Talking about being healthy — ESL lesson

Learning to talk about health and well-being in English is essential for everyday conversations, whether discussing personal habits, asking about someone’s health, or sharing tips for staying fit. This lesson introduces beginners to key vocabulary, useful phrases, and simple dialogues to confidently discuss healthy habits.

Through engaging activities, visual aids, and interactive practice, learners will build practical language skills to describe their health routines and understand others’. Designed for beginner English learners, this lesson combines clear explanations, real-life examples, and flexible teaching strategies to make learning both effective and enjoyable.

Basic vocabulary

Start with essential words related to health and well-being. These should be simple, commonly used terms that learners can easily apply.

Vocabulary list

• Healthy: Feeling good and strong in body and mind.
• Exercise: Physical activity to stay fit (e.g., running, yoga).
• Diet: The food you eat regularly.
• Sleep: Resting at night to recover energy.
• Water: A drink essential for health.
• Vegetables/fruits: Healthy foods (e.g., carrots, apples).
• Doctor: A professional who checks your health.
• Energy: The strength to do activities.
• Stress: Feeling worried or pressured.
• Fit: Being in good physical condition.
• Gym: A place to exercise.
• Walk: Moving on foot for exercise or relaxation.
• Rest: Taking a break to recover.
• Sick: Feeling unwell or having an illness.
• Medicine: Something taken to feel better when sick.

Vocabulary for extension

1. Nutrition: The process of getting nutrients from food for health.
2. Workout: A session of exercise (e.g., a gym workout).
3. Hydration: Keeping enough water in your body.
4. Protein: A nutrient in foods like meat, eggs, or beans.
5. Mental health: The state of your mind and emotions.
6. Relaxation: Activities to reduce stress (e.g., reading, meditation).
7. Checkup: A visit to the doctor to check your health.
8. Vitamins: Nutrients that help your body stay healthy (e.g., Vitamin C).
9. Jogging: Running at a slow pace for exercise.
10. Balance: A state of physical and mental stability (e.g., balanced diet).

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like pictures of healthy foods, a gym, or a person exercising to connect vocabulary to real contexts.
• Practice pronunciation of terms like “exercise” (EK-ser-size) or “vegetables” (VEJ-tuh-buls).
• Create flashcards with words on one side and definitions or images on the other for quick recall.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures for discussing health and healthy habits. These phrases should be versatile and easy to adapt.

Key phrases

1. Talking about healthy habits
   • “I exercise [every day/once a week].”
   • “I eat [healthy food] to stay healthy.”
   • “I drink a lot of water.”
   • “I sleep [number] hours a night.”
2. Describing health
   • “I feel [healthy/tired/energetic].”
   • “I go to the doctor when I’m sick.”
   • “I try to avoid stress.”
   • “I stay fit by [activity].”
3. Expressing opinions
   • “Being healthy is important because [reason].”
   • “I like [activity/food] because it’s good for me.”
   • “I don’t like [activity/food] because [reason].”
   • “My favorite way to stay healthy is [activity].”
4. Asking questions
   • “Do you exercise often?”
   • “What do you eat to stay healthy?”
   • “How do you feel today?”
   • “What’s your favorite way to stay fit?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use (e.g., “I exercise every morning. It gives me energy.”).
• Have learners substitute their own habits or preferences into the phrases (e.g., “I eat [salads] to stay healthy.”).
• Practice question forms to encourage interactive conversations.

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to talk about being healthy. These examples progress from basic to more detailed.

Conversation 1: Basic exchange

Anna: Do you exercise, Tom?
Tom: Yes, I walk every day.
Anna: That’s great! Do you eat healthy food?
Tom: Yes, I eat vegetables and fruit.
Anna: Do you feel healthy?
Tom: Yes, I feel good!

Conversation 2: Adding details

Sara: Hey, Juan, how do you stay healthy?
Juan: I go to the gym three times a week. I lift weights.
Sara: Nice! What about your diet?
Juan: I eat a lot of vegetables and drink water. I avoid sugar.
Sara: Do you sleep well?
Juan: Yes, I sleep eight hours a night. It helps me stay strong.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Mark: Hi, Lisa! Do you do anything to stay healthy?
Lisa: Yes, I love yoga. It helps me stay fit and reduce stress.
Mark: That sounds relaxing! What do you eat?
Lisa: I eat healthy foods like salads and fruit. I also drink green tea.
Mark: Do you ever see a doctor?
Lisa: Only when I’m sick. I try to stay healthy to avoid the doctor!

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice asking and answering.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own health habits or preferences.
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask at least one follow-up question.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes):

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “What do you do to stay healthy?” to spark interest.
• Show a picture or short video of healthy activities (e.g., someone jogging or eating a salad) and describe it briefly (e.g., “This person is running to stay fit.”).

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using visuals or a slideshow of healthy activities and foods.
• Practice pronunciation, especially for terms like “exercise” or “stress.”
• Play a quick game: Say a word (e.g., “gym”), and learners explain what it means or use it in a sentence.

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “I exercise by walking. It’s good for my health.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “I eat ____ to stay healthy.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar gently as they practice.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural tone and flow.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue about their healthy habits.

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about how they stay healthy (e.g., “I eat fruit every day. It gives me energy.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about their healthy habits or practice a dialogue with a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Be aware that health practices vary across cultures (e.g., diet preferences or exercise habits). Allow flexibility for learners to share what’s relevant to them.
• Visual aids: Use images or videos of healthy foods, exercise routines, or a doctor’s office to make the lesson engaging.
• Listening practice: Play a short audio or video clip (e.g., from YouTube or ESL resources) of someone discussing health habits to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases (e.g., “I eat vegetables.”). For intermediate learners, encourage details (e.g., “I do yoga because it reduces stress.”).
• Incorporate technology: If teaching online, share a screen with images of healthy foods or use a virtual whiteboard to highlight vocabulary.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may say “I am eat healthy” instead of “I eat healthy.” Emphasize correct verb forms.
• Pronunciation: Terms like “vegetables” or “exercise” may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.
• Word choice: Clarify differences like “fit” (physically healthy) vs. “healthy” (overall well-being).

Example activity: “Healthy habits survey”

For group classes, try this interactive activity.

• Give each learner a worksheet with prompts (e.g., “Find someone who exercises daily,” “Find someone who drinks a lot of water”).
• Learners mingle, asking questions like “Do you exercise often?” or “What do you eat?” to fill out the worksheet.
• Alternatively, have learners share one healthy habit and explain why they do it.

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) about how you stay healthy or what you want to do to be healthier.
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video describing your healthy habits.
• Research: Find a picture or article about a healthy activity (e.g., running, eating vegetables) and describe it in 2-3 sentences in English.