1.    Group gets set

Teacher conducts a whole-group discussion touching on the following questions:
What  is insurance? What types of insurance are there? What is health insurance (or medical insurance)? Who has health insurance? How did you get it? What can you do if you don't have it? What does it pay for?

Teacher states the lesson objective: To practice the English you need to fill out an insurance form

2.     Teacher presents the story of Ralph P. Burnett

a. Show visual of Ralph and repeat his full name. Ask learners to guess how old Ralph is, whether or not he is married with a family or not, and what kind of job he has.
b. Teacher introduces new vocabulary, writes the words on the blackboard, and gives simplified definitions of each in English.
c. Teacher repeats the story several times while cueing meaning with the stick-figure drawings. Teacher asks comprehension questions:
Who is the employee? Who is the employer? What benefits does the employee receive? What kind of policy is it? What is the policy number?

3.     Learners read the story of Ralph P. Burnett

a. Teacher hands out copies of the story and learners read the story silently.
b. Teacher reads the story aloud while learners follow silently.
c. On overhead transparency of the story, teacher indicates paragraphs and paragraph numbers. Learners ask questions about vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. Teacher leads a short discussion to clarify meaning. Teacher writes on blackboard, when appropriate.

4.     Brainstorm items for an insurance claim form

Whole group imagines the claim form Ralph needs to fill out. Lemers orally contribute items they think Ralph will need to supply on his claim form. As learners contribute ideas, the teacher writes them on the blackboard, organizing them into categories such as Employee Identification, Employer Information, and Clann Information.

5.     Learners create forms

a. Learners form groups of 3-5 people.
b. Teacher hands out sheets of blank white paper, rulers, and pens with dark ink
c. Using the information on the blackboard and hints given in the story as resources, learners create the form they think Ralph needs to fill out Learners do not fill out their forms.

6.     Learners choose the best form

a. Teacher collects the forms, makes overhead transparencies, and shows each one to the group.
b. Students vote for the claim form they think best represents a real form. Teacher makes a photocopy of the elected form for each learner in the class.

7.     Learners fill out the best claim form for Ralph

a. Working alone or together in pairs learners use the information given in the story to fill out the claim form for Ralph.
b. Teacher fills out the form on the overhead, with assistance from whole group.
c. Learners compare their work with that one the overhead and make needed corrections.

8.     Learners transfer learning to a claim form on a Verification Activity

a. Teacher hands out Verification Activity showing a teacher-made mock official insurance claim form
b. Teacher reads and clarifies directions for the learners.
c. Learners fill out the Verification claim form for Ralph using only the story for reference. All other materials are put away and learners are asked to work alone quietly.

The Story of Ralph P. Burnett

Ralph P. Burnett is a big, middle-aged man. His height is 6'2" and weight is 205 lb. His birth date is March 11, 1964. He is a very good employee. He has worked at Longmont Products Company for many years. His first day at the factory was Feb. 1, 1983. Now Ralph is a supervisor in the 'packing department. His Social Security Number is 529-90-2660.

Ralph's employer, Longmont Products, gives all employees good benefits. The company pays for health insurance. The insurance policy number is GVL-279. The policy covers Ralph and his dependents (spouse: Sandra and children: Tom and Patty). The family doesn't have any other health insurance or Medicaid.

The family lives at 2207 Coffman St. in Longmont. Their house is near Ralph's company at 2244 Martin St. Sandra is a small woman (5'2'e, 105 lb.). She is 30 years old (date of birth: 10-12-68). She stays home now because she doesn't have a job. The children go to school. They are young. Tom was born on June 8, 1988, and Patty was born on January 16, 1992.

Last week, Ralph's daughter had an accident at home. On Tuesday at 4:00 P.M. she fell off of her bicycle and broke her arm. Sandra took her to the Emergency Room at Longmont United Hospital. Dr. Fields treated Patty. Her arm is better now.

Yesterday, Ralph got a bill from the hospital. He wants his insurance company to pay the bill. Ralph needs to fill out a claim form. He needs to send his insurance claim with the hospital bill to the insurance company.