When You Feel Sick

Start with the lead-in questions on slide one. Ask students how they feel today and when they were last sick. This gets them using symptom words before you introduce the target vocabulary, so you hear what they already know and what needs more work.

Move to the picture description activity next. Show the three scenes: the man with a tissue, the woman with a mask, and the man checking his temperature. Ask students what is happening and what each person should do. This works well in pairs because students can disagree about the details, which naturally leads to more talking.

For vocabulary, teach all twelve phrases before the audio stories. Use the matching activity first, then the situation-based practice, so students see each phrase in context rather than just memorizing a list. The two practice conversations give students a chance to plug the new phrases into realistic dialogue before they hear them in a full story.

Both audio stories work as a pair. Play “I Got Sick on My First Day of Vacation” first and have students answer the four comprehension questions, then fill in the table showing how the trip changed hour by hour. The second story, about a birthday dinner gone wrong, uses a true or false format instead, which keeps the second listening task feeling fresh.

Finish with the discussion questions and the ranking activity, where students rank the worst times to get sick. This works as a strong wrap-up because it is personal and usually gets a few laughs.