Write down your goals in teaching the classes. Do you have quantifiable goals, such as helping students pass a test, or less objective goals, such as seeing an improvement in students' reading? Writing your goals down will help you to confirm in your mind what you are hoping to achieve.
Determine how many sessions you will have to achieve these goals. If you have two lessons a week for six weeks, you will need to have twelve sub-goals. Clarifying this before planning individual sessions will allow you to better pace the study, and allow for a more structured environment. Write on a new piece of paper "Session Number [whatever number]" and the goal for that session. You can plan your session on this piece of paper, and take it in to the class with you.
Plan each session to have a mixture of teaching, class participation and exercises. Keeping the class interactive and fun will maintain everyone's attention, and you will be able to take a break from teaching constantly during times of group work. If your sessions are two hours long, allow a five to 10 minute break in the middle to allow people to refocus in the second hour. Use the "Literacy Connections" website (see Resources) for ideas on exercises.
Begin each class by explaining the intended outcomes of the session. Go on to explain the intended idea or topic in detail. Then, allow the students a period of practice or group work, before coming back together to practice as a class. Following this basic format will allow learners to be given new ideas, to practice them, and then to be comfortable using them as a group. This basic format should comprise each session.
Allow an extra five minutes at the end of each lesson for students to ask questions or raise new issues. This will also help if the class learns at different rates, as you can spend this time solving problems with the slower learners.