Put It in Order: Ordering Food at a Counter
Eight steps for ordering food at a counter restaurant, shuffled for the student to sequence and role-play.
Tap two cards to swap them
How to run it
Have the student put the steps in order, then turn the board into a role-play with you as the cashier. Ask the follow-up questions a real cashier asks: what size, anything to drink, for here or to go. The student can glance at the ordered steps as a script the first time and work without them later.
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 ordering food at a counter: read the menu while you wait, decide what you want, step up when it is your turn, tell the cashier your order, answer any questions, pay for your meal, wait for your number, and pick up your food. Ordering is one of the most common community conversations a teenager has, and it moves quickly, so knowing the sequence ahead of time frees up attention for the talking.
What to listen for
Notice whether the student decides what they want before reaching the counter or plans to decide once there. Listen in the role-play for whether they answer the follow-up questions or freeze, and whether they wait and listen for their number. These are the steps where real orders tend to break down.
Carrying it home
On the next family meal out at a counter restaurant, let the student order for themselves and, if they are comfortable, for one other person. Talk through the menu while you wait. Afterwards, ask what the cashier asked and how they answered. Keep it low pressure; one real order is worth many rehearsals.
What's in this activity
- Read the menu while you wait
- Decide what you want
- Step up when it is your turn
- Tell the cashier your order
- Answer any questions
- Pay for your meal
- Wait for your number
- Pick up your food
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 6 through 12 working on community transition skills, sequencing and functional conversation.
- Can my student use a written or typed order?
- Yes. Writing or typing the order ahead of time and showing it is a fully valid way to order, and the sequence of steps stays the same.
- 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.