What's the matter?

Objective & content

This functional language sheet teaches pupils to say what is wrong at the doctor's (I don't feel well. I've got a headache / a sore throat / a cough. I've got earache. My leg hurts.), say when it started (It started yesterday.), understand the doctor's advice (You should stay in bed. Take this medicine three times a day. You mustn't go swimming.) and say Get well soon! Pupils read a dialogue in which Finlay sees the doctor, find the missing words and read the useful phrases, given in a box. By the end, they can explain a health problem, answer the doctor's questions and understand simple advice.

Pedagogical guide

Page 1 is the dialogue, with a picture of the doctor and of Finlay, who is at the doctor's with his mum: his throat hurts, he has got a headache, a cough and a temperature (38 degrees this morning), and it started yesterday after school. The doctor says he has a bad cold: two days in bed, lots of water, the medicine three times a day, no school tomorrow and no football this week, so no match on Saturday. Pupils find eight missing words in lines from the dialogue. Page 2 has the useful phrases in a box, with the key words in bold, five situations to match to a phrase (a temperature, a cough, a bad leg after a bike fall, the doctor's question, a card for an ill friend) and six lines with three replies each, where pupils tick the best one. Page 3 has a dialogue in which Dara has stomach ache after too much ice cream, to number from 1 to 8, and a dialogue about earache to complete with six words in a box. The last task is a role-play: pupils cut out cards A and B. A is the patient, with three symptom cards (a headache, a cough, earache, and when each one started); B is the doctor, who asks questions and gives the advice in the table on card B (You should ... / You mustn't ... for five problems). Then they swap the cards. Every exercise opens with a worked example.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Mime a headache and say "I don't feel well. I've got a headache."; pupils mime another problem and say "I've got ..."
2. (10 min) Read the dialogue aloud; pupils find the missing words.
3. (5 min) Read the useful phrases in the box with the class; pupils find them in the dialogue.
4. (10 min) Page 2: pupils match the situations to the phrases, then tick the best replies.
5. (10 min) Page 3: pupils number the lines of Dara's dialogue, then complete the second dialogue.
6. (10 min) Role-play: the patient uses one symptom card for each visit, the doctor asks and gives advice from the table, then they swap.
7. (5 min) Check with the answer key on page 4.

Adaptations

[S] Pupils read the dialogue aloud in pairs, one as the doctor and one as Finlay, before the tasks.

[A] Pupils write a "Get well soon!" card for a friend with two pieces of advice.

Materials & prerequisites

One copy of pages 1 to 3 per pupil, and scissors for the role-play cards. Page 4 is the answer key and teacher notes: keep it. The role-play is free speaking: the doctor's advice is on card B. Pupils need the parts of the body, have got, and the past simple of a few verbs (it started, it was). To take it further, pupils draw a person and label what hurts, and the class guesses the problem.