To keep students engaged and maximize learning, minimize activities where the focus is on an individual student. Split the class into teams to play games so each student is involved in the play as often as possible. Team members can help one another. When drilling the new vocabulary with TPR sentences, first state the sentence in English with TPR gestures, then have the entire group state the sentence in Spanish with you. Hesitate after each gesture so students get a chance to come up with the words before you do. With TPR sentences and TPR singing, insist on participation from all students.

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A typical one hour class should include about eight different activities – an average of 7 – 8 minutes per activity. This is just a guideline, as some activities take longer than others. Be careful not to spend too much time on one particular activity.

Be jealous of your time! Do not allow students to sidetrack you (no storytelling by the students) and be keenly aware of how long you are spending on each activity. During lesson preparation, you might mark approximately where you think you should be halfway through the class. Check the time when you see this mark and see if you are close to where you need to be. Speed up or slow down appropriately.

Be willing to switch to another activity if it is taking too long or the students are losing focus.

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