Slowly introduce lessons to students in both their native tongue and the language that is being taught to them. This gives them a clear understanding of the lesson and a familiar reference point to work from in their minds. Use oral and written examples for each lesson point and refrain from overloading students with a lengthy explanation as you may turn them off by making them feel overwhelmed and lost.
Introduce students to a verbal example of how the language works through stories and narratives of current events or personal anecdotes. Explain case and tense through your recollections and focus on different types of words within the story. Have them repeat the story back to you or to one another. Students can work from their basic knowledge of the narrative to create their own or to discuss its contents in a free-flowing manner. This will help to make them comfortable with usage of the language.
Encourage communication and interaction by urging students to converse in the language that is being taught and to refrain from resorting to their native language. To help stimulate their desire to learn, engage them in conversation and when they make mistakes, whether through improper vocabulary or incorrect grammatical use, correct them in a positive way that continues to keep the conversation going. This will help raise their confidence while improving their learning comprehension.
All classrooms will have students who excel at different speeds. Some will thrive while it may be more difficult for others to fully grasp each lesson. Keeping every student engaged is a challenge and one that must be accomplished by getting every one of them involved in group activities. Enforce the positive qualities to each student's learning progression. Students need to feel like they can actively participate and should be allowed to do so at their subsequent skill level. While some students will be larger contributors to the class than others, each student must feel that his contribution is just as important as the rest. Their confidence will increase as will their success.