To help your students learn to follow directions in another language, read out instructions. Ask the class to listen and follow the directions. Surround the command with other sentences so your students will learn to pick out the important actions; they can also take clues from the context. This type of activity has the potential to be comical and is a fun way to loosen up a class that is nervous. Instruct your class to do anything from jump up and down to walk across the room.
Get your class used to hearing and participating in real-world situations. Choose a setting that involves a conversation, such as ordering food or checking in to a hotel. Conduct one side of the dialogue and ask a student to respond with the correct language. Introduce elements that require the student to adjust their case, such as different-gendered speakers or people that warrant formal language. The other students can watch and write down both sides of the conversation.
Verb conjugation is an important part of learning any foreign language, and can be challenging for both beginning and advanced students. Help your students practice conjugating verbs by showing a card with a picture of an action and have them say the verb out loud. Then, shout out a verb tense and ask students to give the correct conjugation. For an extra challenge, point to an individual student and have them say a sentence that uses the verb in your chosen tense.
Emotions can be a difficult thing to pick up in a conversation in a foreign language. Plan an exercise that gives students experience picking up on the mood of a dialogue. Tell a story with characters who express distinct emotions. As you read, have the students make faces or actions that express those emotions. Start with simple conversations that include the words for the emotion and progress to stories that convey emotion in the context.