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.