Topic: Illness, Injury, Medical Care
Mode: Interpretive
Level: Novice
Students will listen to a dialogue and answer questions.
Components of this activity: A recorded version of the following script in the target language.
Instructions to the teacher
Open the activity with a brainstorming session about how you should take care of yourself when you’re sick. Depending on the language level of the class, you might need to give the students time to look up new words in the dictionary. Collect a list of things on the board. Once you have a sufficient list, you can introduce the listening activity.
This activity can be used purely for listening and vocabulary, or you can highlight the grammatical structures necessary for giving advice or commands: should, ought to, have to, the imperative.
Script
A: Ugh, I feel terrible! My nose has been running constantly, and I can’t stop sneezing. And now, to make things worse, I have an awful headache.
B: Oh no! Honey, how long has this been going on?
A: It started about a week ago. I’m worried it will only get worse. I’m already almost too tired to go to class. What if I get a cough or a sore throat or a fever next? What should I do?
B: You’re still going to class!? I know you’re busy, but you should stay home and get some rest. Get lots of sleep, eat soup, and drink tea.
A: You’re right. That wasn’t a good idea.
B: You have to take good care of yourself, sweetheart. Maybe you should take some cold and flu medicine to help you feel better?
A: I should, but I don’t have anything in the house. I’ll go to the pharmacy today.
B: Good, do that. And, honey, if it gets worse, you ought to make a doctor’s appointment.
A: Okay, I will. I hate being sick at college! I wish I could come home.
Instructions to students
You are going to hear a dialogue between two people. One person is explaining her symptoms and the other person is giving advice. As you listen, try to find answers to the following questions:
- Who are the speakers? What might their relationship be? What makes you think so?
- What symptoms is speaker A currently experiencing?
- What advice does speaker B give to speaker A?