Learn the basic vocabulary needed to check in with a receptionist at the doctor’s office
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Week of Sept. 28/26
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn the basic vocabulary needed to check in with the receptionist at a doctor’s office. |
| CLB level | CLB Stage I (CLB 1-3) |
| 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 whether you complete all parts of the lesson plan) |
| 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 in checking in at a doctor’s office in Canada. |
| Specific task learning objectives | To learn standard vocabulary for checking in with a receptionist at a doctor’s office. To practice this vocabulary in a role play (both with set dialogue and in an open-ended role play). |
| 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 check in at a doctor’s office.
- What is a receptionist?
- What is a patient?
- What does checking-in mean?
- What is an appointment?
- What kind of questions will the receptionist ask you when you arrive at the doctor’s office?
Skill-building activities
- Vocabulary flashcards* 🔊
- Listen to the vocabulary again* (Pay attention to how to say the words and phrases and what they mean.)
- Checking in at a doctor’s office* 🎥 (Listen for the vocabulary we just learned. What words and phrases did you hear?)
Skill-using tasks
- Role play and comprehension questions* 🔊
- Who says what?* (Move the tiles under the correct speaker.)
- Match question and response*
Assessment/review tasks
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 “What is …?” questions
- Practicing answers to “What is …?” questions*
- Answering “what is” questions*
- “What is …?” question and answer explainer* (A more detailed explanation that you can teach in class or send home with your students.)
Assessment/review activities
- Checking in at the doctor’s office*🎥 (Watch a story using the lesson vocabulary.)
Part C: Reflection questions
- What are three words or phrases that you learned today?
- Is it hard to get an appointment with your doctor? How long do you usually have to wait?
- How long do you have to wait in the doctor’s office?
- Do you speak with the receptionist, or does someone else do it for you?
- Do you know about 811? Visit the 811 website link.
- Has anyone called 811?
- When do you go to the hospital or call 911? When do you see your doctor?
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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A check-up with the doctor
This lesson plan teaches your beginner ESL students basic vocabulary for speaking with doctors during check-ups. The lesson includes skill-building activities,…
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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