Match the Tool to the Job
Match eight everyday tools to the job each one does, from a hammer and nails to a thermometer and temperature.
Words
Match
How to run it
Read each job description aloud. After a match, ask the student to say the whole idea: a whisk mixes eggs quickly. If they match by eliminating familiar tools, cover half the board and work on four pairs at a time. Pair hammer with nails only after you have said both words aloud so the description is not the only clue.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintGive a clue about the word's category, what it does, or where you find it.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ModelGive the answer in a sentence; the student says it back and uses it once more.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer items and start with the ones the student already knows.
Ask for the word in a sentence of the student's own, or a second example from the same group.
Matching IEP goal
Given vocabulary cards, Student will name, sort or define target words in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight tools matched to a short job description: the hammer pounds nails into wood, scissors cut paper or fabric, the thermometer measures how hot or cold something is, the rake gathers leaves, the stethoscope lets a doctor hear your heartbeat, the whisk mixes eggs or batter, the flashlight makes light where it is dark, and the measuring cup shows how much liquid to pour. It builds functional vocabulary by linking an object name to what happens when someone uses it.
What to listen for
Notice confusions between tools that appear in the same room: whisk and measuring cup both live in the kitchen. Listen for whether the student can explain the job without reading the card verbatim. Stethoscope and thermometer both measure something about the body, which is a common mix-up worth talking through.
Carrying it home
Hand the child a real tool during chores and name the job: this measuring cup shows how much water we need. Let them guess before you read the description on the board next session. One real object teaches more than repeating all eight pairs.
What's in this activity
- hammer pounds nails into wood
- scissors cuts paper or fabric
- thermometer measures how hot or cold something is
- rake gathers leaves on the ground
- stethoscope lets a doctor hear your heartbeat
- whisk mixes eggs or batter quickly
- flashlight makes light where it is dark
- measuring cup shows how much liquid to pour
Questions
- Who is this for?
- First through fourth grade students building associations between object names and functions, including students with language goals for describing what something is for.
- 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.
- Can nonreaders play?
- Yes. Read the job descriptions aloud. The skill is linking tool and function, not reading the sentences independently.
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.