A doctor at a hospital in the UK is using a new robot to help people lose weight faster. The robot is called “da Vinci Xi” and it’s being used for the first time at this hospital. The doctor says using the robot is like flying a plane because you need to use your hands, eyes, and feet. They hope the robot will make surgeries quicker because there have been fewer surgeries since the pandemic started.

The health service in the UK says they did not do as many weight loss surgeries last year because of the sickness that was going around. The hospital with the new robot wants to do surgeries faster and make people wait less time. The doctor says it takes time to learn how to use the robot, but it could make surgery better.

The robot, da Vinci Xi, is very smart and helps doctors do surgery without making big cuts. This means people hurt less, don’t have big scars, and get better quicker. The hospital wants to use this robot to take care of people who need to lose weight and to do more surgeries that they couldn’t do during the sickness.

Original news source: Luton and Dunstable Hospital surgeon uses new robot (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Read the article aloud to the students or provide them with a written copy.
2. Ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words.
3. Encourage them to include key details and important information.
4. Give them a few minutes to write their summaries.
5. Have the students share their summaries with a partner or small group.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a blank sheet of paper and some markers or colored pencils.
3. Instruct one student in each pair to describe a scene or image from the article to their partner.
4. The other student should listen carefully and try to sketch what they hear.
5. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles.
6. Encourage the students to compare their sketches and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions:
1. Write a keyword or key phrase from the article on the board, leaving out some of the letters.
2. Explain the rules of Hangman to the students if necessary.
3. Have the students take turns guessing letters to fill in the missing spaces.
4. If a student guesses a correct letter, write it in the appropriate space. If they guess a wrong letter, start drawing the hangman.
5. Continue the game until the word or phrase is guessed correctly or the hangman is completed.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group the task of discussing the pros and cons of using a robot like da Vinci Xi for weight loss surgeries.
3. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm their ideas and make a list.
4. Have each group present their lists to the class, allowing for discussion and debate.
5. Encourage the students to consider various perspectives and viewpoints.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a timer (e.g., one minute) and a set of discussion questions related to the article.
3. Instruct the students to take turns summarizing their thoughts or opinions on each question within the given time limit.
4. After the timer goes off, have the pairs switch roles and repeat the process with a different set of questions.
5. Encourage the students to be concise and focused in their responses.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the robot that the doctor is using at the hospital in the UK?
2. Why does the doctor compare using the robot to flying a plane?
3. Why did the hospital do fewer weight loss surgeries last year?
4. What does the hospital hope the robot will do for surgeries?
5. How does the robot help doctors do surgery?
6. What are some benefits of using the robot for surgery?
7. Who does the hospital want to use the robot to help?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A doctor at a (1)______ in the UK is using a new (2)______ to help people lose weight faster. The robot is called “da Vinci Xi” and it’s being used for the first time at this hospital. The doctor says using the robot is like (3)______ a plane because you need to use your hands, eyes, and feet. They hope the robot will make (4)______ quicker because there have been fewer surgeries since the pandemic started.

The health (5)______ in the UK says they did not do as many weight (6)______ surgeries last year because of the sickness that was going around. The hospital with the new robot wants to do surgeries faster and (7)______ people wait less time. The doctor says it takes time to learn how to use the robot, but it could make surgery (8)______.

The robot, da Vinci Xi, is very (9)______ and helps doctors do surgery without making big (10)______. This means people hurt less, don’t have big (11)______, and get better quicker. The hospital wants to use this robot to take care of people who need to (12)______ weight and to do more surgeries that they couldn’t do during the sickness.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a robot?
2. How would you feel if a robot helped you lose weight faster?
3. Do you think using a robot for surgery is a good idea? Why or why not?
4. How do you think the robot, da Vinci Xi, helps doctors do surgery without making big cuts?
5. Do you like the idea of having surgery without big scars? Why or why not?
6. What do you think about the hospital using the robot to take care of people who need to lose weight?
7. How do you think the robot could make surgery better?
8. Have you ever had surgery? How was your experience?
9. How do you think the robot, da Vinci Xi, is different from other robots?
10. How do you think the robot helps make surgeries quicker?
11. What do you think about the hospital wanting to do surgeries faster and make people wait less time?
12. Do you think using robots in hospitals is the future of medicine? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. doctor
2. robot
3. surgeries
4. weight
5. hospital
6. pandemic
7. learn
8. cuts

Meanings:
(a) A machine that can do tasks without a person controlling it
(b) A time when many people are sick with the same illness
(c) A person who helps people get better when they are sick or hurt
(d) To gain knowledge or skills about something
(e) Medical procedures to fix or treat a problem in the body
(f) How heavy something is
(g) A place where sick or hurt people go to get help
(h) Small openings made in the body during surgery
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the robot being used at the hospital?
(a) Robo Surgeon
(b) Weight Loss Bot
(c) Surgical Helper
(d) da Vinci Xi

2. How does the doctor compare using the robot to?
(a) Driving a car
(b) Flying a plane
(c) Riding a bike
(d) Playing a video game

3. Why does the hospital want to use the robot for surgeries?
(a) To make surgeries more expensive
(b) To make surgeries quicker
(c) To make surgeries more difficult
(d) To make surgeries longer

4. Why did the hospital do fewer weight loss surgeries last year?
(a) Because of a shortage of doctors
(b) Because of a lack of equipment
(c) Because of a decrease in patients
(d) Because of the sickness going around

5. How does the robot help people during surgery?
(a) It helps doctors make bigger cuts
(b) It helps doctors make faster cuts
(c) It helps doctors make smaller cuts
(d) It helps doctors make more cuts

6. What are the benefits of using the robot during surgery?
(a) People hurt less, have smaller scars, and recover faster
(b) People hurt more, have bigger scars, and recover slower
(c) People hurt less, have bigger scars, and recover slower
(d) People hurt more, have smaller scars, and recover faster

7. What kind of surgeries does the hospital want to use the robot for?
(a) Surgeries for people who need to lose weight
(b) Surgeries for people who need to gain weight
(c) Surgeries for people who have broken bones
(d) Surgeries for people who have the flu

8. What is one advantage of using the robot for surgeries?
(a) It can only be used by experienced doctors
(b) It can only be used for weight loss surgeries
(c) It can do surgeries that couldn’t be done before
(d) It can only be used in the UK

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The number of weight loss surgeries in the UK decreased last year due to the sickness that was going around.
2. A doctor in the UK is using an old robot to help people gain weight faster.
3. The doctor compares using the robot to flying a plane because it involves using hands, eyes, and feet.
4. The da Vinci Xi robot allows doctors to perform surgery by making large cuts, resulting in more pain, larger scars, and slower recovery.
5. The hospital hopes to use the robot to hinder weight loss and perform surgeries that were delayed during the sickness.
6. The robot is called “da Vinci Xi” and it’s being used for the first time at this hospital.
7. The hospital with the old robot wants to make surgeries slower and increase waiting times for patients.
8. It takes time for doctors to learn how to use the robot, but it has the potential to improve surgeries.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is the name of the robot that the doctor is using to help people lose weight faster?
2. Why does the doctor compare using the robot to flying a plane?
3. Why were there fewer weight loss surgeries last year in the UK?
4. How does the robot, da Vinci Xi, help doctors during surgery?
5. What is the hospital hoping to achieve by using the robot?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the robot that the doctor is using at the hospital in the UK?
The robot is called “da Vinci Xi”.

2. Why does the doctor compare using the robot to flying a plane?
The doctor compares using the robot to flying a plane because you need to use your hands, eyes, and feet to control it.

3. Why did the hospital do fewer weight loss surgeries last year?
The hospital did fewer weight loss surgeries last year because there was a sickness going around, and they wanted to keep people safe.

4. What does the hospital hope the robot will do for surgeries?
The hospital hopes the robot will make surgeries quicker and help people wait less time.

5. How does the robot help doctors do surgery?
The robot helps doctors do surgery by allowing them to make smaller cuts, which means less pain, smaller scars, and faster recovery.

6. What are some benefits of using the robot for surgery?
Some benefits of using the robot for surgery are less pain, smaller scars, and faster recovery for the patients.

7. Who does the hospital want to use the robot to help?
The hospital wants to use the robot to help people who need to lose weight and to do more surgeries that they couldn’t do during the sickness.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hospital
(2) robot
(3) flying
(4) surgeries
(5) service
(6) loss
(7) make
(8) better
(9) smart
(10) cuts
(11) scars
(12) lose
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. doctor
Answer: (c) A person who helps people get better when they are sick or hurt

2. robot
Answer: (a) A machine that can do tasks without a person controlling it

3. surgeries
Answer: (e) Medical procedures to fix or treat a problem in the body

4. weight
Answer: (f) How heavy something is

5. hospital
Answer: (g) A place where sick or hurt people go to get help

6. pandemic
Answer: (b) A time when many people are sick with the same illness

7. learn
Answer: (d) To gain knowledge or skills about something

8. cuts
Answer: (h) Small openings made in the body during surgery
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the robot being used at the hospital?
Answer: (d) da Vinci Xi

2. How does the doctor compare using the robot to?
Answer: (b) Flying a plane

3. Why does the hospital want to use the robot for surgeries?
Answer: (b) To make surgeries quicker

4. Why did the hospital do fewer weight loss surgeries last year?
Answer: (d) Because of the sickness going around

5. How does the robot help people during surgery?
Answer: (c) It helps doctors make smaller cuts

6. What are the benefits of using the robot during surgery?
Answer: (a) People hurt less, have smaller scars, and recover faster

7. What kind of surgeries does the hospital want to use the robot for?
Answer: (a) Surgeries for people who need to lose weight

8. What is one advantage of using the robot for surgeries?
Answer: (c) It can do surgeries that couldn’t be done before
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The number of weight loss surgeries in the UK decreased last year due to the sickness that was going around. (Answer: True)
2. A doctor in the UK is using an old robot to help people gain weight faster. (Answer: False)
3. The doctor compares using the robot to flying a plane because it involves using hands, eyes, and feet. (Answer: True)
4. The da Vinci Xi robot allows doctors to perform surgery by making large cuts, resulting in more pain, larger scars, and slower recovery. (Answer: False)
5. The hospital hopes to use the robot to hinder weight loss and perform surgeries that were delayed during the sickness. (Answer: False)
6. The robot is called “da Vinci Xi” and it’s being used for the first time at this hospital. (Answer: True)
7. The hospital with the old robot wants to make surgeries slower and increase waiting times for patients. (Answer: False)
8. It takes time for doctors to learn how to use the robot, but it has the potential to improve surgeries. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧