First aid

This health-related ESL lesson plan is about first aid. It is most suitable for B2 level students, based on the length of the video and the grammar point included. Students will learn tons of vocabulary, will discuss their experience with giving and receiving first aid, will watch a video about common first aid mistakes, and will practise using past modals for deduction. You can combine this lesson with the following lessons: “What happens to your brain when you have a concussion”, “Seasonal allergies“, “The importance of good posture”, “Health myths”, and “Phrasal verbs: health”.

Speaking: The lesson starts with a few discussion questions about health. Students talk about their experiences, whether or not they have been trained to give first aid, and common situations where first aid might be necessary. Next, they brainstorm items that are usually found in a first aid kit.

Vocabulary: Students match the words related to items found in a first aid kit to the correct photo. To practise, they complete 7 sentences with the correct item, depending on what it is used for. Next, students work on verb+noun collocations related to first aid (dress a wound, put on a bandage/a plaster/a cast, administer medication, perform the Heimlich maneuver/CPR, secure the airway). Then, students discuss what they should do in different situations where first aid needs to be administered, in order to practise all the words and collocations seen so far.

Listening: Students will watch a video called “10 first aid mistakes explained by a professional”. Before they watch the video, they choose the correct way to act in the situation given. The first time they watch the video, they need to check their answers. The second time they watch the video, they take notes to answer 6 questions. After that, students engage in a post-listening discussion.

Grammar: Students learn and practise past modals for deduction (must have, could have, might have, can’t have + past participle). First, the structure and use is explained and a few examples are given, followed by 3 activities to practise the past modals. First, students match the accident with the likely injury. This activity aids to provide even more examples to students. Next, students are given 6 photos and are asked to brainstorm the causes for the injury shown in the photo. Finally, the use of could have + past participle to express past action that didn’t happen is practised: students are given situations and they need to write a suitable response in each one.

As usual, there are different homework tasks included in the worksheet: 3 research ideas, and links to other authentic resources (videos and articles) for students to further develop their knowledge on the topic of first aid and to see everything that they learned in this lesson in different contexts.