The ESL lesson on mpox (monkeypox) for upper-intermediate B2 students explores the disease’s symptoms, transmission, and impact. Students will learn about the history of mpox, its outbreaks, and preventive measures. The lesson includes reading comprehension, vocabulary exercises, and discussion activities to deepen understanding.
| Type | Level | Vocabulary | Lesson Time |
| Regular Lesson | B2 / Upper-Intermediate | 20 words | 60-80 min |
Monthly membership not your thing? Buy this lesson for $3 from our Patreon Shop
Vocabulary
- exhaustion
- fever
- headache
- swelling
- back pain
- aching muscles
- rash
- itching
- contagious
- transmitted
- itchy
- vulnerable
- simultaneously
- sporadic
- severe
- contaminated
- discontinued
- lesion
- precaution
- declare
Contents
- Lead-in
- Synonyms
- What’s mpox?
- Matching
- Article
- Comprehension questions
- Scanning
- Practice
- Questions
- Discussion
- Quote
Lead-in, Synonyms, What’s mpox?
This upper-intermediate lesson on monkeypox starts with six discussion questions about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinations, the role of healthcare workers, government actions, and pandemic containment. Students then move to a synonym activity, differentiating terms like outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic, followed by an introduction to monkeypox, covering its symptoms and impact.
Vocabulary, Article, Comprehension, Scanning
In the vocabulary matching activity, students link eight illustrations to words like exhaustion, fever, headache, swelling, back pain, aching muscles, rash, itching. There’s no vocabulary preview or definitions section; students learn new words in context by reading the article. After a six-minute read, they answer five comprehension questions, then pair up to scan the article and find 12 words based on provided definitions.
Practice, Questions, Discussion, Quote
The practice page involves unscrambling letters and completing sentences with their own ideas, focusing on keywords from the article. A subsequent slide offers in-depth discussion questions on health issues, healthcare challenges, and public health emergencies. The final two pages ask students to share their opinions on six ideas for protecting against monkeypox and conclude with a discussion-worthy quote about pandemics and healthcare systems.
This ESL lesson plan is available in Light, Dark, and A4 printable versions, making it convenient to print and distribute to students.
