Breaking News English Lesson: Music Therapy
Music can help patients recover from surgery. Doctors played flute music to a patient. Before her operation, doctors gave the patient drugs. The drugs blocked pain signals and relaxed the woman. However, she could still hear music. This means she needed fewer painkilling drugs. She woke up faster after her surgery.
A doctor explained that music wasn't just background music. It helped patients need fewer painkillers. A music therapist said music was important in the operating theatre. She wants patients to "wake up clear-headed, alert… and ideally pain-free" after surgery. She said music helped control pain and reduce stress.
Try the same news story at these levels:
- https://www.cancernursingtoday.com/post/music-therapy-offers-recovery-benefit-after-laparoscopic-crc-radical-resection
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c231dv9zpz3o
- https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251027/Intraoperative-music-therapy-reduces-anesthetic-use-and-physiological-stress.aspx
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
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News
"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools."
The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)
"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and. history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it."
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Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.
Phrase Matching Paragraph 1- Music can
- recover
- Doctors played flute music
- Before her
- doctors gave the patient
- The drugs blocked pain
- she could still hear
- She woke up faster
- after her surgery
- operation
- help patients
- drugs
- from surgery
- music
- signals
- to a patient
- background
- It helped patients need fewer
- a music
- important in the operating
- She wants patients to wake up
- pain-free
- She said music
- reduce
- therapist
- helped control pain
- after surgery
- stress
- theatre
- music
- painkillers
- clear-headed
Music (1) _________________________________________________ recover from surgery. Doctors (2) _________________________________________________ to a patient. Before her operation, (3) _________________________________________________ patient drugs. The drugs blocked pain (4) _________________________________________________ the woman. However, she could (5) _________________________________________________. This means she needed fewer painkilling drugs. She woke (6) _________________________________________________ her surgery.
(7) _________________________________________________ that music wasn't just background music. (8) _________________________________________________ need fewer painkillers. A music (9) _________________________________________________ was important in the operating theatre. (10) _________________________________________________ to "wake up clear-headed, alert. and (11) _________________________________________________" after surgery. She said music helped control (12) _________________________________________________ stress.
Put a slash (/) where the spaces areMusiccanhelppatientsrecoverfromsurgery.Doctorsplayedflutemusic toapatient.Beforeheroperation,doctorsgavethepatientdrugs.Thedr ugsblockedpainsignalsandrelaxedthewoman.However,shecouldstill hearmusic.Thismeanssheneededfewerpainkillingdrugs.Shewokeup fasterafterhersurgery.Adoctorexplainedthatmusicwasn'tjustbackgr oundmusic.Ithelpedpatientsneedfewerpainkillers.Amusictherapists aidmusicwasimportantintheoperatingtheatre.Shewantspatientsto" wakeupclear-headed,alert. andideallypain-free"aftersurgery.Shes aidmusichelpedcontrolpainandreducestress.
Student surveyWrite five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.
(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)
Discussion — Write your own questionsSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
(a) ________________
(b) ________________
(c) ________________
(d) ________________
(e) ________________
(f) ________________
(g) ________________
(h) ________________
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
(i) ________________
(j) ________________
(k) ________________
(l) ________________
(m) ________________
(n) ________________
(o) ________________
(p) ________________
Free writingWrite about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.
Answers(Please check your answers against the article above.
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