When I enter a class, the first thing I always do is writing what we are going to do during the session on the whiteboard.
Then, I start asking typical questions such as "how are you?", "what's your name?", "What's your mother's name?", "what's your favourite subject?" and so on (the complexity of the questions / answer required depends on the level I am teaching).
If a student cannot answer, I ask the same question to a neighbouring student and then go back with the same question to the student who couldn't answer.
This makes my students leave what they were doing and start paying attention.
After 15 questions or so, I tell them what we are going to do (which they can read on the WB).
The actual class may start, then.
Then, I start asking typical questions such as "how are you?", "what's your name?", "What's your mother's name?", "what's your favourite subject?" and so on (the complexity of the questions / answer required depends on the level I am teaching).
If a student cannot answer, I ask the same question to a neighbouring student and then go back with the same question to the student who couldn't answer.
This makes my students leave what they were doing and start paying attention.
After 15 questions or so, I tell them what we are going to do (which they can read on the WB).
The actual class may start, then.