AT THE DOCTOR ESL LESSON PLAN DESCRIPTION
OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW
This at the doctor ESL lesson plan provides activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for intermediate B1-B2 students. In this lesson, students will:
Engage in discussions about health issues, allergies, illnesses, & injuries
Learn vocabulary terms related to health issues, symptoms, illnesses, & injuries
Watch a scene from the TV series ‘Friends’ where Ross has to go to the doctor
Learn some adjectives/adverbs to describe health issues
Engage in role plays and conversations based on health issues
PREVIEW & DISCUSSION
In the first section of this ESL lesson plan about visiting the doctor and health issues, students describe and discuss various health issues shown in images, such as migraines, the flu, allergies, a phobia, and an injury. They match these health issues to their symptoms. Then, they complete some descriptions of people talking about some health issues using prepositions. They include vocabulary such as:
swell up
go away
to have a phobia about something
to have an allergic reaction to something
Students also provide advice for managing these issues based on their experiences.
VIEWING ACTIVITY
In the viewing part of the lesson, students watch a video about Ross at the doctor’s office. He goes there because he eats a kiwi and has an allergic reaction. At the doctor’s office, Ross needs an injection but has a phobia of needles. He ends up injuring Monica’s hand in the scene. Students answer questions about the video, identifying which foods Ross is allergic to and his symptoms. They also determine true or false statements about the video’s content and analyze the final conversation between Monica and Ross to determine their discussion topic.
DISCUSSION & ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS
In the viewing follow-up phase, students debate who is more to blame for the incident depicted in the video and compare the severity of Ross’s allergies and phobia. They also categorize adjectives and adverbs related to health issues by their intensity and part of speech. They proceed to complete a dialogue about friends talking about health issues and illnesses using these descriptive words. These include words such as:
slight
severe
severely
quite
minor
intense
pretty
somewhat
HEALTH STORIES & SUPPORT SESSION
For the activation part of the lesson, students select a health issue or condition and write notes about symptoms and treatments. They then role-play scenarios where one student describes their health issue and the other offers advice. Alternatively, students discuss topics related to managing health issues and supporting others with similar problems.
BENEFITS OF USING THIS ESL LESSON ABOUT VISITING THE DOCTOR
Understanding Health Issues
Students gain a better understanding of various health issues, including allergies and their symptoms, through the lesson’s activities.
Health Description & Advising Skills
The lesson helps students improve their ability to describe health issues and offer advice, which is valuable for supporting others.
Role-Playing
Role-playing scenarios enhance students’ practical application of language in discussing and managing health conditions.
Critical Thinking
Students develop critical thinking by analyzing the severity of health issues and comparing different conditions, such as allergies and phobias.
Detailed Health Discussions
The lesson encourages detailed discussions about personal and observed health experiences.
VIDEO DESCRIPTION
Ross eats kiwi-lime pie, which he thought was KEY lime. Now, he has an allergic reaction and has to spend his afternoon at the doctor!
LESSON ACTIVITIES
- SPEAKING: Health Issues, Symptoms, Allergies, Doctor Visits
- VIEWING: Short Answers, True / False, Multiple Choice
- VOCABULARY: Phrases, Symptoms
- GRAMMAR: Adjectives / Adverbs
- ADDITIONAL: Health Stories & Support Session, Quiz & Review, Lesson Reflection
LESSON TOPICS
Health Issues, Symptoms, Allergies, Doctor Visits