A check-up with the doctor

Learn the basic vocabulary needed to speak with a doctor during a check-up.

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by ESL Directions

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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 (about 1.5 hours) if you want to focus on:

Sentence production.

Specific lesson-related grammar points. Note: Every lesson also includes similar practice exercises for subjects, verbs, and objects — the basic building blocks of most English sentences.

Part C: Reflection Questions
These topic-related discussion 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* 🎥

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.

To help us, we’ll focus on:

Subject, verb, and object word order.
Answering “do you?” questions.

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 and grammar points.)

A check-up with the doctor: Reading passage and comprehension questions* 🔊 (Read the story, and identify the lesson’s grammar points.)

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?

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HEALTH 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.