Poplar 1945-1970Call the Midwife · English

ASSP route · Session 6 of 6Parcours ASSP · Séance 6 sur 6

Supporting an elderly person: “You aren’t allowed to rush her”Accompagner une personne âgée : « On n’a pas le droit de la presser »

Poplar, 1957. A new midwife arrives and discovers the rules of the house and of the district. In Poplar, old people live alone in cold houses and the nurses visit them too. Today, on your first day of placement in a care home or with a home help service, you discover rules, a team and residents.Poplar, 1957. Une nouvelle sage-femme arrive et découvre les règles de la maison et du quartier. À Poplar, des personnes âgées vivent seules dans des maisons froides, et les infirmières leur rendent visite aussi. Aujourd’hui, le premier jour de PFMP en EHPAD ou dans un service d’aide à domicile, vous découvrez des règles, une équipe et des résidents.

Modal focus: be allowed to, not allowed to, can’t: rules of the job

An elderly man in a coat is served a hot lunch at a counter by women in white overalls.
Lunchtime at the British Restaurant in Woolmore Street, Poplar, 1942: 77-year-old Mr T. Hambly is served by one of the dinner ladies.Photo: Ministry of Information Photo Division, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Toned and cropped.

RecapRappel / 4

Answer in your notebook, without looking. Then check and write your mark out of four.Répondez dans le cahier sans regarder. Puis corrigez et notez-vous sur quatre.

  1. Make an offer: you want to stay with the family. 1 pt
  2. Make it less sure: “The doctor knows.” 1 pt
  3. Give three signs of shock and two gestures. 1 pt
  4. Past simple or present perfect? “Thalidomide ______ (be) withdrawn at the end of 1961.” 1 pt
Show the answers
  1. Would you like me to stay?
  2. The doctor may (might) know.
  3. Pale, cold, sweaty, dizzy; lie down, raise the legs, keep warm, reassure, call for help.
  4. was

Entry versionVersion d’entrée Entry · A2

  1. “It might rain” means: a) it will rain b) it is possible that it rains
  2. “Would you like a cup of tea?” is: a) an offer b) an order
Show the answers
  1. b
  2. a

What we need to sayCe que nous avons besoin de dire

Today we want to understand and explain the rules of the job: what we are allowed to do, what we are not allowed to do. We also want to tell what happened when an elderly person fell, so that the team can act.

For permission and rules, English uses be allowed to and not be allowed to. To tell an accident, we need the past simple and the past continuous with when and while.

DocumentsDocuments

Document A · The clip

A new midwife arrives on her first day. Watch and note: what surprises her? Who welcomes her? What rules does she discover?

BBC Jenny Lee starts her new life as a midwife (BBC clip)

Open the extract on YouTubeOuvrir l’extrait sur YouTube

Short public extract, not a full episode.

Document B · Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing (1859)

“It is absolutely essential that a nurse should lay this down as a positive rule to herself, never to speak to any patient who is standing or moving …”Chapter IV, “Noise”

Nightingale explains that many falls happen because someone speaks to a weak patient while he is walking: he turns, he loses his balance.

Document C · Mrs Fenn’s fall (written for this lesson)

It was a cold morning in January 1957. Mrs Fenn, who is eighty-one, was walking to the kitchen with her stick when the neighbour’s dog barked. She turned her head and fell. While she was lying on the floor, the district nurse knocked at the door.

Nurse: Mrs Fenn! Don’t move. I’m here. Where does it hurt?

Mrs Fenn: My wrist. I feel so stupid.

Nurse: You’re not stupid. We aren’t allowed to lift you quickly: first I check. Can you move your legs? … Good. Now, roll on your side, slowly. Put your good hand on this chair. Take your time.

Mrs Fenn: Am I allowed to have my tea now?

Nurse: Yes, of course you are. Sit down first. I’ll look at your wrist, and the doctor can come this afternoon.

Document D · Then and now

  • Today, around one in three people over 65 who live at home have at least one fall a year (NHS).
  • NHS advice after a fall: don’t get up quickly. Check if you are hurt. If you are not hurt, roll onto your hands and knees and use a strong chair to get up. If you are hurt or can’t get up, call for help and keep warm.
  • On placement, a student usually is allowed to observe, help with daily care and ask questions; a student is not allowed to take photos of residents or to give medicines alone.

Understand the documentsComprendre les documents Entry · A2 Core · B1

  1. Clip: what is new for the young midwife on her first day? Give two things.
  2. Nightingale: what must a nurse never do?
  3. Why? Explain in your own words.
  4. Document C: what was Mrs Fenn doing when she fell?
  5. Document C: what made her fall?
  6. Document C: what does the nurse do before helping her up?
  7. Document C: how does the nurse respect Mrs Fenn’s dignity?
  8. Document D: what proportion of people over 65 fall at least once a year?
  9. Document D: name one thing a student is allowed to do and one thing a student isn’t allowed to do.
Show the answers
  1. Answers depend on what you see: the house, the nuns, the district, the poverty, the bicycle, her colleagues.
  2. Speak to a patient who is standing or moving.
  3. The patient may turn, lose balance and fall.
  4. She was walking to the kitchen with her stick.
  5. The dog barked, she turned her head and lost her balance (like Nightingale says).
  6. She tells her not to move, asks where it hurts and checks if she can move her legs.
  7. She tells her she isn’t stupid, lets her take her time, lets her have her tea.
  8. Around one in three.
  9. Allowed: observe, help with daily care, ask questions. Not allowed: take photos of residents, give medicines alone.

Words to say itLes mots pour le dire

The stressed syllable is in capitals.

First aid

a fall
fawl		une chute
to fall (fell, fallen)
fawl		tomber
a wrist
rist		un poignet
a sprain
sprayn		une entorse
a fracture
FRAK-cher		une fracture
to hurt
hurt		faire mal
to keep warmgarder au chaud
to roll on your side
rohl		rouler sur le côté

Accompaniment

an elderly person
EL-der-lee		une personne âgée
a resident
REZ-i-dent		un résident
a care home
KAIR hohm		un EHPAD, une maison de retraite
mobility
moh-BIL-i-tee		la mobilité
a walking stick
WAW-king stik		une canne
a walking frameun déambulateur
a wheelchair
WEEL-chair		un fauteuil roulant
to help someone get upaider quelqu’un à se relever
balance
BAL-ans		l’équilibre
to take your timeprendre son temps
professional secrecy
SEE-kre-see		le secret professionnel
a tutor
TYOO-ter		un tuteur, une tutrice

Vocabulary practiceEntraînement lexical

A. Mobility aids Entry · A2

Match the description and the word.

a walking sticka walking framea wheelchaira handraila chair

  1. It has four legs and you push it when you walk.
  2. You hold it in one hand.
  3. You sit in it and someone pushes it, or you push the wheels.
  4. It is on the wall of the stairs.
  5. After a fall, you use it to get up.
Show the answers
  1. a walking frame
  2. a walking stick
  3. a wheelchair
  4. a handrail
  5. a chair

B. Complete the report of the fall Entry · A2

Use each word once.

fellwristhurtbalancestickwarmtimefloor

  1. Mrs Fenn ______ in the kitchen.
  2. She was walking with her ______.
  3. She lost her ______.
  4. She was lying on the ______.
  5. Her ______ was swollen.
  6. I asked her where it ______.
  7. I kept her ______ with a blanket.
  8. I let her take her ______.
Show the answers
  1. fell
  2. stick
  3. balance
  4. floor
  5. wrist
  6. hurt
  7. warm
  8. time

C. Good or bad practice? Entry · A2

Write G or B and correct the bad ones.

  1. You speak to a resident while she is walking down the stairs.
  2. You lift a person quickly after a fall.
  3. You put the walking frame near the bed.
  4. You talk about a resident with your friends on the bus.
  5. You knock and wait before you go into a room.
  6. You let the resident choose the time of her walk.
Show the answers
  1. B: wait until she stops or sits down.
  2. B: first check if they are hurt.
  3. G
  4. B: professional secrecy.
  5. G
  6. G

D. Body words for first aid Core · B1

Find the part of the body.

  1. It joins the hand and the arm.
  2. It joins the foot and the leg.
  3. It joins the thigh and the body; old people often break it.
  4. It is in the middle of the leg.
  5. It joins the arm and the body.
Show the answers
  1. the wrist
  2. the ankle
  3. the hip
  4. the knee
  5. the shoulder

E. Formal or informal? Core · B1

Match the everyday word and the professional word.

  1. old people
  2. a fall where you broke a bone
  3. the person you look after in a care home
  4. keeping secrets about patients
  5. being able to move
Show the answers
  1. elderly people / older adults
  2. a fracture
  3. a resident
  4. professional secrecy / confidentiality
  5. mobility

Grammar lessonLeçon de grammaire

Grammar point 1 · be allowed to: talking about the rules

Teacher scriptScript de l’enseignante

“On her first day, the new midwife learns the rules. You will too. Mrs Fenn asks: Am I allowed to have my tea? Who gives the permission? The rule, the nurse, the institution. Let’s compare can, be allowed to and mustn’t on the board.”

On the board · copy in your notebookAu tableau · à recopier

Rule
be allowed to = to have the permission (rules, institutions). It works in every tense.
Form
I am / he is / we are (not) allowed to + verb · Am I allowed to…? · I was / we were (not) allowed to + verb · I will be allowed to…
Use
To explain the rules of a care home, a crèche, a hospital; to compare rules then and now.
Examples from the lesson
  • We aren’t allowed to lift you quickly.
  • Am I allowed to have my tea now?
  • Students aren’t allowed to take photos of residents.
Common mistakes
  • I am allow to… → I am allowed to…
  • We don’t allowed to… → We aren’t allowed to…
  • Am I allowed have…? → Am I allowed to have…?
French and English
« Avoir le droit de » = be allowed to. « Il est interdit de » = you aren’t allowed to / it is forbidden to.

Quick check

  1. Students ______ allowed to ask questions.
  2. Negative: He is allowed to smoke.
  3. Past: We ______ allowed to visit in 1957.
Show the answers
  1. are
  2. He isn’t allowed to smoke.
  3. were (weren’t)

Grammar point 2 · Telling an accident: past simple, past continuous, when and while

Teacher scriptScript de l’enseignante

“Mrs Fenn was walking to the kitchen when the dog barked. Two actions: one long, in progress, one short that interrupts it. Let’s draw a long arrow and a little lightning on the board.”

On the board · copy in your notebookAu tableau · à recopier

Rule
Past continuous = the background, an action in progress. Past simple = the short action that happens. when + short action; while + long action.
Form
was / were + verb-ing · past simple (fell, turned, barked) · She was walking when she fell. · While she was lying on the floor, the nurse knocked.
Use
To write an incident report (a fall, an accident) and to tell the team what happened, in order.
Examples from the lesson
  • She was walking to the kitchen when the dog barked.
  • She turned her head and fell.
  • While she was lying on the floor, the nurse knocked at the door.
Common mistakes
  • She was fall. → She fell.
  • When she was falling, she was walking → She was walking when she fell.
  • She walked when the dog was barking (meaning reversed) → She was walking when the dog barked.
French and English
French « imparfait » (elle marchait) ≈ past continuous; « passé simple / passé composé » (elle est tombée) ≈ past simple.

Quick check

  1. She ______ (eat) when she ______ (choke).
  2. While I ______ (help) him, the phone ______ (ring).
  3. Past of fall?
Show the answers
  1. was eating, choked
  2. was helping, rang
  3. fell

Memo cardFiche mémo

be allowed to + verb: you have the permission: Am I allowed to have my tea? Students are allowed to ask questions.

not be allowed to + verb: you don’t have the permission (a rule): We aren’t allowed to lift you quickly. Students aren’t allowed to take photos.

Past: was / were allowed to: In 1957, fathers often weren’t allowed to stay at the birth in hospital.

Compare: can (permission, oral), be allowed to (a rule, any tense), mustn’t (forbidden by the speaker).

Grammar practice: from recognition to your own sentencesEntraînement : de la reconnaissance à la production

1. Recognise the rule Entry · A2

Allowed (A) or not allowed (N)?

  1. Students are allowed to ask questions.
  2. We aren’t allowed to lift you quickly.
  3. Am I allowed to have my tea now?
  4. Residents are allowed to choose their meals.
  5. You aren’t allowed to use your phone in the rooms.
  6. Visitors are allowed to come in the afternoon.
Show the answers
  1. A
  2. N
  3. question
  4. A
  5. N
  6. A

2. am, is or are? Entry · A2

Complete with the right form of be.

  1. I ______ allowed to help with lunch.
  2. She ______ not allowed to walk alone.
  3. Students ______ not allowed to give medicines.
  4. ______ we allowed to take a break?
  5. He ______ allowed to go out with his family.
Show the answers
  1. am
  2. is
  3. are
  4. Are
  5. is

3. Rules of your placement Core · B1

Transform with be allowed to or not be allowed to.

  1. Taking photos of residents: forbidden.
  2. Asking questions to the tutor: OK.
  3. Wearing rings and long nails: forbidden.
  4. Helping at mealtime: OK.
  5. Talking about residents outside: forbidden.
Show the answers
  1. You aren’t allowed to take photos of residents.
  2. You are allowed to ask questions.
  3. You aren’t allowed to wear rings or long nails.
  4. You are allowed to help at mealtime.
  5. You aren’t allowed to talk about residents outside.

4. Then and now Core · B1

Make sentences with was / were allowed to (then) and is / are allowed to (now).

  1. In 1957, fathers / not stay at the birth in hospital. Today, they / stay.
  2. In 1957, visitors / come only one hour a day in many hospitals. Today, they / come more often.
Show the answers
  1. In 1957, fathers often weren’t allowed to stay at the birth in hospital. Today, they are allowed to stay.
  2. In 1957, visitors were often allowed to come only for one hour. Today, they are allowed to come more often.

5. Your own production Core · B1

Write the six most important rules of your placement (or of a placement you imagine) for a new student, with be allowed to and not be allowed to, and one reason each.

  1. Six rules.
Show the answers
  1. Example: You aren’t allowed to take photos, because residents have a right to privacy. You are allowed to ask questions, because you are here to learn…

Figure of speechFigure de style: Paradox and superlative

“Unnecessary noise, then, is the most cruel absence of care which can be inflicted either on sick or well.”Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing, 1859, chapter IV, “Noise”.

An “absence of care” is usually nothing, but Nightingale calls it “the most cruel”: something we do not do becomes a violence. The superlative makes the idea very strong. A barking dog, a voice behind a patient who walks: noise can make someone fall.

Work on the figureTravailler la figure Core · B1

  1. Find the superlative.
  2. Why is “absence of care” surprising after “cruel”?
  3. Link the quotation to Mrs Fenn’s fall.
  4. Write your own paradox about care. Start: “Sometimes, the best help is…”
Show the answers
  1. “the most cruel”
  2. Because an absence seems harmless; she says it hurts, like an action.
  3. A noise (the dog) made her turn and fall: noise is a danger.
  4. Example: Sometimes, the best help is to do nothing: to wait, to let the person do it alone.

ExpressionExpression

WritingÉcrit: An incident report after a fall (care home)

Length: 60 words (core), 120 words (stretch).

StepsÉtapes

  1. Write the date, the time and the place.
  2. Tell what the resident was doing (past continuous) and what happened (past simple).
  3. Write what you did, in order (first, then, finally).
  4. Write the result: injury, how the person feels.
  5. Write one rule or piece of advice to avoid another fall.

Sentence startersDébuts de phrases

  • On … at … o’clock, in…
  • Mrs … was walking … when…
  • First, I… Then, I… Finally, I…
  • She had… / She felt…
  • We should… / Residents aren’t allowed to… alone

SpeakingOral: Role play: first day of placement (in pairs, three minutes)

StepsÉtapes

  1. The student introduces himself or herself to the tutor.
  2. The tutor explains three rules with be allowed to / not allowed to.
  3. The student asks two questions (Am I allowed to…?).
  4. The tutor tells a short story of a fall that happened last week (past continuous, past simple).
  5. The student repeats one rule and says thank you.

Sentence startersDébuts de phrases

  • Hello, I’m…, a student in bac pro ASSP. I’m here for…
  • Here, you are allowed to… You aren’t allowed to…
  • Am I allowed to…?
  • Last week, a resident was … when…
  • So, I mustn’t… Thank you for…

Swap roles, then perform for the class. The listeners note one good modal and one care gesture.Échangez les rôles, puis jouez devant la classe. Ceux qui écoutent notent un bon modal et un geste de soin.

Going furtherPour aller plus loin Going further · B2

For students who want to go on with languages.Pour les élèves qui veulent poursuivre en langues.

Richer wordsLexique enrichi

falls preventionla prévention des chutes
a frail elderly personune personne âgée fragile
to safeguardprotéger (une personne vulnérable)
to report an incidentsignaler un incident
duty of carele devoir de vigilance, l’obligation de soin
confidentialityla confidentialité

Register: She fell over in the kitchen (oral) → The resident sustained a fall in the kitchen at 9.15 a.m. (incident report).

Modals in the pastLes modaux au passé

Modals in the past: should have: The handrail should have been fixed. could have: She could have broken her hip. must have: She must have been frightened. needn’t have: You needn’t have called the ambulance: she wasn’t hurt (but it was not a mistake to check).

PractiseEntraînement

  1. The stairs had no light. Criticise.
  2. The fall was not serious, but it was dangerous.
  3. Deduce how Mrs Fenn felt.
  4. The nurse spoke to her while she was walking. Criticise.
Show the answers
  1. There should have been a light on the stairs.
  2. She could have broken her hip.
  3. She must have been frightened (and ashamed).
  4. The nurse shouldn’t have spoken to her while she was walking.

Translate into EnglishTraduire en anglais

  1. Les stagiaires n’ont pas le droit de prendre des photos.
  2. Elle marchait vers la cuisine quand elle est tombée.
  3. Ne bougez pas, où avez-vous mal ?
  4. Elle aurait pu se casser la hanche.
  5. Le secret professionnel s’applique aussi aux stagiaires.
Show the answers
  1. Students aren’t allowed to take photos.
  2. She was walking to the kitchen when she fell.
  3. Don’t move. Where does it hurt?
  4. She could have broken her hip.
  5. Professional secrecy also applies to students (on placement).

Argued writingÉcrit argumenté

Argued paragraph (180 words): “Safety or independence: should an elderly person be allowed to take risks?” Discuss Mrs Fenn’s choice to live alone, the role of the carer and the rules of a care home. Use be allowed to and two modals in the past.

Plan: introduction (the question and why it matters) · argument 1 with an example · argument 2 with an example · conclusion (your opinion). Linkers: firstly, moreover, however, on the other hand, therefore, to conclude.

On placement (PFMP)En PFMP

Your placement booklet (livret de PFMP) and the rules of the institution tell you what a student is allowed to do. On the first day, ask your tutor: what am I allowed to do alone? Who must I call if a resident falls? Write the answers in your notebook.

Homework

A. Learn the words Entry · A2

Learn the words of mobility and falls.

B. Rules Entry · A2

Complete with am / is / are (not) allowed to.

  1. Students ______ take photos of residents. (no)
  2. I ______ ask questions. (yes)
  3. She ______ walk alone at night. (no)
  4. Residents ______ choose their clothes. (yes)
Show the answers
  1. aren’t allowed to
  2. am allowed to
  3. isn’t allowed to
  4. are allowed to

C. Tell the fall Core · B1

Write the story with when or while.

  1. he / go down the stairs / slip
  2. she / sleep / the alarm / ring
  3. I / help a resident / another resident / call me
Show the answers
  1. He was going down the stairs when he slipped.
  2. She was sleeping when the alarm rang.
  3. While I was helping a resident, another resident called me.
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