Pink October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Lesson plan overview
This English lesson is dedicated to Pink October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is most suitable for B2-level learners and explores the history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Students develop the language needed to discuss health awareness campaigns, screening programmes, risk factors, and ways to improve access to healthcare.This is a sensitive topic, so teachers should proceed with caution and decide whether the topic is suitable for their particular students and teaching context.
Lead-in: Pink October
The lesson begins with questions about Pink October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Students discuss what they know about the campaign, the kinds of activities and events associated with it, and their own experiences of organising or participating in health awareness campaigns.
Vocabulary: Breast Cancer Awareness
Students learn and practise key vocabulary connected with breast cancer, health, and prevention.Target language includes screening, treatable, and breastfeeding, as well as collocations related to health awareness: awareness campaign, survival rate, early detection, endocrine disruptors, upward trend, and lifestyle choices. Students complete the collocations and then practise with the discussion questions given.
Listening
Students watch a video called “The story of the pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and complete 3 activities about the history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the pink ribbon. They learn when Breast Cancer Awareness Month was launched, why October was chosen, the origins of the breast cancer awareness ribbon, specific statistics about breast cancer around the world, factors that may contribute to the development of breast cancer and factors that can reduce the likelihood of developing breast cancer and improve survival.
Speaking: Post-listening Discussion
Students discuss what they found most surprising in the video and explore how breast cancer screening is organised in their country. They consider how screening programmes could be improved, which other health screenings and check-ups are available, and why some people may not attend recommended screenings. Students also discuss equal access to cancer screening and treatment and design their own awareness campaign for a health issue they consider important.
For more speaking practice, you can use the printable conversation cards.
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Pre-class activities
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In-class activities
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Additional resources
Each video-based lesson plan includes links to additional resources (videos and articles), which are FREE can be found online (in the pre-class activities page. These links aim to extend the learning experience, enabling students to connect classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
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