Teach the Latin alphabet. The Greek language uses its own alphabet, so your students may or may not be familiar with the Latin alphabet. Review the pronunciation of the letters and the sounds they represent for your students, even if they are intermediate or advanced learners. Require your students to take notes and write out the phonetics of new vocabulary in the Latin alphabet, rather than the Greek alphabet. Continue to review the alphabet throughout the course with activities using the Latin alphabet; play competitive classroom letter games such as hangman, and integrate dictations into your lesson plans.
Learn about some common problems regarding Greek language interference when learning English. The book "Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and Other Problems" by Michael Swan includes a chapter on teaching English to Greek-speaking language learners. This chapter will provide information on some common problems Greek speakers have when learning English. Speak to other English teachers who have taught in Greece or in Greek immigrant communities. Experienced teachers will have some insight into language interference and may have some tips and tricks they regularly use when teaching English to their Greek-speaking students. Knowing specific information about how first languages affect the learning process will help you anticipate problems and misunderstandings regarding the language learning patterns of Greek speakers. This will help you plan effective lessons catered specifically towards Greek speakers.
Take a Greek language course. Studying the first language of your students will help you gain firsthand perspective on issues and problems your students may face regarding pronunciation, grammatical structure, vocabulary and phonetics. Take a course at an adult education center, a community college or online. Arrange a language partnership with one of your students who would like extra tutoring in English in exchange for instruction in Greek.
Use authentic materials in English related to topics your students find interesting. You can bring in news reports in English regarding current events in Greece, or stories about worldwide Greek immigration. Such topics can serve as subjects for class conversation or debates. If your students consider a conversational topic relevant to their lives, they will be engaged in speaking and practicing English as a conversational and communicative tool.