Put It in Order: Catching the Bus with a Schedule
Eight steps for using a bus schedule and riding to a stop, dealt out of order for the student to sequence.
Tap two cards to swap them
How to run it
Read the steps aloud and make sure terms like route number, fare and signal are understood. After the student orders the board, pull up a real local bus schedule and walk through the first two steps with it. Ask what they would do if the bus number did not match, which turns the sequence into problem solving.
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 catching a city bus: look up your stop on the schedule, check when the bus leaves, get to the stop early, check the number on the bus, pay or tap your pass, watch for your stop, press the stop signal, and get off at your stop. It is aimed at students building travel independence, where the order of steps is also the order of decisions.
What to listen for
Watch for whether the student puts reading the schedule first or jumps straight to the bus stop. Pressing the signal is often placed after getting off, which shows the student has not ridden often enough to picture it. In the retell, listen for time words such as before, when and after.
Carrying it home
Ride a short route together with the student in charge: they read the schedule, choose the departure, watch for the stop and press the signal. You stay quiet unless they ask. Next time, try a route they have not taken. Talking through each step out loud on the ride builds the habit.
What's in this activity
- Look up your stop
- Check when the bus leaves
- Get to the stop early
- Check the number on the bus
- Pay or tap your pass
- Watch for your stop
- Press the stop signal
- Get off at your stop
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 6 through 12 working on travel training, transition goals and functional sequencing.
- Our town has no buses. Is it still useful?
- The schedule reading and sequence words still apply. You can edit the steps in the Activity Studio for a train, a shuttle or a school bus instead.
- 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.