Rebecca Fischer

EDU 251

Alyce Gray

December 7, 2016

Lesson Plan

Activity Name: Doctor’s Visit: Medical Tools Names and Uses

Approximate Length of Experience: 15 minutes

Age and Number of Children: 12 four year olds

Goal: To become familiar with what medical tools may be used to examine our bodies at the

doctor’s office.

Domain: Language

Content: Facts include: What happens at the doctor’s office? What medical tools does the

doctor use to examine and listen to the body?

Vocabulary words include: symptoms, physical exam, stethoscope, thermometer, otoscope,

blood pressure cuff, tongue depressor, fever, vomit, hurt

Objectives: Participation in this activity will increase the child’s ability to

1. Describe symptoms we may go to the doctor for.

2. Identify medical tools.

3. Identify how and where medical tools are used during a physical exam.

Materials: (actual items or printed and cut out pics of items) stethoscope, otoscope,

thermometer, tongue depressor, blood pressure cuff. A “doctor’s” bag.

Procedure: Sing “Tiny Tim” turtle song. Ask, “Have you ever been sick in bed before? What

were you sick with?” (memory) Give children the opportunity to share how they’ve been sick.
“Put your hand on your nose if you’ve been to the doctor’s office when you were sick.”

(memory)

When we feel sick with fevers or when our ears hurt or throwing up, these are called

symptoms. When we tell doctors how our bodies feel, it helps them know how to help us feel

better. Doctor’s also use special tools to look at and listen to our bodies. Here is my doctor’s

bag. It has many important medical tools. Let’s see if you know what any of these are. Proceed

to pull out each tool and allow students to try and name it. If not, then give the name.

Put students together in 5 groups of 2-3. Give each group one of the items. Instruct them

to practice using the tool on each other. Assist students who are unsure how the tool is used.

After about 2-3 minutes, invite each group to tell and demonstrate to everyone else how their

tool is used. (memory)

Extension: Pull other doctor’s office related items and have children identify the item and its

use: play money, register, clipboard and pen, doctor coat, scrubs, measuring tape. Allow students

to use items during Plan-Do-Review and set up a doctor’s office in the dramatic play area.

Simplification: Present one medical tool at a time. Have a student place tool on an outline or

large drawing of the body. Discuss its use. Only do three of the tools.

Evaluation: Written observation during Plan-Do-Review

What Next: If this lesson goes well, the next focus will be how doctor’s office visits are

different and the same as hospital visits.

Evaluation of appropriateness of the category (type) of questions used: The purpose of the

lesson was to identify medical tools and how they’re used to help students understand what to

expect at the doctor’s office. Students will already have had experiences at the doctor’s office

and being sick. Many children fear the doctor’s office because they feel unwell when they go.
Also, the doctor’s office is where most of them will have received immunizations, which can

also be very traumatizing. Learning to identify the names and uses of different medical tools

allows them to practice with them, talk about them, and perhaps alleviate some fears they may

have developed towards the doctor’s office experience. Using narrow, memory questions allow

the subject to be approached at their level based on their experiences. Responses to the first

three questions will help the teacher know if students have any particular fears or interests or

experiences with going to the doctor’s office. Having students demonstrate for their classmates

what a particular medical tool is and how it’s used allows them to share their new vocabulary

and personal experiences with the class.

Other types of questions could be used if time permits or as a way to review throughout

the day or later in the week. Some approaches could be, “What would happen if used an

otoscope to listen to your heart?” (divergent) or “If you had a bad cough, what tool would be

best for the doctor to listen to your cough?” (evaluative)