The Health and Sickness Cards:

 

These cards originated as a request from someone wanting to send their children to a foreign country to study English. One of their concerns was that their children couldn't communicate when they were sick or had a health issue. The parents asked for some resources, but we could only find resources with the usual basic vocabulary: cold, sore throat, headache, and stomachache.

 

So we created a flashcard game to teach the more complicated vocabulary related to health issues. These cards are the beginning of what we hope will be some extensive resources on teaching the language of health.

 

   

 

To play the game, you will need to print off two of each card and either laminate them or put a cardboard backing behind them.

 

Variation:

 

After the students get good at it, you can make them give some advice before they can get a point:

 

Student 1: Is something wrong with your body?

 

Student 2: Yes, there is.

 

Student 1: Do you have a sunburn?

 

Student 2: Yes, I do.

 

Student 1: You'd better put on some lotion.

 

How to play:  

The game is basically 'Fish', but with a catch to try to get more language production from students. There are three aliments for each part of the body. Students first ask a question to find out, if another student has a problem with the same body part. If the other student says yes, then the first student asks again to see if they have the same problem. If they do then the first student gets the pair and gets 1 point. There are three possible interaction cases in this version of fish:

 

Student one chooses another student (say student two) and asks if something is wrong:

 

Case 1:

Student 1: Is something wrong with your eye?

 

Student 2: No, there isn't.

 

Since student two doesn't have the card student one is looking for, student one picks a card from the deck. Then the next player takes a turn.

 

Case2:

Student 1: Is something wrong with your head?

 

Student 2: Yes, there is.

 

Student 1: Do you have a bump?

 

Student 2: No, I don't

 

Since student two doesn't have the card student one is looking for, student one picks a card from the deck. Then the next player takes a turn.

 

Case 3:

Student 1: Is something wrong with your nose?

 

Student 2: Yes, there is.

 

Student 1: Do you have a nosebleed?

 

Student 2: Yes, I do.

 

Student two has the card that student one is looking for, so student one takes the card, makes a pair, and gets 1 point. Then the next player takes a turn.