ESL Level: Intermediate
Language Focus: Health and medicine-related vocabulary
Class Time: 45-60 minutes
Material: A die, cut up vocabulary cards, and a board game for each group of 3-4 students.
Game Download: symptoms-board-game-esl.docx
Activity Description
I spent two weeks teaching my class about over the counter (OTC) medication, prescription drugs, and common symptoms for illnesses. For fun, I created the below game to review.
Essentially, each student puts a piece on the board (e.g. a paper clip) to represent them. Then they move through the board by rolling a die. The first one to get home wins. Students can play in groups of three or four.
When they land on 'act', they have to pick a card (from a pile, which has the words face-down), and then act it out like charades. If they land on 'describe', they have to describe the condition (without saying the word on the paper, obviously).
If a player is able to elicit the word on the paper from his/her groupmates, s/he can stay on the square that s/he just landed on. Otherwise, s/he has to move back to his or her previous position. (Feel free to change the rules.)
Teachers:
- You'll need to modify the below cards to match the vocabulary you have taught your class. It is doubtful that they will know the words are otherwise.
- There are at least 4 squares on the board that review other expressions my class had studied (e.g. the third last square). You'll need to change these squares to something suitable for your students.
Board Game Preview
Cards for Acting & Describing
| You feel faint | You are constipated | You have a rash |
| You are dehydrated | You have heartburn | You have pins and needles |
| You have a stiff neck | Your (face/throat/etc.) is swollen | You feel nauseous |
| You look pale | You have a sinus infection | You are dizzy |
| Your (arm/face) is numb | You have hay fever | You have a runny nose |
| Your vision is blurry | You have hives | You have a sore throat |
| Your lips are dry and cracked. | You have fever and chills. | You are drowsy |
| Your body aches. | You have asthma | You are pregnant |
Feel free to use or edit it to make it suit your English class.
- Matthew Barton / Creator: Englishcurrent.com