REEP ESL Curriculum for Adults

GENERAL NOTE ABOUT REEP CULMINATING ASSESSMENT TASKS: These assessment tasks
are designed to capture students’ language skills as measured against REEP Level Descriptions as
well as students’ ability to achieve the goal of the lifeskills unit. For detailed information about REEP
Culminating Assessment Tasks, go to Learner Assessment - Culminating Assessments. For an index
of available culminating assessments, go Resources - Culminating Assessment Tasks.

CULMINATING ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

(Contributed by Phil Cackley)

LEVEL 250 HEALTH UNIT

STATEMENT OF THE TASK: Given vocabulary banks with different illnesses, symptoms, and
periods of time, students will work in pairs to write new dialogues about a doctor visit. Student pairs
will then practice and present role plays to small groups (of peers), who assess the role plays and
choose one (from the group) for presentation to the whole class.

GOAL OF THE TASK: Students will demonstrate their ability to access and navigate the health care
system using lifeskills learned in the unit and level appropriate language skills. Specifically, students
will use learned vocabulary in a new context, describing real-life medical conditions and symptoms.
Students will also write complete sentences with correct word order.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: Simulation/role-play (Go to Resources - ESL Techniques on the side bar for
general activity instructions).

LANGUAGE SKILLS TO BE ASSESSED: Speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.

STANDARDS FOR ASSESSMENT: The REEP Level Descriptions are the standards against which
learner performance on the following objectives should be measured:

1. Student uses level appropriate language skills to access and navigate an aspect of the health
system, as described in the task goal above.
2. Student demonstrates lifeskills objectives needed to navigate an aspect of the health system, as
described in the task goal above.

Target standards for student performance in intensive classes:

For tasks conducted at the beginning of an instructional cycle, use 250 REEP Level descriptions.
For tasks conducted at mid-cycle, student's progress toward the next instructional level, i.e. 300 and
350 REEP Level descriptors.
For tasks conducted at the end of the instructional cycle, use 300 and 350 REEP Level descriptions.

See  Level Descriptions

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EFF NON-LANGUAGE SKILLS TO BE PRACTICED: Guide others, advocate and influence,
cooperate with others, Solve problems and make decisions, Use information, Reflect and evaluate,
Take responsibility for learning.

Go to EFF Website.

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS: Students should have basic skills in writing complete

sentences. Students also should have been previously introduced to practice of cooperative learning
(with assigned roles of facilitator, secretary, time-keeper).

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED FOR THE ACTIVITY: 3 to 5 hours, over two days

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS NEEDED: Lists and/or vocabulary banks of symptoms. (e.g., "I
have a bad sore throat; My shoulder throbs; My daughter has a 103-degree fever.") from English for
Adult Competency 2 p. 54, Oxford Picture Dictionary p. 78-79 or other available resources; student-
generated list of ailments that require a visit to the doctor.

STEPS IN THE CULMINATING ACTIVITY PLAN:

1) Tell students they will be practicing writing and speaking by writing new dialogues about a visit to
the doctor's office and practicing the dialogue with a partner.

2) With the students, generate a list of ailments that require a visit to the doctor. Five to 10 illnesses
or injuries should be sufficient. Weed out inappropriate responses (a cut finger, a cold for two days).

3) Refer students to resources (English for Adult Competency 2 p. 54, Oxford Picture Dictionary p.
78-79 or other available resources) containing lists and/or vocabulary banks of symptoms. (e.g., "I
have a bad sore throat; My shoulder throbs; My daughter has a 103-degree fever.")

4) Provide students with/or elicit from students a predetermined list of "doctor questions" to help write
the dialogue. Explain that they will be primarily responsible for writing the patient's side of the
dialogue.

5) Match students in mixed pairs (strong writer/weak writer, low speaker/high speaker, cross-
language, if possible) and give them the detailed student task instructions. You can do this by
making copies and giving students the linked handout, by writing on the blackboard, or by using an
overhead projector. Make sure to check for comprehension.

6) Give the students time in class to write and practice their dialogues in pairs. Encourage students
to practice both roles and take turns. The teacher should monitor, but avoid giving too much
help. Point out that the teacher won't be coming to the doctor's office with a sick student -- they have
to do this on their own!

7) After the students have had time to practice -- and preferably the next class day -- break the
established student pairs into three large groups (3 to 5 pairs each). Tell them they will present their
dialogues to the group, without reading, and evaluate each other's dialogue. Present/Explain a small

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group evaluation worksheet and give copies to each pair. Instruct them to select one pair to present
to the class as a whole.

8) Explain that you will also be evaluating students as they practice in their small groups. Show on
the overhead the student evaluation standard.

9) Give them time to work in small groups, practicing, presenting and evaluating. Encourage them to
follow good cooperative learning techniques of having a facilitator, secretary, and time-keeper. As
the groups are doing presentations in the small groups, the teacher can move about, evaluating
different students and their ability to meet the evaluation standard.

10) Have the three selected pairs present their dialogues to the whole class. Ask students to use the
same evaluation worksheet. After each pair presents, elicit from students feedback on what was
good about the dialogue and what could be improved. Make sure to include your own praise of jobs
well-done!

Teacher Evaluation:

The teacher evaluates students on their ability to use level appropriate language skills to complete
the task. The standards for assessing student performance are the REEP Entry Level
Descriptions. (Use the 250 descriptors as the target language at the beginning of the semester. Use
the 300 or 350 descriptors toward the end of the semester.)

See  Level Descriptions

Teacher records assessment for individual students on the  Assessment Sheet for Culminating
Assessment following procedures in the introductory guide for  Culminating Assessment.

Self-Evaluation: See sample  Student Self-Reflection.

TEACHERS’ NOTES:

Ideas for adapting the activity: For a low-level class, where writing is a problem, use a pre-printed
worksheet that has the doctor questions written in order and students must only work together to fill in
responses. Also limit the amount and complexity of vocabulary. For a high-level class, leave the
activity more wide-open. Bring in props, if students want to use them (a stethoscope, a white lab
coat). Push students to enrich their dialogues.

Possible extension activities for the classroom and beyond: Ask students who go to the doctor to
write down questions that the doctor asks them. Or instruct them to ask a friend who has been to the
doctor recently about what questions were asked. Talk about appropriate responses and focus on
unusual cases.

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"Doctor questions"

Unit: Health
Level: 250

Use the questions in your dialogue about visiting the doctor. You can use other questions, or change
the sequence of the questions, if you want.

1) What seems to be the matter?

2) What are your symptoms?

3) Where does it hurt?

4) How long have you had this problem?

5) What caused the problem? (or) How did it start?

6) Are you allergic to any medication?

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Instructions

Unit: Health
Level: 250

1) Work with a partner to write a new dialogue about telling the doctor what your health problem is.

2) Write complete sentences.

3) Don't forget to give information about:

a) an illness or injury from the list on the blackboard

b) symptoms
c) how long the illness has continued

4) You will present your new dialogue to the class tomorrow without reading! (that means: no paper)

5) You will be evaluated on your dialogue.

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Small Group Evaluation Worksheet
Unit: Health
Level 250

Directions: Listen to the students practice in your group. Evaluate them. At the end, select two
students who will present their dialogue to all the class.

Evaluation: Good, OK, So-so

Names of Did the students have Did the students speak Did the students listen
Students information about: clearly? and communicate?
-- Illness or injury?
-- Symptoms?
-- Length of time?

Names of Did the students have Did the students speak Did the students listen
Students information about: clearly? and communicate?
-- Illness or injury?
-- Symptoms?
-- Length of time?

Names of Did the students have Did the students speak Did the students listen
Students information about: clearly? and communicate?
-- Illness or injury?
-- Symptoms?
-- Length of time?

Names of Did the students have Did the students speak Did the students listen
Students information about: clearly? and communicate?
-- Illness or injury?
-- Symptoms?
-- Length of time?

Names of Did the students have Did the students speak Did the students listen
Students information about: clearly? and communicate?
-- Illness or injury?
-- Symptoms?
-- Length of time?

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How do I make the evaluation?

You will be evaluated for how good your English is. What does this mean, exactly?

Did you and your partner have a complete dialogue? (illness or injury, symptoms, time)

Did you use any new words in a correct way?

Did you and your partner do the dialogue without reading a paper?

Did you and your partner listen and communicate with each other?

Did you speak clearly and did not need to stop and think too much when you were speaking?