The big problem with is, am and are for Thai children isn't picking the wrong one. It's leaving the word out entirely. Thai joins a person to a description with no linking word at all, so the direct equivalent of I hungry is a perfectly good Thai sentence. Children carry that frame straight into English and out comes I hungry. Teaching this has to start by making them feel that an English sentence with no is, am or are is missing something, like a bridge with its middle span gone.
The Mental Image: Is, Am and Are Build the Bridge
Draw a person on the left of the board and a description on the right, then draw a bridge between them and label it is am are. Every time the class says a sentence, have them link their two hands as they reach that word: I (hands link) am (point at yourself) happy. The gesture plants the word's position in the body, not just in the ear.
- A pairing rule to chant in rhythm: I am / You are / He is She is It is / We are They are
- Always practise on the child's own life: I am eight. She is my friend. Not stray sentences lifted from a book.
- When a child drops the word, echo it back with the gap left open: I ... hungry? Then wait and let them fill it in. Don't supply it yourself.
From Speaking to Writing
Once it flows in speech, the right worksheet is choosing is, am or are to complete sentences about a picture. After that, move up to writing three sentences of their own: I am... My school is... My friends are... Those three are the root of an introduction children will still be using in secondary school. The day they can write them unaided, the topic is genuinely finished.