Fix the Mix-Up: When a Listener Looks Confused
Seven moments where a listener did not understand. The student picks a way to repair the message.
You tell Ben the game was fun and he looks confused. What could you say?
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read each moment aloud and ask how the listener knew they were confused: a word like huh, a question, a look. Then let the student choose a repair and say it out loud as if talking to the listener. Role-play the moment again using their repair. Point out that adults repair all the time, and model it during the session.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the situation and wait for the student to respond on their own.Log as correct
- Nonverbal cueUse a look, a gesture or a point to the visual cue card.Log as cued
- Indirect promptAsk 'What could you say now?' or 'What might they be thinking?'Log as cued
- ModelShow what to say or do, then run the moment again so the student can try it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Offer two repairs to choose from, and play the confused listener with a clear huh? signal.
Signal confusion with only a look, and expect the student to notice and repair without a prompt.
Matching IEP goal
Given conversation scenarios, Student will choose or produce a repair (rephrasing, adding detail or asking a clarifying question) when a listener or speaker is confused in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Seven moments where a message did not land: the game was fun with no hint which game, asking for the thing, a long story told too fast, he took it without saying who. The student chooses a way to repair the message, by adding detail, naming the person or thing, slowing down, explaining a word or checking in. Repairing is a normal part of every conversation, not a sign something went wrong.
What to listen for
Notice which repair strategies the student reaches for. Many students repeat the same words louder, which rarely helps. Listen for specific nouns replacing vague words like thing, it and he. Watch for the frown item: asking does that make sense is a gentle check that many students have never been taught.
Carrying it home
At home, when the child says something vague, ask a curious question rather than guessing: which game? Who took it? When you need to repair your own message, say so: let me say that a different way. Hearing repair used without embarrassment teaches that it is an ordinary skill.
What's in this activity
- You tell Ben the game was fun and he looks confused. What could you say?
- I mean the soccer game we played at recess
- Never mind
- You never listen
- You ask Mom for the thing and she says which thing? What could you say?
- The thing!
- The blue water bottle on the counter
- Forget it
- Your friend says huh? after you tell a long story very fast. What could you do?
- Tell it again more slowly
- Tell a different story
- Walk away
- You say he took it and your teacher asks who? What could you say?
- He did
- Max took my red marker
- Nobody
- You explain a video game and your friend has never played it. What could you add?
- What the game is about and how you win
- The names of every level
- Nothing
- Your friend frowns and tilts her head while you talk. What could you ask?
- Does that make sense?
- Why are you making that face?
- Are you mad at me?
- You use a word your friend does not know. What could you do?
- Use a harder word
- Say what the word means
- Stop talking
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 2 through 5 working on conversation repair and clear messages, including students whose listeners often look confused.
- Can I change the items?
- Yes. Open it in the Activity Studio, edit or add items and keep the same board, or switch it to another template that fits the content.
- Is it free?
- Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.