Teaching at school is a real challenge, you have students who are not interested, who do not see the point of studying (not only English) and you have a few ones who have some perspective into the future or a specific activity (engaging in chat sessions with people who speak english)
I usually follow the syllabus and relate to any other subject the majority is interested. For example: when the Gulf War was about to start, I brought a magazine that showed a demonstration against the war in London, where you could see a big sign writte in English against war.
None of the students had a clue about the situation, but they were interested when I explained it, and they decided to make similar signs, in English, so they were so eager to have the language they needed to express their opinons, that I could bearly handle 35 adolescents painting,listening to "All you need is Love", and asking me questions that opened their minds.
They may have learned a few words or expressions, but they connected to the language in a way that touched all their senses and emotions. They lived the language in the process, and the school was full of those pictures that other students started asking about it.
Engage your students with real life stories: Ana Frank´s historical life brought my 14 year olds attention. The Kon Tiki expedition as well. And I have many other stories like that.
That is how you start at school, connecting the language with a real life situation, something that nobody can ignore, either for or against.
After that, you can go into the grammar, pronunciation, etc, but first, relate the language with something that "touches" their lives.