Lesson Plan: Describing Cardiovascular Conditions
Teaching Notes
Note: these teaching notes accompany the student worksheet, downloadable at the bottom of the page.
Topic: describing cardiovascular conditions
Timing: 45 minutes
Lesson type/focus: reading and writing
Aims:
Reading: develop language associated with the heart.
Vocabulary: develop language needed to describe cardiovascular conditions.
Writing: consolidate and extend language use through writing.
Overview
The focus of the lesson is describing cardiovascular conditions. The speaking activity introduces the topic and gives students the opportunities to share their current knowledge and vocabulary on the topic. The reading activity and subsequent activity develop students' vocabulary on the heart and associated cardiovascular conditions. The writing activity allows the students to put the vocabulary into practice and describe heart attacks using language appropriate for a patient.
Note: This lesson uses material from SLC's course, 'English for Doctors: Advanced Communication Skills'.
Part 1: speaking
Put students into small groups and ask them to discuss questions 1 – 3. Choose a spokesperson from each group to report back the answers. After whole class feedback, students read the link below to compare their answers.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/
Suggested answers
- What are the risk factors for increasing the possibility of a heart attack? High blood pressure, inactivity, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, family history of CVD (cardiovascular disease), gender, ethnic background, age, gender, diet, alcohol.
- What are the symptoms of a heart attack? Pressure, tightness, pain in chest, which may spread to neck, jaw or back. Nausea, indigestion, heart pain or stomach pain, shortness of breath, cold sweat, fatigue, dizziness.
- What advice would you give to patients to prevent a heart attack? Cessation of smoking, reduce weight, healthy diet, regular exercise, regular monitoring, reduce alcohol, take medication if applicable.
Part 2: reading
Put students in pairs. Ask them to read the text and choose the correct answer from the two options given. Whole class feedback.
Answers
1. organ
2. pump
3. chambers
4. flows
5. lungs
6. oxygen
7. Valves
8. relax
9. fill
10. hard
11. contract
12. away
13. arterioles
14. capillaries
15. tissues
16. thin
17. lower
Part 3: vocabulary
Students continue to work in pairs and complete the sentences with a word from the box. Students compare ideas with another pair.
Answers
1. endocarditis
2. thrombosis
3. electrocardiogram
4. phlebotomist
5. vasoconstriction
6. muscular layer
7. pericardial
8. myocardial infarction
Part 4: writing
Put students in pairs or small groups and write a patient information leaflet about heart attacks. Stage the task and support students as needed.
Make sure they write the leaflet using patient-friendly language, so nothing overly technical. For lower level groups, students can look at the example before starting the activity. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/conditions (list of publications)
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/heart-conditions/heart-attack—your-quickguide
Alternatively, give students some headlines to help them structure their leaflet.
Suggested headings
How the heart works,
Symptoms of a heart attack and what to do,
What is a heart attack?
The first few days after a heart attack,
The first few weeks after a heart attack,
How can I reduce my risk of further heart problems?
Stronger students can write their patient information leaflet first, then look at the example and make comparisons/edits if necessary.
This lesson plan uses materials from SLC’s English for Doctors course, click here to find out more.
For the full lesson plan and the printable student worksheet with text and vocabulary activities, just submit your details and download it here.