The above ideas are all really great. Here's another thought, though.

If you can get your students to be interested in "you" as a teacher, they'll soon be interested in whatever it is you have to teach. Can you make them laugh, think you're neat, show your human side? Don't be afraid to act foolish to get a laugh (or even to surprise them with a funny voice once and a while), share stories that make you original or give details about your likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.

If you put yourself in your students' shoes, you'll soon remember that the classes that you probably most liked in school were the classes where you liked the teacher (for whatever reason made him or her likeable).

Remember that this age group is in-between. They want to be respected and not be treated like kids, but they still like that slap-stick, physical humor that often makes children laugh.

To help them even more try to incorporate this information into the English lessons you're teaching.

Kind regards,
Shelley
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