language-settings)])
+             (cond
+               ;; this is for backwards compatibility; drracket used to
+               ;; expect this method to be a thunk (but that was a bad decision)
+               [(object-method-arity-includes? lang 'first-opened 1)
+                (send lang first-opened
+                      (drracket:language-configuration:language-settings-settings user-language-settings))]
+               [else
+                ;; this is the backwards compatible case.
+                (send lang first-opened)]))))
         
         (insert-prompt)
         (send context enable-evaluation)
diff --git a/collects/lang/htdp-langs.rkt b/collects/lang/htdp-langs.rkt
index bf91ec180e..9024bdb380 100644
--- a/collects/lang/htdp-langs.rkt
+++ b/collects/lang/htdp-langs.rkt
@@ -426,6 +426,9 @@
               (go "." welcome)
               (newline port)))
           
+          (define/override (first-opened settings)
+            (for-each namespace-require/constant (htdp-lang-settings-teachpacks settings)))
+          
           (inherit get-module get-transformer-module get-init-code
                    use-namespace-require/copy?)
           (define/override (create-executable setting parent program-filename)
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/tools/language.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/tools/language.scrbl
index f30a09ab24..6d13a4a0fe 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/tools/language.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/tools/language.scrbl
@@ -628,8 +628,8 @@ default settings obtained via
 
 }
 
-@defmethod[(first-opened)
-           void?]{
+@defmethod*[([(first-opened [settings settings]) void?]
+             [(first-opened) void?])]{
 
 This method is called when the language is initialized, but
 no program is run. It is called from the user's eventspace's
@@ -638,6 +638,9 @@ main thread.
 See also
 @method[drracket:rep:text% initialize-console].
 
+It does not have to accept both zero and one arguments; the zero argument
+version is for backwards compatibility and drracket tests the arity of the
+method before invoking it.
 
 }