Health, English Template, Novice Mid

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Please Note: Many of the activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.  — The Pathways Project

Looking for the Spanish Version of this activity to adapt for your language? CLICK HERE

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
  • Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials for your classroom, follow the instructions below:

  • Google Slideshows:
    • To begin, go to File -> Copy to create an editable version of the slideshow.
    • Once finished with your changes, please complete the following steps to share:
    • Click on Share
    • Who Has Access
    • Ensure link sharing is on and allow external access.
  • Materials Saved as PDF: Please email pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu and we will provide you with an editable copy. Please allow up to two business days for a response. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided. 

Health

Description:

In this activity, students will learn what medicines treat which conditions and which relieve symptoms of illness in the target language. Students will learn to describe medicines and symptoms to be relieved. Students will discuss home remedies in Mexico. Students will also compare and contrast medicines and home remedies in the United States in comparison to Mexico.  

Proficiency Level:

Novice Mid

Keywords:

health, medicine, cough, flu, allergies, headache, nausea

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:

  • Standard 1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  • Standard 1.2 Students understand and interpret spoken and written (target language) on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas in (target language) to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of (target culture).

Idaho State World Language Standards:

  • COMM 1.1 - Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions
  • COMM 2.1 - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
  • COMM 3.1 - Present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media in the target language.
  • CONN 2.3 - Compare and contrast cultural similarities and differences in authentic materials.

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can compare and contrast remedies for illness in the United States and Spanish speaking countries.
  • I can identify some typical products and practices related to familiar everyday life such as the medicine people take. 
  • I can recommend medicines and remedies for illnesses. 

Materials Needed:

To edit the activity materials, make a copy of the materials and edit the copy, not the original. 

Warm-up

1. Begin by opening the Google Slideshow and introduce the Can-Do statements

2. Have students watch the various commercials for medicine. At the end of each video, have students guess what product sells the commercial was for, and what part of the video makes them think that. (En the Google Slideshow)

"Pay attention to the following ads about medicine that I will show in the next slides and respond to the corresponding questions.”

A. Allergies: Reactine

B. Coughs: Vicks

C. Flu: Histiacil 

D. Headache: Advil 

E. Nausea: Dramamine 

3. At the end of each video, have students guess what the commercial was for, and what part of the video makes them think that.

"At the end of each video ask: What does the commercial sell? How do you know what symptoms the medicines heal?"

4. Discuss with students new words or phrases they may have learned from the videos. These are some phrases you could talk about if the students didn't recognize any of the words from the videos. 

5. Discuss similar products that we have in the United States, to those that are shown in the videos.

"What are some similar products that we sell here in the United States?"

Main Activity

1. First, there will be 3 (very sick) people that the students need to give medicine to, depending on what the symptoms are.

"Now, there is going to be three very sick people that need medicine, and they all have different symptoms. Depending on the symptoms, we have to give them the correct person to each sick person.”

2. Next, show students a photo of a medicine from other countries. The students will guess what medicine is trying to relieve.

"These are pictures of medicines in other countries. Can you think about what symptoms the medicines can help cure?”

3. Have students choose pharmaceutical medicines to help relieve the symptoms of the "sick" people. 

“Which of these pharmaceutical medicines could help the symptoms of the sick people?”

4. Then, show students home remedies from other countries with the items that are used in those home remedies. The students will try to guess what symptoms are treated with those remedies, just like they did for the medicine.

"Now we are going to talk about home remedies in other countries. Can you think of some symptoms that a home remedy could help to cure?"

5. Students will choose which home remedies would help the "sick" people.

"Now, what home remedies would you recommend for the sick people?"

6. They will repeat the same process until they go through all the medicine and remedies. 

"We are going to continue recommending medicine or home remedies to alleviate the symptoms that the people have. Try to look for different ones!"

Wrap-up

Ask the following questions to finish the lab: 

1. Have you heard of these medicines before? Where? 

2. Have you heard of these house remedies before? Where?

3. Are we good doctors or not? Why?

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. 
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can compare and contrast remedies for illness in the United States and Spanish speaking countries.
  • I can identify some typical products and practices related to familiar everyday life such as the medicine people take. 
  • I can recommend medicines and remedies for illnesses. 


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