Health Matters

Cancer
Pre-Reading
A. Quote

Discuss this quote with your classmates.

“Man performs and engenders

so much more than he can
or should have to bear. That’s
how he finds that he can
bear anything.” —William Faulkner
B. Opinion C. Warm-Up Questions

What are the first five words 1. Why do cancer patients often lose their hair?
that come to your mind when
2. Do you wear sunscreen? Why or why not?
you hear the word “cancer”?
3. Why do doctors ask about your family history of cancer?
Examples: thin, tired, crying,
4. Is it possible to catch cancer from someone who has it?
family, hospital...

D. V
 ocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. deodorant a)  the emission of energy in rays or waves

2. rumor b)  a rating that measures sun protection factor
3. radiation c)  the smoke that a person inhales when near someone who is smoking
4. chemotherapy d)  an underarm hygiene product, used to conceal body odor
5. SPF e)  a cancer treatment that involves the use of chemicals
6. melanoma f)  an agent that invades living cells and causes an infective illness
7. pass down g)  something that people tell each other without facts or proof
8. secondhand smoke h)  easily transferred from one person to another
9. contagious i)  a serious type of skin cancer
10. virus j)  to give from one generation to the next

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Reading
6 MYTHS ABOUT CANCER

1. Deodorants cause cancer. 4. Female cancers come from the mother.

Many people still believe that deodorants Many people think that breast and ovarian
cause breast cancer. This likely started as an cancer are passed down from the mother.
email rumor. Breast cancer is often found in the A father can also pass down genes that
armpit area, but there is no known link between increase his daughter’s risk of cancer.
deodorants and cancer.
5. Pollution is worse than cigarette smoke.
2. Cancer causes hair loss.
Air pollution is not good for the lungs of
Many cancer patients lose their hair due to animals or humans. However, tobacco
medical treatment. Radiation and chemotherapy smoke is more likely to cause cancer. Even
can cause hair loss. It is not the cancer that causes secondhand smoke can lead to cancer.
the hair loss.
6. You can’t catch cancer.
3. Dark-skinned people don’t get skin cancer.
Most cancers are not contagious like colds
Darker skin provides a small amount of natural SPF. and flus. A few cancers are caused by viruses
On the other hand, melanoma is more difficult to or bacteria. The human papilloma virus (HPV)
detect on darker skin. For this reason, skin cancer can lead to cancer in males and females.
can be more deadly for dark-skinned people. Hepatitis B can lead to liver cancer.

Further Thinking
Can you think of any more myths about cancer?
Did any of these surprise you?

Comprehension
Read the statements below. If the statement is true, write T beside
the sentence. If it is false, write F and correct the information.

1. Chemotherapy often causes hair loss.

2. Deodorants are strongly linked to cancer.

3. Dark-skinned people don’t need sunscreen.

4. A girl can inherit cancer risks from her father’s side of the family.

5. HPV is strictly a female form of cancer.

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Vocabulary Review
A. Matching

Match the words on the left to the related statements on the right.

1. contagious a)  Samir is sure Jolene has cancer. She has lost a lot of weight.
2. pass down b)  Mack got his baldness from his father’s side.
3. rumor c)  Choose sunscreen that is at least 30 if you’re going to the beach.
4. SPF d)  It is usually administered by an IV (intravenous).
5. chemotherapy e)  I have a sore throat, and I don’t want you to catch it.

B. Pronunciation

Work with a partner. Compare

your pronunciation of each word. # Word # of Syllables
Do you pronounce these words in
the same way? Ask your teacher 1 chemotherapy
to help you find the right vowel
sounds and word stress. Mark 2 radiation
where the main stress is in each
word. How many syllables does
each word have?
3 contagious
4 melanoma
5 deodorant

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Writing
A. Brainstorm B. Make a List

Think of a health topic that you Turn the information that you brainstormed into a list.
know a lot about. Use this area
to brainstorm a list of myths 6 MYTHS ABOUT
about this topic.
1. 

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Listening Practice
Designate each corner of your classroom as one of the following:
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree. Listen to your
teacher read out the following statements. Walk to the corner
that best describes your feelings about each statement.

Discuss each item when the movement stops. Why do you

agree/disagree? Why do you have a strong opinion about this?

1. I worry about my health on a regular basis.

2. I like visiting people in hospitals.

3. Smokers deserve to get cancer.

4. I feel comfortable talking about cancer.

5. My doctor talks to me about the risks of cancer.

6. I know my extended family’s medical history.

Role-Play
DOCTOR’S ORDERS

Create a role-play between a doctor and a person who is afraid of

getting cancer. The patient is a “hypochondriac.” He/she believes every
myth about cancer. The doctor tries to set the patient’s mind at ease.
Try to use vocabulary from the reading.

Discussion
1. How do myths get passed around? Antonyms
2. When it comes to rumors, are you skeptical: you don’t believe something until you do
skeptical, naive, or something in between? your research or consult another source

naive: you believe everything you hear

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Intermediate–Advanced

In this lesson, students learn six myths about cancer. They also TIME: 1.5–2 hours

write their own list of myths on a health topic they are interested TAGS:  cancer, health, myth, smoking, hospital, doctor
in. This lesson includes a listening exercise, a role-play activity,
and vocabulary review tasks.

Pre-Reading Vocabulary Review

A. QUOTE / B. OPINION / C. WARM-UP QUESTIONS A. MATCHING

Discuss as a class. Answers will vary. 1. e 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. d

D. VOCABULARY PREVIEW B. PRONUNCIATION

1. d 3. a 5. b 7. j 9. h 1. che/mo/the/ra/py – 5 4. mel/a/no/ma – 4
2. g 4. e 6. i 8. c 10. f 2. ra/di/a/tion – 4 5. de/o/do/rant – 4
3. con/ta/gious – 3

Reading
Writing 
Have students read the article out loud or to themselves.
Review any difficult vocabulary. Individual answers.

Comprehension Listening Practice

1. T
2. F – Despite the rumors, there is no known
link between deodorant and breast cancer.
3. F – People with darker skin have some natural SPF,
but they can and do get melanoma. It can be deadly
because melanoma is less noticeable on darker skin.
4. T
5. F – Like breast cancer, men can also get HPV.
Answers will vary. You may want to make four signs that say
Strongly Agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly Disagree and paste
them in four different corners of your classroom. Read out the
sentences and have students move to the area of their choice.
Discuss each sentence in groups or as a class.
(continued on the next page...)

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 Cancer
Health Matters

Answer Key cont.

Role-Play

Put students in pairs and have them come up with a little skit.
Invite students to present their skits in front of the class.
Encourage students to use new vocabulary from the reading.

Discussion

Discuss as a class. Answers will vary. Ask your students if they

consider themselves skeptical or naive when they hear health tips.

SPELLING NOTE:

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Rumor and

Odor. Other English-speaking countries spell these words this
way: Rumour and Odour. Make it a challenge for your students
to find these words in the lesson and see if they know the
alternate spellings.

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