Let’s talk about some common illnesses
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Week of Aug. 10/26
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The plan includes lesson objectives, warm-up exercises, two short videos, and a range of…
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Lesson plan overview
| Task | To learn the names of some common illnesses and treatments for them. |
| 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 class size and whether you do the activities in all parts of the lesson plan) |
| CLB Skills and Competencies | Speaking: Interacting with others Sharing information Listening: Interacting with others Comprehending information Reading: Comprehending information |
| Language focus | Learn the vocabulary needed to understand this topic. Learn the vocabulary needed to describe some illnesses. Complete the optional “Part B: Building Sentences” activities below to help your students move from understanding vocabulary to using that vocabulary to create 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 more about the Canadian health system (e.g., when to go to the Emergency Room and when to access different forms of healthcare). |
| Specific task learning objectives | – Students learn the names of common illnesses. – Students practice talking about illness. – Students learn about the present simple verb form and how to use subjects, verbs, and objects to make simple sentences. – Students share home remedies and other ways to combat illnesses. |
| 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. |
Lesson plan
Part A: Vocabulary acquisition and practice
FEATURED CONTENT
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
- In this part of the lesson, we’re going to learn about common illnesses.
- What is illness?
- Can you name some illnesses?
Skill-building activities
- Vocabulary pair-matching:
- Understanding common illnesses* 🎥
- Listen to the vocabulary again*🔊 (Pay attention to what the words mean and how to pronounce them.)
Skill-using activities
- Picture match-up*
- Illnesses: Guess what I have* 🔊
- Discussing illness role plays* (Students practice how to discuss illnesses with other people.)
- Match the audio and words* 🔊
Assessment/review tasks
- Tell us the illness* (Ask the students to describe each illness’ symptoms.)
Part B: Building sentences
FEATURED CONTENT
Warm-up: Introducing the topic and defining our terms
In this part of the lesson, we’re going to learn about:
- Using subject pronouns and converting nouns into pronouns. What is a pronoun? What is a noun?
- The present simple verb form for regular verbs and the irregular verb, “to have.” Can anyone give me an example of the present simple tense?
- Using subject/verb/object word order to make short sentences. Can anyone tell me what a subject is? A verb? An object?
Skill-building and skill-using activities
- Using pronouns* (A simple explanation of how to convert nouns into subject pronouns.)
- Tell us the pronoun* (Replace the nouns with the correct subject pronouns.)
- Present simple verb tense explainer* (A simple explanation of the present tense.)
- Learn the present simple form of the verb “to have”* (Ask students to notice that “to have” is an irregular verb.)
- Subject/verb/object explainer* (A simple explanation of how to use subjects, verbs, and objects to create short sentences.)
- Put the words into the correct containers* (Practice identifying subjects, verbs, and objects and putting these items into the correct order.)
- Unjumble the sentences* (Practice word order and the present simple form of the verb “to have.”)
- Create sentences in subject/verb/object order* (Move the word magnets to create correct sentences.)
Assessment/review tasks
- A busy day at the clinic 🎥 (Watch and read a story version of the lesson vocabulary. Answer open-ended comprehension questions.)
Part C: Reflection questions
- Can you name three illnesses?
- When would you go to doctor if you were ill?
- When would you go to the hospital emergency room?
- Do you know about 811 (for Alberta residents)? What is the difference between 811 and 911?
- Do you have home remedies for colds or flu?
- Do you get more or less ill in Canada than in your first country?
- Do you take vitamins? Do you think that these help prevent illness?
- How often do you get colds?
- Do you think that exercise and healthy eating are important in preventing illness?
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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.
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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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