ESL Health Unit

Unit Four
Healthy Aging

Advanced Beginning
Concept by Shelley Reece and Oscar Jimenez
with additional activities and
materials by Lisa Minetti, Melissa Halaway and Sharon Nicolary

Made possible by a generous grant from MetLife Foundation.

Additional support provided by Temple University and San Jose State University.

This unit was developed as part of the SHINE-MetLife Foundation Health Literacy
Initiative, as one component of Project SHINE, Center for Intergenerational Learning.
For more information about this project, go to www.projectshine.org

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

1
 Acknowledgments

Thematic units were developed by ESL practitioners teaching ESL Health Literacy
classes to elder immigrants at five senior centers in Philadelphia. Each instructor selected
two topics of greatest interest to their class from a list of health literacy topics, identified
by immigrant elders participating in focus groups in Philadelphia and San Jose. SHINE
staff conducted regular curriculum development meetings at which teachers discussed
themes emerging from their classes and methods for encouraging learners to write about
these topics. Many of the lesson activities within the units are based on learner
narratives, in which elder immigrants share their experiences accessing healthcare in the
US.
The project would like to thank the elder immigrants who participated in the ESL Health
Literacy classes and who shared their stories and health concerns with us. Many thanks
to the teachers who taught the classes, participated in the curriculum development
process, formulated the topics upon which the units are based and developed many of the
activities in the units. We would also like to express our gratitude to Gail Weinstein for
her work on the Learners’ Lives as Curriculum framework, which provided the
inspiration for this curriculum development process. Many thanks to Marni Baker Stein,
Hilary Bonta, Lisa Minetti, Melissa Halaway and Sharon Nicolary for their careful work
in developing additional activities and instructional materials, ensuring that activities
were at consistent proficiency levels, and standardizing the format of units.

The initial concept and activities for this unit were developed by Shelley Reece and Oscar
Jimenez, in collaboration with elder learners at the Philadelphia and Norris Square Senior
Centers and the Vietnamese Association on Aging in Philadelphia. Additional activities
and revision by Marni Baker Stein, author of Talk it Through: Listening, Speaking and
Pronunciation (Houghton Mifflin) and Lisa Minetti, Melissa Halaway and Sharon
Nicolary of the English Language Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Patricia
Dillon, RN, PhD, of Temple’s School of Allied Health, provided input on health content.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

2
 Healthy Aging
A Thematic Unit for Basic Level Learners

Table of contents

Lesson One: Nutrition 5-49

Reading and Writing Practice 5-24
Goals for this Lesson 5
Before You Read 6-9
Grammar Tip: Count VS Non-count nouns 10-18
Reading One 19-20
Nutrition Risk Test 21-22
Health Watch: What you can do to improve your nutritional
health 23-24
Listening and Speaking Practice 25-43
Goals for this Lesson 25
Before You Listen! 26-27
Listening One: Healthy Recipes 28-33
Talk About It! 34-43
Real Practice 44-48
Goals for this Lesson 44
Real Practice 45-48
Checklist for Learning 49
Lesson Two: Exercise 50-77
Reading and Writing Practice 50-57
Goals for this Lesson 50
Before You Read! 51-52
Reading Two 53-59
Fitness Quiz 57-59
Listening and Speaking Practice 60-70
Goals for this Lesson 60
Before You Listen! 61-62
Listening Two: What is Tai Chi? 63-65

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

3
Talk About It! 66-70
Real Practice 71- 77
Goals for this Lesson 71
Real Practice 72-76
Checklist for Learning 77
Lesson Three: Managing Stress 78-109
Reading and Writing Practice 78-84
Goals for this Lesson 78
Before You Read! 79-81
Reading One: Stressed Out About Retirement 82-83
Reading Two: Stress After an Injury 84-85
Listening and Speaking Practice 86-104
Goals for this Lesson 86
Before You Listen! 87-88
Listening Three: Healthy Bodies Fight Stress Better 89-94
Talk About It! 94-104
105-
Real Practice 109
Goals for this Lesson 105
106-
Real Practice 108
Checklist for Learning 109

Note to Teachers!

The following websites were used in developing this site. You may find
them useful references to support your instruction.

Helpguide.com
http://www.helpguide.org/aging_well.htm

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

http://www.fda.gov/

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

4
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson One
Nutrition

Source: http://www.clipartheaven.com/clipart/health_&_medical/cartoons/hospital_meal_3.gif

Reading and Writing Practice

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Goals for this lesson:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Know the warning signs of poor nutritional health and what you
can do to improve your diet.
 Understand the difference between count and non-count nouns.
 Be able to use the phrase “used to.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

5
Lesson One: Nutrition

Reading and Writing Practice

Before You Read!

In this lesson, you will read about Eleanor’s problem with her diet. Eleanor

went to the doctor. The doctor gave her this food pyramid and asked her to

follow it. Before you read Eleanor’s story, study the pyramid. Answer the

questions that follow with your classmates and teacher.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

6
ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

7
Activity One:

1. Look at each section of the pyramid. Make a list of some of the

foods that you see in each food group.

Food group: Examples of foods:

Water/liquids

Grains and

Cereals

Bright colored broccoli

vegetables

Deep colored fruit apples

Dairy products milk

Dry beans, nuts,

fish, poultry, meat

and eggs

Fats, salt, sugars

Vitamin calcium

supplements

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

8
 2. Which food groups should you eat the most of?

3. Which food groups should you eat the least of?

4. What are your favorite foods? Which food groups do your favorite

foods belong to?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

9
Grammar Tip: Count vs. non-count nouns

When we are talking about food, it is important to know the difference

between count and non-count nouns. In this grammar focus, you will learn to

Use the noun plural ending -s correctly

Use words that express quantities, such as some, many, a little…

Count vs. Non-count

There are two kinds of nouns: those that can be counted and those that

cannot be counted.

Count nouns refer to things that can be divided up into smaller parts. We

can see or hear these things and count them. Count nouns can be made plural

by adding a final -s to the nouns. Here are some nouns that you can count:

Count nouns Plural count nouns

apple (two) apples

bottle (three) bottles

carton cartons

hamburger hamburgers

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

10
Non-count nouns refer to things that cannot be counted because they are

whole things which cannot be divided into parts.

Illustration: Think of the batter you use to bake a cake. Before you put the

batter into the oven, you cannot divide it into its parts because it is a liquid

mix. Think of the liquid mix as a non-count noun.

Picture taken from: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~bd9y-ktu/test/ishi/people_f/ill_f/nkitchen_f/batter.GIF

After you bake the cake, it becomes solid and you can cut it into pieces.

Now you can think of the pieces of cake as the count nouns. We can count

the cake and its pieces.

Picture taken from: http://www.cut-the-knot.org/do_you_know/cake.gif

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

11
Non-count nouns cannot be not made plural. For example: milk cannot

become  “milks”. If we divide non-count nouns into parts, we need to use

a quantifier. Here are some examples of non-count nouns and quantifiers:

Non count nouns Non-count nouns with

quantifiers

meat some meat

bread a package of bread

water a glass of water

milk two cartons of milk

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

12
Quantifiers

Quantifiers are words that give us more information about nouns. They tell

us how many or how much. To choose the correct quantifier you need to

know whether the word is a count or a non-count noun. Look at the

examples for the count noun eggs and the non-count noun water.

Use these quantifiers with count Use these quantifiers with non-count

nouns: nouns:

several eggs a little water

few eggs very much water

none of the eggs no water

Use these quantifiers with both count and non-count nouns:

all of the eggs/water

some eggs/water

a lot of eggs/water

Note: with foods, some non-count words such as water, coffee or meat, we

can add a counting phrase to talk about quantities, like:

A cup/two cups of milk

A glass/two glasses/a couple of glasses of water

A package/two packages of meat

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

13
Practice One

Look at the list of nouns and identify if they are count or non-count.

Pluralize the count nouns.

Noun Count or non-count? Plural form

1. apple

2. jar

3. meat

4. hamburger

5. milk

6. coffee

7. egg

8. bottle

9. broccoli

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

14
Practice Two

Look at the nouns in the following sentences and decide if they are correct

or not. Check (√) the appropriate column

Correct Incorrect

1. The mother gave some milks to her

children.

2. Today at lunch I ate a couple of apple.

3. I have a lot of jars in my kitchen.

4. Every afternoon we go to the café to have

a cup of coffee.

5. My friend likes to eat eggs for breakfast.

6. We used three broccolis in the recipe.

7. McDonald’s sells hamburgers all over the

world.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

15
Practice Three

How much food should we eat according to the food pyramid? Choose

which quantifier is most appropriate in the following sentences.

1. Drinking __________________ coffee can be unhealthy.

a. several b. two cups of

2. To stay healthy, we should try to eat ___________________ fruit

every day.

a. some b. several

3. We should eat __________________ nuts.

a. a lot of b. few

4. Adding ___________________ broccoli to your diet is healthy.

a. some b. few

5. The food pyramid recommends that we eat __________________ fat.

a. a lot of b. a little

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

16
 6. Eating ___________________ bright colored vegetables is healthy.

a. very much b. a lot of

7. My doctor recommends that I eat __________________ whole grains.

a. six servings of b. a little

8. Drinking ___________________ liquids prevents dehydration.

a. very much b. a lot of

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 17

Activity Two:

What do you usually eat each day? In the space below, describe your diet

and share it with your partner. As you list the foods you eat be sure to use

plural forms and quantifiers.

1. What do you eat for breakfast?

2. What do you eat for lunch?

3. What do you eat for dinner?

4. Do you have snacks during the day? What are they?

5. How much water/liquid do you drink each day?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 18

Reading One

This story was generated by the course developer for instructional purposes.

Next read Eleanor’s story and answer the questions that follow with your

classmates and teacher.

My name is Eleanor and I am 80 years old. I used to cook for myself. I

used to walk to the store everyday with my friend Celia to buy the things I

needed. But last year my eyesight got bad New words

and I couldn’t walk to the market anymore. Skip meals: not eat meals
Since then my diet has not been very good. I Junk-food: food with little
often skip meals. When I do eat, I eat a lot of nutritional value
junk food, especially sweets. Dehydrated: the effect of

not drinking enough water

The last time I went to the doctor, she said I

gained 15 pounds and I was dehydrated. I

have diabetes and must keep my weight low. She told me I needed to change

my diet. First, I have to drink more every day. I have to eat more fruits,

vegetables and whole grains. I need to eat less meat and less fat. I also need

to take a vitamin supplement.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 19

I am worried about my diet now but I don’t know what to do. I can’t walk to

the market anymore and I can’t see well enough to cook for myself.

1. Why did Eleanor change her eating habits?

2. Why is Eleanor’s doctor worried about her weight gain?

3. Eleanor needs to change her diet. What foods should she eat more?

4. What foods should Eleanor eat less?

5. Do you think Eleanor will follow her doctor’s advice? Why or

why not?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 20

Nutrition Risk Test

Could your diet put you at risk for serious health problems? Answer the

following questions with your classmates and teacher and then discuss your

nutritional health score.

Read the statements below and check "Yes" for those that apply to you.

1. I have a medical condition that made me change the food I eat. □ Yes

2. I eat fewer than 2 meals per day. □ Yes

3. I eat few fruits, vegetables, or milk products. □ Yes

4. I have tooth or mouth problems that make it hard for me to eat. □ Yes

5. I don't always have enough money to buy the food I need. □ Yes

6. I am not always physically able to shop, cook and/or feed □ Yes

myself.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 21

Now total your nutritional score.

0-2 You have no need to change your diet. Take this quiz again in

6 months.

3-5 See what you can do to improve your diet and lifestyle. Bring

this quiz with you the next time you visit a medical professional

or social services agency. Ask for help to improve your

nutritional health.

Discuss your score with your classmates. Do you or any of your classmates

have problems with your diet? Work together to make a list of suggestions

for what everyone can do to improve their nutrition. If you can’t think of

any solutions to this problem, read through the Health Watch box below for

ideas.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 22

Health Watch: What you can do to improve your nutritional health

It is important to pay attention to the warning signs of poor nutritional

health. If you have any of these problems, read what you can do to improve

your health.

Problem: Can't chew (biting your food with your teeth)

Do you have trouble chewing? If so, you may have trouble eating foods like

meat and fresh fruits and vegetables.

What to do: Try other foods.

Instead of: Try:

fresh fruit fruit juices and soft canned fruits, like applesauce

raw vegetables vegetable juices and cooked vegetables

meat ground meat, eggs, and foods made with milk, like

cheese, yogurt and cream soups

sliced bread cooked cereals, rice, bread pudding

Problem: Can't shop

You may have problems shopping for food. Maybe you can't drive anymore.
You may have trouble walking or standing for a long time.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 23

What to do:

• Ask the local food store to bring groceries to your home.

• Ask a family member or neighbor to shop for you.

• Sign up for help with a local volunteer center, church or synagogue.

Problem: Can't cook

You may have problems with cooking. It may be hard for you to hold

cooking utensils, and pots and pans. Or you may have trouble standing for a

long time.

What to do:

• Use a microwave oven to cook frozen foods and foods cooked by the
store.
• Join a group meal program offered through senior citizen programs.
• Have meals brought to your home.
• Move to a place where someone else will cook, like a family
member's home.

To find out about senior citizen group meals and home-delivered meals, call
(1-800) 677-1116. These meals cost little or no money.
Adapted from information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 24

 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g

Lesson One
Nutrition

Listening and Speaking Practice

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Goals for this lesson:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Know the warning signs of poor nutritional health and what you
can do to improve your diet.
 Understand the difference between count and non-count nouns.
 Be able to use the phrase “used to.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 25

Lesson One: Nutrition

Listening and Speaking Practice!

Before You Listen!

Vocabulary

Study these new vocabulary words before you listen. Read the sentences and

guess the meaning of the bold words from context. Discuss the words with

your teacher.

1. My father is the chef in the family. He cooks delicious foods.

2. The four main ingredients in bread are flour, salt, yeast and water.

3. My mother always uses recipes when she cooks. She likes to follow the

instructions very carefully.

4. My doctor advises me to avoid salt and fat in my diet. I should stay

away from these ingredients.

5. Antonio cooks delicious fried chicken. He cooks the chicken in oil.

6. Salt and pepper are typical seasonings. They add flavor to food. They

make food taste better.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 26

Activity One:

Answer the following questions and then review them together as a class.

1. Do you like to cook? If so, do you cook with recipes?

2. What kinds of ingredients are most common in a healthy diet?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging 27

Listening One: Healthy recipes

**Note to teacher: Do not pass out the written text below until students are
ready for the “Talk About It!” activity. Record it onto a cassette and
have students listen to the recording (if you have time, it may be
helpful to ask a friend or family member to record this message so
that your learner(s) can practice listening to an unfamiliar voice).
Play once or twice before they begin to listen for specific information.

Listen to the conversation from a call-in radio talk show. A chef is talking

about how to cook healthy foods. Listen to the conversation and then

answer the questions that follow with your classmates and teacher.

Chef Wong: Welcome to the show. Today, we are talking about how

to cook healthier foods. We all know that to stay healthy,

we need to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

We also need to limit the fat, salt and sugar in our diet.

How can we control our diet? Cook at home, using

simple recipes and fresh ingredients. Today we’ll discuss

making your favorite recipes healthier. Let’s talk about

cooking! …. Ok, looks like we have a call. Hello? Are

you there, caller?

Maria: Hello? Yes?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

28
Chef Wong: Hi. Welcome to the show. Please introduce yourself.

Maria: My name is Maria and I’m calling from Philadelphia. I

recently learned that I have high blood pressure, and my

doctor told me I need to lose weight. I love cooking and

eating, so I am worried about using my old recipes.

Maybe they are not healthy for me. Can you help me?

Chef Wong: Sure. Don’t worry! Learning to cook healthy food is

simple. Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to talk

about?

Maria: Yes. I really love to cook fried chicken with rice. My

mother taught me how to make it.

Chef Wong: Well, your basic ingredients, chicken and rice, sound

healthy. Tell me more about your recipe. How do you

cook this dish?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

29
Maria: Well, first I season my chicken with lots of salt and

spices, you know, to give it flavor. Then I heat one cup of

olive oil in a frying pan and I add the chicken.

Chef Wong: Ok, let’s start with your seasoning. Try to reduce the

amount of salt. Use healthier seasoning like pepper

instead. Also, one cup of oil is too much! You can fry

chicken with only 2 tablespoons of oil.

Maria: If I make these changes will my dish still have the same

flavor?

Chef Wong: No. For more flavor, try adding some vegetables to your

recipe, like broccoli or tomatoes. Add only healthy

ingredients. Remember the food pyramid! We should all

avoid eating too much salt and fat.

Maria: Ok, that sounds like a good idea. I will try it this

weekend. Thank you, Chef Wong.

Chef Wong: You’re welcome, Maria. Good luck!

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

30
Activity Two

Choose whether the following statements are true or false based on the

listening:

1. To stay healthy we should eat more fruits and vegetables. T F

2. Maria has diabetes and needs to lose weight. T F

3. Maria loves cooking and eating. T F

4. Chef Wong advises Maria to use less oil. T F

5. If she follows Chef Wong’s advice, the flavor of Maria’s dish

will remain the same. T F

6. Maria will try the new recipe. T F

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

31
Activity Three:

Listen again and try to fill in the missing nouns from the following segments

from Chef Wong. When you finish compare answers with your neighbor.

Can you identify the count and non-count nouns?

Segment One

Welcome to the show. Today, we are talking about how to cook healthier

______________. We all know that to stay healthy, we need to eat more

______________, vegetables and whole grains. We also need to limit the

______________, salt and sugar in our diet. How can we control our

diet? Cook at home, using simple recipes and fresh ______________.

Today we’ll discuss making your favorite ______________ healthier.

Segment Two

No. For more flavor, try adding some ______________ to your recipe,

like broccoli or ______________. Add only healthy ingredients.

Remember the food pyramid! We should all avoid eating too much

______________ and fat.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

32
Activity Four

Practice the dialogue with a partner. Take turns being Maria and Chef

Wong.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

33
Talk About It!

Grammar Tip: Used To

We use “used to” to talk about things we did in the past but do not do

anymore. For example:

I used to do my own grocery shopping, but now my eyes are bad and I

can’t see well enough.

Juan used to think he could not cook, but now he cooks for himself

every day and he enjoys it!

Structure: used to + main verb

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

34
Pronunciation note: Rhythm

When you pronounce the verb phrase with used to, the word ‘to’ is reduced.

In spoken English, it sounds like “ta”. The main verb gets stressed. Listen to

your teacher pronounce the examples in the grammar explanation above, and

repeat the verb phrase.

I used to ride my bicycle to school.

We used to cook all our meals at home.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

35
Activity One:

Read the following stories about Juan and Elise.

Juan’s Story

Last year, I moved to a new town where my daughter lives. My new home

was not near a supermarket or a restaurant, so I began to eat less. In my

hometown, I used to eat with my friends at their house. Sometimes I used to

eat at a neighborhood café. I never learned how to cook.

One afternoon, I had a headache and felt dizzy. My daughter called 911.

When I got to the hospital they told me I was extremely dehydrated. I told

them about my change in diet and they introduced me to a nutritionist. The

nutritionist told me that I needed to eat more calories and drink more water

every day. My daughter taught me to cook my favorite food. I used to be

nervous about cooking, but now I cook well! I make dinner for myself every

day. Sometimes I invite my daughter to eat with me.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

36
Which statements are true about Juan’s past habits? Check (√) them.

 Juan used to eat with his friends.

 Juan used to live in another town.

 Juan used to cook his own meals.

 Juan used to feel dizzy.

 Juan used to be nervous about cooking.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

37
Elise’s Story

Six months ago I found out my sister has diabetes. She saw a nutritionist.

The nutritionist told her that eating too much fat could increase her chances

of heart disease. We needed to cut the fat from her diet. It wasn’t easy

because fat is in everything we like to eat - red meat, butter, cheese, ice

cream! We used to eat these things every day. I never thought about fat in

our diet.

I tried to change our favorite recipes, and cut back on sugar and butter. We

both used to love to bake cakes. We also used to bake cookies all the time.

At first making these changes was hard, but now we find ways to make

foods we like. We have so much extra energy from eating our new healthy

diet. I think our lives have changed for the better!

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

38
Which statements are true about Elise’s and her sister’s past habits? Check

(√) them.

 Elise’s sister used to have diabetes.

 They used to eat ice cream.

 Elise used to think about the fat in her diet.

 Both sisters used to love baking.

 They used to have extra energy from their diet.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

39
Activity Two:

Skim the stories in Activity Two above. Underline the verb phrases which

contain ‘used to.’ Read each phrase out loud, and focus on reducing ‘to.’

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

40
Activity Three:

Complete the following statements about your past dietary habits. Try to use

count and non-count nouns and quantifiers in your answers. Remember to

reduce ‘to’ in the verb phrase.

1. In my home country, my mother used to make

_____________________________________________________

2. When I was a young child I used to like eating

_____________________________________________________

3. When I was a teenager, I used to drink

_____________________________________________________

4. When I first came to the US, I used to like eating

_____________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

41
Activity Four:

Ask several classmates about their past dietary habits. After each one write

three to four sentences about what they used to do but do differently now.

Your question: What kinds of foods did you use to eat but no longer eat

today?

Your partner’s answer: I used to

______________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

42
Write your classmates’ responses in the chart below:

Your partner’s name Your partner’s response

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

43
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson One
Nutrition

Real Practice
A dv anc ed B egi nni ng
Goals for this lesson:
Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Know the warning signs of poor nutritional health and what you
can do to improve your diet.
 Understand the difference between count and non-count nouns.
 Be able to use the phrase “used to.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

44
Lesson One: Nutrition

Real Practice!

Keeping a Food Diary

Instructions

The information you write in your food diary will help you and your doctor

make an eating program to meet your special needs. Follow these

instructions to get the most out of your food diary.

How much:

In this space, write the amount of the food item you ate. Give the size, the

volume (1/2 cup), the weight (2 ounces) and/or the number of items (12) of

that type of food.

What kind:

In this column, write down the type of food you ate. Be as specific as you

can. Include "extras," such as soda, salad dressing, butter, sugar and ketchup.

Time:

Write the time of day you ate the food.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

45
Where:

Write where you were when you ate. If you ate in a restaurant or your car,

write that location.

Alone or with whom:

If you ate by yourself, write "alone." If you were with friends or family

members, list them.

Activity:

In this column, list any activities you were doing while you were eating (for

example, working, watching TV).

Mood:

How were you feeling while you were eating (for example, sad, happy,

depressed)?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

46
 Helpful Hints:

1. Don't change your eating habits while you're keeping your food

diary.

2. Tell the truth. Your doctor can help only if you record what you

really eat.

3. Record what you eat on all days your doctor recommends.

4. Be specific. Write details before you forget them.

5. Be sure to bring the completed forms back with you to your

next doctor's appointment.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

47
Sample Food Diary

Food or Drink

How What kind Time Where Alone Activity Mood

much or

with

whom

3 chocolate 3:25 office alone working bored

chip cookies p.m. on report

1 cheeseburger 6:15 Burger Claire, talking happy

p.m. King Jackie

1 regular

french fries

1 vanilla shake

1 cup ice cream 10:00 kitchen alone watching tired

p.m. TV

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

48
 A Thematic Unit for Intermediate Level ESL Teachers
Advanced Beginning Level, Unit Four: Healthy Aging
Lesson One: Nutrition

Checklist for Learning

Vocabulary Log:

In the space below, write down all of the new words you learned during this
lesson that you want to remember. Try to separate your list of words into nouns
(person, place or thing), adjectives (describing words) and verbs (action
words). For extra practice use them in sentences of your own.

New words I learned during this lesson:

Nouns:

Adjectives:

Verbs:

What can you do?

Below are some of the language goals you worked on during this lesson. Check
(√) what you learned from this lesson. Add more ideas if you wish.

I learned to…

 Know the warning signs of poor nutritional health and what you can do to
improve your diet.
 Understand the difference between count and non-count nouns
 Be able to use the phrase “used to”
 ____________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

49
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson Two
Exercise

Reading and Writing Practice

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Checklist for Learning:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals too?
Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of exercising

 Learn about ways to safely increase your activity level
 Use stress to pronounce “can” and “can’t.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

50
Lesson Two: Exercise

Reading and Writing Practice

Before You Read!

Before you begin reading, complete the following activity with your

classmates and your teacher.

Answer these questions with a partner:

1. How much exercise do you get every week?

2. What kinds of exercise do you enjoy?

3. Do you think you should exercise more? Why or why not?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

51
Vocabulary

Study these new vocabulary words before you read. Read the sentences and

guess the meaning of the bold words from context. Discuss the words with

your teacher.

1. My doctor checks my health during my physical.

2. My neighbor lives near me. She talks to me almost every day.

3. I do not want to exercise on my own. I prefer to exercise with

other people.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

52
Reading Two

This story was generated by the course developer for instructional purposes.

Cecilia’s Story: Finding Friends at the YMCA

My name is Cecilia and I am 63 years old. At my last physical, my

doctor told me I should exercise every day to stay healthy. I didn’t know
what to do. My neighbor suggested going to the YMCA. She saw some
older people in an exercise class there. We went there together and liked it
very much.
Now I go 2 times a week. I take a senior dance class and a water
exercise class. I really enjoy exercising at the YMCA. I like the other
people. They’re older like me, and I’ve made some new friends. I do not
like to exercise on my own, so exercising with other people is great for me.
I have felt a lot better since I joined the YMCA!

Choose whether the following statements are true or false based on the

reading:

1. Cecilia’s doctor told her to exercise more. T F

2. Cecilia goes to the YMCA with her neighbors. T F

3. Cecilia takes a water dance class. T F

4. The people in Cecilia’s exercise classes are older. T F

5. Cecilia feels better now that she exercises. T F

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

53
Now discuss these questions with your partner.

1. Do you know anyone who takes exercise classes?

2. Have you ever taken an exercise class? If yes, where have you taken

the class?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

54
Now read about Victor. Underline any words you don’t know and discuss

them with your classmates and your teacher.

Victor’s Story: Learning How to Walk Again

This story was generated by the course developer for instructional purposes.

My name is Victor and I am 63 years old. I’m from Ukraine and have

lived in the US for 10 years. I recently went to my doctor because my back

started to hurt and my knees felt very stiff. He told me that I need to

exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

In my home country, I never thought about exercising. I had an active

lifestyle. I used to walk to work and to the store every day. Now I live in the

US and I never walk. I drive my car everywhere.

So my son bought me a dog; his name is Misha. Now Misha and I

walk together. My grandson sometimes comes with us too. Misha must walk

every day, whether I want to or not. I have been feeling much better and I

have more energy, just like I used to feel in Ukraine.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

55
Choose whether the following statements are true or false based on the

reading:

1. Victor went to the doctor because he felt dizzy. T F

2. The doctor told Victor to exercise an hour every day. T F

3. Victor used to walk a lot. T F

4. Victor’s grandson bought him a dog. T F

5. Victor’s dog Misha wants to walk every day. T F

6. Victor feels better now that he has an active lifestyle. T F

Now discuss these questions with your partner.

1. How much do you walk every day?

2. How can you add more exercise into your lifestyle?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

56
Cecilia and Victor have both increased the amount of exercise they do each

week. They are becoming fit (in good shape) and healthy. How fit are you?

How much do you know about exercising? Take the following Fitness Quiz.

After you finish, discuss your answers with your classmates and teacher.

Fitness Quiz

You can be fit over 50. Learn more about senior fitness by taking this quiz,

based in part on the President's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports.

1. As we get older, we should limit our physical activities.

□ True

□ False

2. Exercising in the evening will keep you awake at night.

□ True

□ False

3. To become fit, you need to go to the gym.

□ True

□ False

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

57
4. One of the best exercises for older adults is walking.

□ True

□ False

5. You'll know that you're exercising well if you're breathing hard.

□ True

□ False

6. Older people need to drink liquid during exercise.

□ True

□ False

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

58
Answers to Quiz

1. Answer: False. Senior citizens should not stop exercising. Exercising

helps you stay healthy. Check with your doctor before beginning an exercise
program. Start slowly. Exercise for only 5 to 10 minutes at first, but slowly
increase your time to 30 or 60 minutes a day.

2. Answer: False. Doing some mild exercise several hours before bed will
help you get to sleep.

3. Answer: False. There are many safe exercises you can do at home.

4. Answer: True. Walking is a great exercise because it's easy on your

joints. Walking also strengthens your leg muscles and improves your
balance, helping you avoid falls.

5. Answer: False. Breathing heavily can mean you're working too hard.
You should be able to maintain a conversation at the pace you've set. If you
can't, slow down.

6. Answer: True. No matter what your age, everyone needs to drink water
before, during and after exercise.

Adapted from Author: Dianna Sinovic; Source: President's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports; Online
Editor: Phil Fuhrer; Online Medical Reviewer: Cynthia Godsey, M.S.N., F.N.P./C., Gordon Lambert, M.D.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

59
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson Two
Exercise

Listening and Speaking

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Checklist for Learning:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals too?
Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of exercising

 Learn about ways to safely increase your activity level
 Use stress to pronounce “can” and “can’t.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

60
Lesson Two: Exercise

Listening and Speaking Practice

Before You Listen!

Begin by reading the Health Watch box about the benefits of exercise.

Health Watch - The Benefits of Exercise

At least 30 minutes of activity five or more days a week can improve your
overall health.
Some of the benefits from exercising include:

Weight control

Better sleep

More energy

Reduced stress

Better ability to fight colds and illness

Stronger bones and muscles

Lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and blood
pressure, and colon cancer

Physical activity is a kind of health insurance, only you don't have to buy it.
By staying active, you're protecting yourself against disease, disability, and
death.
If you already have a chronic health problem, physical activity can help you
manage symptoms. For instance, exercise helps people with diabetes control
their weight and their blood sugar levels. It also helps prevent heart disease.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

61
Now discuss these questions with a partner and then share your answers

with the class.

1. Do elderly people exercise in your native country?

2. What are the most common exercises or sports practiced in your

country?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

62
Listening Two: What is Tai Chi?

**Note to teacher: Do not pass out the written message in the box below. Record it
onto a cassette (if possible with someone to play the second role in the dialogue) and
have students listen to the recording. Play once or twice before they begin to listen
for specific information.

Anne is walking her dog in the park, and she sees her neighbor, Theo, doing

some strange movements with a group of people. She watches for a while

and then talks to Theo about it the next day while they’re waiting for the

bus.

Anne: So what were you doing yesterday at the park? It looked so

strange.

Theo: I was taking my Tai Chi class.

Anne: Tai what?

Theo: Tai Chi. It’s a traditional Chinese exercise. I saw the class one

day when I was walking in the park. I talked to my doctor about

it and I signed up for the class. He wants me to do some sort of

regular exercise to help me with my sleep problems.

Anne: Oh, sounds interesting.

Theo: It is! Tai Chi uses the whole body but doesn’t hurt your

muscles. It’s great because I don’t feel tired or sore after my

class. It gives me energy!

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

63
Anne: But is it good for your health?

Theo: Yes. Doing Tai Chi helps reduce blood pressure, improve heart

health, and make your muscles stronger. It also reduces stress.

Anne: Wow – that’s really great.

Theo: The best part is I’m not having so many problems sleeping

anymore.

Anne: It sounds like Tai Chi has really helped you. Maybe I should

think about joining the class.

Theo: Definitely! Why don’t you come with me next week?

Activity One:

Fill-in-the blank with the appropriate answer based on the listening.

9. Theo was __________________ in the park with a group of people.

a. walking his dog b. exercising

10. Tai Chi is a traditional ____________________ exercise.

a. Chinese b. Taiwanese

11. Theo’s doctor told him exercise can help his _________________
problems.
a. heart b. sleep

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

64
 12.Theo feels __________________ after his Tai Chi class.
a. energetic b. tired

13.Anne will join Theo’s Tai chi class _________________.

a. next week b. yesterday

Activity Two:

Practice the dialogue with a partner. Take turns being Theo and Anne.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

65
Talk About It!

Pronunciation Tip: Can and Can’t

Sometimes it is difficult for listeners to tell the difference between can and

can’t in fast speech. If we pronounce each word slowly, they have almost

the same pronunciation. However, when we pronounce them in a sentence,

their pronunciation sounds very different.

Pronunciation

can can’t

• unstressed • stressed

• short • longer

• like /ken/ • like /can/

Listen to your teacher pronounce the following sentences:

I can go to the YMCA I can’t go to the YMCA

We can walk every day. We can’t walk every day.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

66
Activity One:

Practice saying the sentences with your teacher. Pay attention to the

reduced “can” and the clear “can’t”. Listen and repeat.

1. I can walk two miles.

2. My brother can exercise 30 minutes every day.

3. I can sing.

4. I can ice skate.

5. I can’t swim.

6. I can’t walk for an hour.

7. I can’t do Tai Chi.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

67
Activity Two:

Now with a partner, say one of the following sentences. Your partner should

identify which sentence you say, either “A” or “B”.

A B

I can walk two miles. I can’t walk two miles.

My brother can exercise 30 My brother can’t exercise 30

minutes. minutes.

I can sing. I can’t sing.

I can ice skate. I can’t ice skate.

I can swim. I can’t swim.

I can walk more than 15 minutes. I can’t walk more than 15

minutes.

I can do Tai Chi. I can’t do Tai Chi.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

68
Activity Three:

In this activity, you will read about Tina and discuss ways she can improve

her health.

My name is Tina. I am 65 years old. I am a little overweight and I do not

exercise very much. I drive my car everywhere. I have a dog who stays

outside of my house, in my yard. My neighbors are all my age. We are

friends.

Check (√) three things Tina can easily do to increase her activity and

improve her health:

 Walk the dog

 Stop driving everywhere

 Go swimming three times a week

 Join a gym

 Walk with her neighbors

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

69
Using the activities previously mentioned, write sentences about what Tina

can or can’t easily do to increase her activity. For example:

1. Tina can easily walk the dog every day.

2. ________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________

Now imagine that you are Tina and you would like to talk with your doctor

about how to increase your physical activity. Write three questions you

could ask the doctor. For example:

1. Can I start walking every day?

2. ________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

70
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson Two
Exercise

Real Practice
A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Checklist for Learning:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals too?
Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of exercising

 Learn about ways to safely increase your activity level
 Use stress to pronounce “can” and “can’t.”

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

71
Lesson Two: Exercise

Real Practice!

Increase your physical activity!

Before you begin keep the following tips in mind:

1. Talk with your doctor – Before you begin any new exercise program,

talk with your doctor about your condition. He or she will give you advice

on how to increase your activity slowly.

2. If something hurts, stop exercising - These are some warning signs that

mean you should stop what you are doing and consult a doctor:

Chest pain or pressure

Trouble breathing

Continuous or sharp muscle or joint pain

Nausea

Difficulty with balance

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

72
Other important tips

Start Slowly – Start with 10 minutes a day. Slowly increase your time.

Be Comfortable – Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

Breathe – Remember to breathe when you are doing your exercise.

Don’t hold your breath.

Drink – Drink water before, during and after your activity.

Warm Up & Cool Down – Always ease your body into and out of

exercise. Walk slowly or stretch for at least 5 minutes. (See Online

Resources for good stretching techniques.)

Above information take from http://www.helpguide.org/aging/senior_fitness_sports.htm

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

73
Choose at least one of the activities below and then report your progress

back to class.

Activity One: See your Doctor

If you are worried about starting an exercise program, see your doctor and

get advice. List any information he or she gives you and talk to him or her

about ideas for exercise activities.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

74
Activity Two: Keep an Activity Journal

Write every kind of activity you do during a week. Fill in the chart for the

name of the activity, the amount of time you did it, and how you felt.

Activity Time Spent How you felt

Walking in the mall 20 minutes energized

Stretching while 10 minutes sore

watching television

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

75
Activity Three: Chart your Progress

1. See how far you can walk in exactly six minutes. Write down how far

you walked -- in feet, blocks, laps, miles, number of times you walked up

and down a long hallway, or whatever is convenient for you. Test and record

your scores each week.

2. Time yourself as you walk up a flight of stairs as fast as you can safely.

Test and record your scores each week.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

76
 A Thematic Unit for Intermediate Level ESL Teachers
Advanced Beginning Level, Unit Four: Healthy Aging
Lesson Two: Exercise

Checklist for Learning

Vocabulary Log:

In the space below, write down all of the new words you learned during this
lesson that you want to remember. Try to separate your list of words into nouns
(person, place or thing), adjectives (describing words) and verbs (action
words). For extra practice use them in sentences of your own.

New words I learned during this lesson:

Nouns:

Adjectives:

Verbs:

What can you do?

Below are some of the language goals you worked on during this lesson. Check
(√) what you learned from this lesson. Add more ideas if you wish.

I learned to…

 Understand the benefits of exercising

 Learn about ways to safely increase your activity level
 Use stress to pronounce “can” and “can’t.”
 ___________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

77
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g

Lesson Three
Managing Stress

Reading and Writing Practice

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Goals for this lesson:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of managing stress

 Understand the benefits of managing stress
 Know the warning signs of stress and depression and what you

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

78
Lesson Three: Managing Stress

Reading and Writing Practice

Before You Read!

In this lesson, you will read two stories about seniors who are going through

stressful life changes. Before reading about Rodrigo, answer these

questions with your classmates and your teacher.

1. As people get older, they experience lifestyle changes. Which lifestyle

changes are common for older adults? Check (√) them.

 new home  new family members

 illness or injury  new job

 changes in eating habits

 changes in exercise habits

 death of a loved one

 separation from friends and

family

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

79
2. When people experience changes in life, they often feel stress. Stress is a

physical or emotional reaction in your body that makes you feel bad. Which

lifestyle changes above might cause stress?

3. When people feel stress, what can they do to relax?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

80
Vocabulary

Study these new vocabulary words before you read. Read the sentences and

guess the meaning of the bold words from context. Discuss the words with

your teacher.

1. Marco stopped working last year. He felt happy to retire.

2. It is difficult to adjust to all of the changes in your lifestyle when

you retire.

3. My grandson isn’t hungry at dinner because he snacks during the

afternoon.

4. If I feel tired during the day, I take a short nap.

5. I volunteered to drive my neighbor to the grocery store after his

car broke down.

6. Every week Rosa meets with her English tutor to practice

speaking English.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

81
Reading One: Stressed Out About Retirement

This story was generated by the course developer for instructional purposes.

Next read Rodrigo’s story and answer the questions that follow with your

classmates and teacher.

My name is Rodrigo and I am from Brazil. I retired from my job about 2

years ago. I wanted to enjoy hobbies and spend more time with my wife and

our grandchildren. I never knew it would be so difficult for me to adjust.

I spent my whole life working. When I stopped, at first I didn’t know what

to do all day. I just sat around the house, watching television and snacking.

My wife and I argued because we were not used to being together all the

time. I often napped during the day. I couldn’t sleep well at night.

During my checkup at the doctor’s office, I told my doctor about the

changes in my lifestyle. She talked to me about stress. She said I should I

get more exercise and get out of the house to meet people. Now I volunteer

to help with my grandson’s school. I tutor children who have problems with

math. I met one of my neighbors there, so now we walk to the school

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

82
together. Today my lifestyle is more active and I feel much less stress. My

wife and I rarely argue and I sleep well at night.

Questions:

1. When did Rodrigo retire from his job?

2. What did Rodrigo want to do when he retired?

3. How did Rodrigo’s lifestyle change when he retired?

4. What advice did the doctor give Rodrigo?

5. What does he do now to feel better?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

83
Reading Two – Stress After an Injury

This story was generated by the course developer for instructional purposes.

Now read about Chui Ying, who feels depressed. She is recovering from a

broken arm.

My name is Chui Ying and I am 71 years old. I am from China. I moved to

the United States 10 years ago to help my son raise my grandchildren. Both

my son and his wife work downtown, so I stay home and cook our meals.

Two days a week I drive my grandson to after school activities.

One month ago, I broke my arm. My doctor put my arm in a cast and told

me it will take 8 weeks to heal. My son and daughter want me to relax until

my arm feels better. They asked our church for volunteers to help with

cooking.

I feel useless. I cannot move my arm, so I cannot drive or cook anymore. I

do not like the food the volunteers bring to our home, so I do not eat very

much. I do not understand English very well, so television is not interesting.

When my grandson comes home from school, he is busy with his

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

84
homework. I don’t talk with him as much as I want. I feel lonely all day with

nothing to do.

Questions:

1. Why did Chui Ying come to the United States?

2. What activities did Chui Ying do before she broke her arm?

3. After Chui Ying broke her arm, how did her life change?

4. How does Chui Ying feel now?

5. What do you think Chui Ying should do?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

85
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g
Lesson Three
Managing Stress

Listening and Speaking Practice

A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Goals for this lesson:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of managing stress

 Understand the benefits of managing stress
 Know the warning signs of stress and depression and what you

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

86
Lesson Three: Managing Stress

Listening and Speaking Practice

Before You Listen!

How well do you handle stress?

The following questionnaire will help you understand how you manage
stress in your life. Read each statement and check whether the statement is
true for you.
Questions Yes No

1. I eat at least one hot, balanced meal a day.

2. I usually get seven to eight hours of sleep.

3. I spend time with my family regularly.

4. I exercise at least twice a week.

5. I have enough money to meet my basic

expenses.

6. I get strength from my religious beliefs.

7. I have a network of friends and

acquaintances.

8. I am in good health.

9. I speak openly about my feelings.

10.I do something for fun at least once a week.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

87
Now total your score. How many times do you answer, “Yes”?

6 or more Yes

You probably manage stress well. Take this quiz again in 6 months.

5 or less Yes

You may need help managing stress. Add activities from the list that will

help you manage stress. Concentrate first on those that are easiest to change

- for example, eating a hot, balanced meal daily and having fun at least once

a week. Ask your health professional for more ideas on what you can do to

manage stress.

Discuss your score with your classmates. Do you or any of your classmates

need help managing stress? Work together to make a list of suggestions for

what everyone can do to manage stress.

Adapted from University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, August, 1985. Scale Developers: Lyle Miller and Alma

Dell Smith of Boston University Medical Center.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

88
Listening Three: Healthy Bodies Fight Stress Better

**Note to teacher: Do not pass out the written message in the box below.
Record it onto a cassette and have students listen to the recording. Play once
or twice before they begin to listen for specific information.

Listen to the following conversation between Ms. Meyers, a social worker,

and Maria, her client, about how to fight stress. Then answer the questions

that follow with your classmates and teacher.

Maria: Ms. Meyers, I’ve been feeling so stressed out. I don't eat

anymore and I have trouble sleeping.

Ms. Meyers: Let’s find a way to help you mange your stress. A

healthy body can handle stress better than an unhealthy

one. Let me ask you a few questions about your lifestyle.

Do you exercise?

Maria: Well, I stay busy, but I don’t exercise. I go to work

everyday, and go shopping on the weekend. During the

evenings, I usually cook at home and stay home with my

family.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

89
Ms. Meyers: It definitely sounds like you are busy, but try to add at

least 30 minutes of physical activity into your schedule

several days a week. Exercise helps your body fight

stress. Let’s talk about your diet.

Maria: I love cooking and I eat a healthy diet. I am a vegetarian,

so I eat lots of whole grains and vegetables. I rarely

drink alcohol.

Ms. Meyers: That’s terrific, Maria. When you have a healthy diet, you

have a healthy body, and that can reduce the effects of

stress. Maybe we should talk about your attitudes and

feelings now. What do you do for fun?

Maria: Fun? Who has time for fun? I am so busy taking care of

my family, I never think about fun.

Ms. Meyers: We all have responsibilities in our lives, but take time to

relax and have fun, too. Do something you enjoy: go out

with your friends, take a cooking class or volunteer. If

you add fun to your life, you might start to feel better

about your stress.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

90
Maria: Thanks for your advice, Ms. Meyers. I’ll pay more

attention to my lifestyle. I hope these changes help me

manage my stress!

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

91
Activity One:

Choose whether the following statements are true or false based on the

listening:

1. Maria went to the social worker because she felt stressed.

T F

2. Ms. Meyers told Maria that only busy people feel stress.

T F

3. Maria exercises every day.

T F

4. Maria eats a healthy diet.

T F

5. A healthy body helps you reduce the effects of stress.

T F

6. A positive attitude helps you reduce the effects of stress.

T F

7. Maria will change her lifestyle to reduce her stress.

T F

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

92
Activity Two:

Which lifestyle qualities does the social worker, Ms. Meyers, mention?

Check (√) them.

 exercise

 religious beliefs

 positive attitude

 having fun

 sleep habits

 family relationships

 speaking about feelings

 money

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

93
Activity Three:

Practice the dialogue with a partner. Take turns being Ms. Meyer and

Maria.

Talk About It!

Before we begin, let’s think about how to talk about similarities in the

affirmative by using the words “both”, “so” and “too”.

Expression Example

both … and Both Maria and Chui Ying eat vegetables.

…
Maria eats both whole grains and vegetables.

so Maria eats vegetables and so does Chui Ying.

too Maria eats vegetables and Chui Ying does too.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

94
Activity One:

Read the sentences and fill in the blanks with” both,” “so,” and “too”.

1. Rodrigo helps his grandson with school activities.

Chui Ying helps her grandson with school activities.

a. _________ Rodrigo and Chui Ying help their grandsons with school

activities.

b. Rodrigo helps his grandson with school and ___________ does Chui

Ying.

c. Rodrigo helps his grandson with school and Chui Ying does

__________ .

2. Maria eats dinner with her family every night.

Chui Ying eats dinner with her family every night.

a. Maria eats dinner with her family every night and Chui Ying does

__________ .

b. _________ Maria and Chui Ying eat dinner with their family every

night.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

95
 c. Maria eats dinner with her family every night and ___________ does

Chui Ying.

2. Rodrigo meets friends to have fun.

Maria meets friends to have fun.

a. Maria meets friends to have fun and ___________ does Rodrigo.

b. _________ Maria and Rodrigo meets friends to have fun.

c. Maria meets friends to have fun and Rodrigo does __________ .

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

96
Now let’s think about how to talk about similarities in the negative by using

the words “not…either” and “neither/nor”.

Expression Example

not … either Maria doesn’t exercise regularly. Chui Ying doesn’t

exercise regularly either.

Neither/nor Maria doesn’t live alone. Neither does Chui Ying.

Maria doesn’t live alone. Nor does Chui Ying.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

97
Activity Two:

Read the sentences and fill in the blanks with “not … either,” “neither/nor”.

1. Rodrigo doesn’t cook his own meals.

Chui Ying’s son doesn’t cook his own meals.

a. Rodrigo doesn’t cook his own meals. ____________ does Chui Ying’s

son.

b. Rodrigo doesn’t cook his own meals. Chui Ying’s son doesn’t

________________ .

2. Maria doesn’t argue with her family.

Chui Ying doesn’t argue with her family.

a. Chui Ying doesn’t argue with her family. Maria doesn’t

________________ .

b. Maria doesn’t argue with her family. ____________ does Chui Ying.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

98
3. Rodrigo doesn’t drink alcohol.

Maria doesn’t drink alcohol.

a. Rodrigo doesn’t drink alcohol. ____________ does Maria.

b. Maria doesn’t drink alcohol. Rodrigo doesn’t ________________ .

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

99
Activity Three:

In this activity, you will ask two classmates questions about their lifestyle.

Check their answers in the charts below.

Partner One’s Name: ___________________________

Yes No

1. Do you eat at least one balanced meal a

day?

2. Do you usually get seven to eight hours of

sleep?

3. Do you exercise at least twice a week?

4. Do you get strength from religious beliefs?

5. Do you have a network of friends?

6. Are you in good health?

7. Do you speak openly about your feelings?

8. Do you do something for fun at least once a

week?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

100
Partner Two’s Name: ___________________________

Yes No

1. Do you eat at least one balanced meal a

day?

2. Do you usually get seven to eight hours of

sleep?

3. Do you exercise at least twice a week?

4. Do you get strength from religious beliefs?

5. Do you have a network of friends?

6. Are you in good health?

7. Do you speak openly about your feelings?

8. Do you do something for fun at least once a

week?

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

101
Now compare their answers and write sentences about their similarities

using “both”, “so”, “too”, “not…either” and “neither/nor”. When you are

finished discuss your answers with your classmates and teacher.

1. both…and…

For example: Both Andris and Katia have a network of friends.

________________________________________________________

2. so

________________________________________________________

3. too

________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

102
 4. not…either

________________________________________________________

5. neither

________________________________________________________

6. nor

________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

103
Activity Four:

Now think about what you have learned about managing stress in this unit.

Read through your classmates’ lifestyle habits in Activity Three. What

suggestions can you give your classmates to improve their health and reduce

stress? Write down your ideas and share them with your teacher and

classmates.

Suggestions:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

104
 E S L He a l t h Un i t
Un i t F o u r
He a l t h y Ag i n g

Lesson Three
Managing Stress

Real Practice
A dv anc ed B egi nni ng

Goals for this lesson:

Below are some of the goals of this lesson. Which ones are your goals
too? Check (√) them.

 Understand the benefits of managing stress

 Know the warning signs of stress and depression and what you
can do to manage stress and stay healthy.
 Be able to use the phrases “both”, “too”, “so”, “either”,
“neither” and “nor” to compare similarities.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

105
Lesson Three: Managing Stress

Real Practice!

Keeping a Stress Journal

How often do you feel stress? To find out how often you feel stress, keep a

journal. Try to find positive ways to deal with stress. Write down:

What caused the stress.

How you felt and responded to the stressful situation (symptoms of

stress).

What, if anything, you did to cope with the stressful situation.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

106
Here's a sample stress journal:

Day and Stressful event Reaction (symptoms, How you deal

Time thoughts, behaviors) with stress

Tuesday, Went to fix a Yelled at my husband Nothing or not

6:00 AM cup of tea but we for drinking the last cup sure.

have no more of tea without telling

tea. me.

Wednesday, Can’t find a seat Think badly of all of Complain about

10:15 AM on the crowded the young people who it later to my

bus. don’t offer me their neighbor.

seat.

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

107
Read your notes to learn how often you feel stressed and how you are

coping. Think about which ways of dealing with stress work best for you.

Keeping notes helps you learn about your stress patterns. Keeping the

journal for 1 to 2 weeks is best, although taking notes for even 1 or 2 days

can be helpful.

Above adapted from http://my.webmd.com

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

108
 A Thematic Unit for Intermediate Level ESL Teachers
Advanced Beginning Level, Unit Four: Healthy Aging
Lesson Three: Managing Stress

Checklist for Learning

Vocabulary Log:

In the space below, write down all of the new words you learned during this
lesson that you want to remember. Try to separate your list of words into nouns
(person, place or thing), adjectives (describing words) and verbs (action
words). For extra practice use them in sentences of your own.

New words I learned during this lesson:

Nouns:

Adjectives:

Verbs:

What can you do?

Below are some of the language goals you worked on during this lesson. Check
(√) what you learned from this lesson. Add more ideas if you wish.

I learned to…

 Know the warning signs of stress and depression and what you can do to
manage stress and stay healthy.
 Be able to use the phrases “both,” “too,” “so,” “either,” “neither” and
“nor” to compare similarities.
 ___________________________________________________________

ESL Health Unit/Advanced Beginning, Unit Four: Healthy Aging

109