The cheapest English in your classroom isn't in the textbook. It's already in your mouth. Instructions like Stand up. Sit down. Open your book. get repeated several times a day, every day, all term. Say them in English and your class hears thousands of pieces of real language a year for nothing, without you adding a single minute to your teaching time.
20 Commands, Starting with the Ones You'll Use Most
- Getting them settled: Stand up. Sit down. Line up. Come here. Go back to your seat.
- Starting the work: Open your book. Take out your pencil. Look at the board. Listen carefully. Repeat after me.
- While they work: Raise your hand. Work with your partner. Hurry up. Slow down. Are you finished?
- Finishing and praising: Put your pencil down. Hand in your paper. Well done! Good job! See you next time.
How to Start Without Losing Anyone: Gesture First, Words Follow
In week one, every English instruction comes with a gesture. Say Stand up and lift both hands as you say it. The gesture carries the meaning, so nobody needs a Thai translation. Over the following weeks, shrink the gesture until only the words are left. At some point you'll say Line up! and the whole class will walk over and form a line as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
There's one rule you can't break. Get the first five commands firmly established before you add anything, then bring in two or three more a week. Pour all 20 out on day one and you'll get a baffled room that goes straight back to waiting for the Thai.