Lesson 2: Dal Dottore

What kinds of symptoms do people commonly describe when they go to the doctor?

How do patients explain how they feel to a doctor?

What questions might a doctor ask to understand a patient’s problem?

When do people usually decide to see a doctor instead of treating themselves at home?

What typically happens during a doctor’s visit?

What advice might a doctor give to someone who is sick?

What types of treatments might a doctor recommend?

What is the difference between prescription medicine and medicine you can buy without a prescription?

What instructions might a doctor give about taking medicine?

How does the healthcare system in Italy work?

What is the role of the family doctor (medico di base) in Italy?

How do Italians typically access medical care?

How might visiting the doctor in Italy be different from visiting the doctor in the United States?

What cultural attitudes toward health and medical care can we observe?

Why is communication between doctor and patient important?

What similarities and differences exist between Italian and American healthcare experiences?

What challenges might a traveler face when visiting a doctor in another country?

Why is it important to know how to describe symptoms in another language?

Andare dal dottore
curare
Essere allergico/allergica
Essere in forma
Essere fuori forma
Evitare (di)
Farsi male
Guarire
Perdere peso
Mettere peso
piangere
rompersi
all’ospedale
l’aspirina
il chirurgo/ la chirurga
il/ la dentista
il/ la farmacista
la medicina
il medico
il pronto soccorso
la ricetta
il termometro
le malattie
i sintomi
la carie
la depressione
il dolore
l’infezione
l’influenza
l’insonnia
il naso chiuso
la nausea
la diagnosi
grave
leggero/leggera
malato/malata
sano/sana
Essere in buona salute
Avere il raffreddore
Essere incinta
il paziente/ la paziente
la pillola
l’infermiere/ l’infermiera
starnutire
la ferita
fare una puntura
avere la febbre
tossire

Interpersonal Communication (1.1)
Students engage in conversations about health and illness.

Interpretive Communication (1.2)
Students understand spoken or written Italian related to medical situations.

Presentational Communication (1.3)
Students present information about health and wellness.

Relating Cultural Practices to Perspectives (2.1)
Students explore how healthcare and medical visits reflect cultural practices in Italy.

Language Comparisons (4.1)
Students notice differences between English and Italian expressions related to health.

Cultural Comparisons (4.2)
Students compare healthcare systems and doctor visits in Italy and the United States.

Communities (5.1)
Students apply language skills to real-life situations.

DOK 1 Recall vocabulary about body parts, symptoms, and illnesses

DOK 2 Describe symptoms and participate in doctor–patient conversations

DOK 3 Analyze cultural differences in healthcare and give justified advice

DOK 4 Extended research or real-world cultural comparison tasks

Travel and Real-Life Communication:

Students may need to describe symptoms or seek medical help while traveling abroad.

Examples:
Explaining symptoms to a doctor or pharmacist in Italy
Understanding medical advice or prescriptions
Knowing how to ask for help in a medical emergency

Real-world application:Students practice doctor–patient role plays simulating situations a traveler might encounter.

Understanding Health Care Systems:
Students explore how healthcare works in Italy and compare it with the system in United States.

Examples:
The role of the family doctor (medico di base)
How national healthcare services operate
Access to pharmacies and medical care
Real-world connection: Students gain awareness of different healthcare models and cultural attitudes toward healthcare.

Role of the Pharmacy in Italian Culture:
In Italy, pharmacies often serve as a first point of medical assistance.
Examples:
Pharmacists can recommend treatments for minor illnesses
Many people consult a pharmacist before seeing a doctor
Real-world relevance: Travelers frequently rely on pharmacies for advice, medications, and health products.

Cultural Attitudes Toward Health and Wellness:
Students explore how cultural perspectives influence health practices.
Examples:
Preventative care and wellness habits
Trust in medical professionals
Differences in when people choose to visit a doctor
Connection: Students reflect on how health beliefs may vary between Italy and United States.

Health Literacy and Personal Responsibility:
Learning health vocabulary helps students develop practical communication skills related to personal well-being.
Examples:
Talking about physical symptoms
Understanding medical instructions
Discussing healthy habits
Real-world impact: Students gain language that supports self-advocacy and health awareness.

Visiting a doctor in Italy is exactly like visiting a doctor in the U.S.

Students may assume procedures, scheduling, and prescriptions are identical.

Discuss the role of the medico di base, waiting for appointments, and pharmacy practices.

Highlight cultural differences in how patients describe symptoms and in doctor–patient interactions.

A pharmacist is not only for filling prescriptions; in Italy, pharmacists often give medical advice for minor issues.

Often Italians visit a pharmacy instead of a doctor.

Students may overgeneralize Italian healthcare practices;
Assuming every region of Italy follows the same rules.

Use picture-based flashcards for body parts and symptoms.

Model simple doctor–patient dialogues.

Provide sentence starters: “Ho…” / “Mi fa male…”

Include short reading passages from Italian health websites.

Visual learners: Use body diagrams, symptom charts, icons for medicine types.

Auditory learners: Play recorded doctor–patient dialogues or ask students to practice listening comprehension exercises.

Kinesthetic learners: Role-play patient and doctor, using gestures for symptoms and acting out instructions.

Scaffolding / Supports:

Sentence frames: “Mi fa male…”, “Ho…” / “Dovrei…?”

Chunked dialogues: break doctor–patient conversations into manageable parts.

Visual cue cards for treatments, medications, and health vocabulary.

For Extension / Challenge:

Students research how Italian healthcare differs by region.

Create travel health guides for tourists in Italy.

vistaprint online text resource

vistaprint online text resource