INTRODUCE
Food allergies are a growing concern in Canada. Approximately 2.6 million Canadians have at least one food allergy.
PRESENT
STEP A EXPRESSIONS
Go over the first two expressions with your tutor and answer the questions. Then, guess the meaning of the third expression based on the clues provided.
1. Your immune system is your body’s shield from viruses, infections, and other illnesses.
This is my third cold this winter. Natalie hasn’t gotten sick even once!
Really? She must have a strong immune system!
Q: Do you have a strong immune system?
2. You developed an allergy to something if your body suddenly started to react to something that didn’t use to cause you problems before.
I developed an allergy to cats when I was 34.
Really? That’s quite late!
Q: Do you know anyone who has developed an allergy to something?
3. .
Just being in the room with peanuts is enough to trigger symptoms for Angela.
Oh my gosh, is that why she had trouble breathing at the party? There was a big bowl of peanuts on the table!
Q: What do you think trigger symptoms means?
STEP B SPEAK YOUR MIND
Sometimes you want to explain something more clearly by giving an example.
My mom and dad have so much in common. For instance, they both love cooking and playing games on their phones.
Really? That’s cute!
UNDERSTAND
READING
This is a news article about an elementary school in Edmonton, Canada.
Elementary school bans food from home after allergy incident
Edmonton, CANADA – An elementary school in Edmonton has banned students and their parents from bringing in food for school events after an incident that sent one student to the hospital.
A spokesperson for the school said that a seven-year-old student had trouble breathing at a class party after tasting a cookie baked by another student’s mother. The boy is severely allergic to peanuts. His mother said he developed an allergy to peanuts just a few months earlier. “When he asked his classmate if the cookie had peanuts in it, he was told no. I guess the girl didn’t know that peanut butter was one of the ingredients,” she explained. “When my son tasted the peanut butter, he immediately spit it out, but that was enough to trigger symptoms. We’re lucky that his reaction wasn’t more severe. For instance, his airway could’ve closed completely.”
Not wanting to take any more chances, the school board unanimously voted on Tuesday to ban food brought in from home at school events. “We want our children to worry about their grades, not whether their immune system will overreact to an ingredient in a cupcake at a class party,” one board member explained. To avoid future issues, the school will now hire a catering service that can ensure all ingredients are clearly labeled and all foods are stored properly.
TRIVIA
Food allergies differ from place to place. In many countries, seafood allergies are very common. In Canada, however, the top two food allergies are peanut and tree nut (ex. almond, cashew, walnut) allergies.
PRACTICE
Rephrase the sentences to use the expressions in the box. Some expressions may be used more than once, and the form of some expressions may need to be changed.
1. Yuta became allergic to shrimp when he was six years old.
2. Just being in a room with a few cats causes Justin to sneeze.
3. Adrian’s body is good at fighting diseases, so he seldom gets sick.
4. Alyssa became allergic to oranges when she was only two years old.
5. Amber takes a vitamin C supplement every day because she believes it will strengthen her protection against viruses.
CHALLENGE
Challenge 1
Your coworker had something strange happen to him/her at lunch today. Read an online article about food allergies. Then, talk to your coworker about it.
Today's Expressions
- immune system
- develop an allergy to something
- trigger symptoms
Speak Your Mind
- For instance, …
Hello, Allergies!
Have you noticed that your lips get itchy or your stomach hurts after eating a certain food?
Do you eat it anyway because the taste is worth the mild symptoms?
DON’T! You might have developed an allergy!
It’s more or less common knowledge that allergies can go away suddenly, but did you know that they can also develop just as suddenly? Your immune system may suddenly start to overreact to something, causing symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, and itchiness. What’s worse, the more you expose yourself to the thing you’re allergic to, the more likely it is that your symptoms will worsen. What starts out as an itch or mild discomfort can quickly become hives all over your body or a closed airway. Eventually, even just a tiny portion of the food you’re allergic to can be enough to trigger symptoms. You might not even need to eat a food to react to it – just being in a room with a food is enough to trigger symptoms for some people.
Before you take another bite of that food, think carefully. Isn’t it better to live for the next 50 years without it than to take a bite and possibly die 50 minutes later?
Challenge 2
What do you think? What does your tutor think? Discuss.
If TimeAllows
1 FOOD ALLERGIES |
2 NON-FOOD ALLERGIES |
|---|---|
|
1 FOOD ALLERGIES
|
2NON-FOOD ALLERGIES
|
FEEDBACK
I can read and understand an article about food allergies.
LESSON GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
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4
Very GoodCould complete the task with ease
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3
GoodCould complete the task with some clarifications
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2
FairCould complete the task with additional instructions
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1
PoorCould somehow complete the task with difficulty
PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK
- RANGE
the ability to use a wide variety of vocabulary - ACCURACY
the ability to speak correctly - FLUENCY
the ability to speak smoothly without pauses or fillers - INTERACTION
the ability to manage a conversation
