Learn the basic vocabulary needed to speak with a doctor during a check-up.
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Week of Sept. 28/26
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn the basic vocabulary needed to speak with a doctor during a routine check-up. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 2-4) |
| Delivery method | Online |
| Class size | 10-15 students (vary the number of activities according to your class size) |
| Estimated time | 1.5 to 3 hours (depending on how many parts of the lesson you complete) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Getting things done Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending instructions Getting things done Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Complete the optional “Part B: Building Sentences” activities below to help your students move from understanding vocabulary to using that vocabulary to produce simple sentences. Use the appropriate grammar structures and vocabulary to respond personally to the reflection questions. (Encourage students to respond in full sentences.) |
| Cultural focus | Students understand the questions and answers expected and politeness formulas used during doctor’s check-ups in Canada. Students understand how to look for a family doctor in Alberta. Students understand more about the Canadian health care system. |
| Specific task learning objectives | Students learn vocabulary for a basic exchange with a doctor during a routine check-up. Students practice this vocabulary in various activities and in set and open-ended role plays. Students understand the role of the family doctor in Canada (e.g., when to go to Emergency and when to go to a family doctor). Students understand how to look for a doctor (in Alberta). |
| ESL Directions original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities? | This lesson includes original video (🎥) and audio (🔊) activities. |
| Resource attribution | ESL Directions original resources are marked below with an asterisk (*). Feel free to use these, but please give credit to ESL Directions. |
Part A: Vocabulary acquisition and practice
This is a self-contained, complete lesson plan (about 1.5 hours) focused on vocabulary.
Part B: Building sentences
Part B takes your students further by giving them some tools to build simple sentences (using the vocabulary they learned in Part A).
Use Part B if you want to focus on sentence production, teach for a longer time (1 to 1.5 additional hours), or break your lesson into two related parts.
Part C: Reflection Questions
These questions work at the end of either part A or B.
Lesson plan
Part A: Vocabulary acquisition and practice
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
Today, we’re going to learn some of the words you need to speak with your doctor during a check-up.
- What is a family doctor?
- What are some other names for a family doctor?
- What is an annual check-up?
Skill-building activities
- Vocabulary flashcards* 🔊
- Listen to the vocabulary again* (Pay attention to how to say each word and what it means.) 🔊
- A check-up at your doctor* 🎥
Skill-using tasks
- Vocabulary quiz*
- Audio, role play and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Group sort* (Who said it — the doctor or the patient?)
- Who said it: True or false?*
- Put the dialogue back together* (Move the tiles under the correct speakers.)
Assessment/review tasks
- Vocabulary activity: Open the box quiz*
- Open-ended practice*
- Play a vocabulary boardgame*
- Speaking cards* (Ask students to explain each card.)
Part B: Building sentences
Warm-up: Introducing the topic
In this part of the lesson, we’re going to work on creating short sentences from the vocabulary we learned in Part A.
Skill-building and skill-using activities
Word order in English sentences
Today, we’ll look at three important parts of English sentences.
- What is a subject?
- What is a verb?
- What is an object?
Let’s practice!
- Quick definitions: Subjects, verbs, and objects*
- Unjumble the sentences*
- Create sentences in subject/verb/object order*
- Subject/verb/object explainer* (A more detailed explanation that you can teach in class or send home with your students.)
Answering “Do you?” questions
- Quick explainer of “do you?” questions*
- “Do you?” questions and answers: Unjumble the sentences*
- Match “do you?” questions and answers*
- Answering “do you?” questions*
- “Do you?” question and answer explainer* (A more detailed explanation that you can teach in class or send home with your students.)
Assessment/review activities
- A check-up with the doctor*🎥 (Watch a story using the lesson vocabulary.)
Part C: Reflection questions
- What are three words or phrases that you learned today?
- How is seeing the doctor here different from in your home countries?
- Do you know when to go to the doctor and when to go to the hospital?
- Who here has a family doctor? Do you know how to find a doctor in Edmonton? (Go to Find a doctor: Alberta Health Services.)
- What is the hardest part about talking with a doctor for you?
RELATED PAGES
Making an appointment with your doctor
This lesson plan for your beginner ESL students teaches the basic vocabulary for making a doctor’s appointment, particularly over the phone.…
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Checking in at the doctor’s office
This lesson plan will teach your beginner ESL students basic vocabulary for checking in at a doctor’s office. The lesson includes…
Keep readingHEALTH YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
Click on the small right arrow at the top of this video to watch the videos or go to the YouTube Health Playlist.
HEALTH WORDWALL ACTIVITIES
Wordwall is a very useful interactive lesson-creation site. If you sign up for a free Wordwall account, you will be able to see our “Health” folder, which includes ESL Directions activities that you can add to your lessons.
ABOUT ESL DIRECTIONS
Kathy Garnsworthy, the creator of ESL Directions, is an ESL teacher, movie buff, constant reader, and former editor and communications pro. Now a graduate of the Teaching English as a Second Language program at the University of Manitoba and an ESL teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, she specializes in teaching online classes of beginner ESL students.
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