Put It in Order: Calling to Make an Appointment
Eight steps for phoning to book an appointment, from getting your calendar ready to writing the time down.
Tap two cards to swap them
How to run it
Sequence the board, then role-play the call with you as the receptionist. Use a real calendar so the student has to check a time against it. The ordered steps can sit beside the student as a script the first time. Add a twist on the second run, such as offering only times that clash, so they have to ask for another option.
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
- Question promptAsk a story-grammar question: who, where, what was the problem, what happened next?Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two possible next parts of the story and let the student pick and say it.Log as cued
- ModelTell that part yourself; the student tells it back in their own words.Log as cued
Adjust it
Use fewer parts, and keep a first-next-last visual on the table.
Ask for the retell without the pictures, with a feeling or a reason added to each part.
Matching IEP goal
Given a picture or story prompt, Student will put events in order and retell them using first, next, then and last in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than one question prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Eight steps for booking an appointment by phone: get your calendar ready, dial the number, say who you are and why, ask what times are open, pick a time that works, write down the date and time, read it back to check, and say thank you and hang up. Many high school students have rarely made a call like this, and knowing the order lowers the load of a conversation that cannot be paused.
What to listen for
Watch for whether the student prepares before dialling or plans to figure it out mid-call. Reading the date and time back is the step most often skipped, and it is the one that catches mistakes. Listen for a clear opening line with their name and the reason for the call.
Carrying it home
Let your teen make a real call for something low stakes, such as booking a haircut. Help them prepare the calendar and an opening line, then step back. Afterwards, ask them to tell you the appointment details without looking. Texting or online booking are valid too, but practising one phone call builds a useful option.
What's in this activity
- Get your calendar ready
- Dial the number
- Say who you are and why
- Ask what times are open
- Pick a time that works
- Write down the date and time
- Read it back to check
- Say thank you and hang up
Questions
- Who is this for?
- High school students working on transition skills, phone conversations and functional sequencing.
- My student finds phone calls very stressful. Is this the right activity?
- It can help to rehearse the structure, but online or text booking is a fully valid alternative. Let the student choose which skill to build first.
- 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.