Monday's activity

Combining vocabulary and speaking in a roleplay

Late primary and secondary: Sickness roleplay

Assumptions: Students are familiar with at least some of the medical vocabulary.

Aim: To practise vocabulary and speaking skills

Age: Ages 10 and up

Level: Pre-intermediate and above

Time: 15-30 minutes (depending on whether the vocabulary is new or being revised).

Preparation:  Prepare a roleplay card for each student. Here are 7 cards. You could get students to work in groups of 7 for this roleplay or you could add more ailments.

Procedure:

1. Brainstorm daily medical problems. You could mime some if students don’t come up with many ideas.
2. Hand out a roleplay card to each student. They must not show it to anyone else. Give them time to use a dictionary or ask you if they do not know the words. (The words in bold are the most important for them to understand).
3. Tell students that this is how they feel today and why. Get them to stand and to mingle in their group of 7. They must mime their ailment and other students must say ‘Oh, what’s wrong?’. They must then explain. (They should not show each other their cards but must explain the words if other students do not understand).
4. Once they have each spoken to other students in their group they sit again and ask the class ‘What’s wrong with Minh today?’ They should answer ‘She has toothache’ or ‘She feels sick’.

Roleplay cards

1. You feel sick. Maybe you ate something bad last night.
2. You have a headache. You took a pill but it didn’t help.
3. You are exhausted because you couldn’t sleep last night.
4. You have stomachache.
5. You have toothache.
6. You have spots on your neck and stomach. They are itchy.
7. You fell off your bike yesterday. You have a bad cut on your knee. 

Extension

You can do this type of vocabulary roleplay with all kinds of vocabulary, for example, students talking about a holiday they had.