ESL Intermediate Body Parts Lesson
Teaching Parts of the Body and Expressions of Pain in English
Dec 11, 2008
Before (re)introducing body part vocabulary, it's always good to begin with a hello. The teacher should greet the students, and the students should answer to the best of their individual abilities, from a simple "Hello" to “I’m happy/ sleepy/ tired/ great/ etc,” depending on the individual student’s emotional state.
Body Part Vocabulary Introduction
- The teacher introduces body part vocabulary appropriate to the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
- Students repeat individual body part names in English, and touch their own body parts, mimicking the teacher. To reduce confusion – a student may confuse the meanings of “knee” and “leg,” for example – the teacher should be prepared to offer the student a translation of the words, as necessary, in his native language.
- The teacher periodically reviews each previously learned body part, generally in groups of three, so that the students do not quickly forget. For example, after teaching “head,” “shoulder,” and “knee,” the teacher touches his shoulder and asks the class, “What’s this?”
- Following the teacher’s prompt, “Ready, Go,” the class responds in unison, stating the correct body part.
- Once the class exhibits a general understanding of all appropriate body parts, the class sings together the song “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
- The teacher leads the song again, but with a quicker tempo.
If students exhibit ability and interest, the teacher can introduce the other body parts, including arm, leg, hand, foot, and finger.
"My (Body Part) Hurts," Conversation Introduction
- The teacher touches his toe, for example, and asks, “What’s this?”
- The class responds, “Toe.”
- The teacher says, “OK,” then pretends to accidentally kick a nearby solid object.
- Grabbing his toe, in pain, the teacher says, “My toe hurts.”
- Repeating the injury process for another body part, the teacher presents the grammatical pattern to the students.
- To verify comprehension, the teacher should prompt the students to translate the "My (body part) hurts," pattern into their native language.
- Once all students understand the grammar, the teacher reviews all body parts, exhibiting injuries to each, with the “My (body part) hurts,” pattern. Students mimic the English teacher.
"My Hurts” Game
- The teacher congratulates the students for using correct English, and announces a game.
- The teacher takes out stickers and says, “This is medicine. Medicine.”
- The class repeats, “Medicine.”
- The teacher should translate medicine into the students native language, assuming that it is a new vocabulary word for them.
- The teacher then gives the medicine sticker sheet to one student, and tells the student, “My head hurts.”
- With gesture hints, as necessary, the student is prompted to put a sticker on the teacher’s head.
- The teacher tells the first student, "Good job," and transfers the sticker sheet to the next student.
- The teacher prompts the first student – “My shoulder hurts? My ear hurts?” – to choose a body part for a medicine sticker. The second student places the sticker on the first student's appropriate body part.
- The process continues until each student has given and received at least 2 stickers, from different conversation partners.
Alternatively or additionally, as time allows, the class can play Simon Says, with one student leading, choosing body parts, while the teacher plays along and acts as a referee.
Class ends with the teacher telling the students goodbye, and having the class return the goodbye.
The teacher should then be able to leave the classroom with the satisfaction of thoroughly teaching the students very useful vocabulary and daily-life grammar, using simple games that can be fun for both elementary school students and teachers alike. The body part vocabulary is an excellent base to build from, to be used and expanded upon in subsequent lessons.
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