Put It in Order: Sending an Email to a Teacher
Eight steps for writing and sending a clear email to a teacher, shuffled for the student to put in order.
Tap two cards to swap them
How to run it
Order the steps together, then write a real email using them. Pick a genuine question the student has for a teacher, or a practice one. Talk about what makes a subject line useful and why the question should come early. Reading it over before pressing send is the step worth practising aloud.
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 emailing a teacher: open a new email, type the teacher's address, write a short subject line, start with a greeting, ask your question clearly, thank them and sign off, read it over for mistakes, and press send. Email is how many secondary students are expected to ask for help or clarification, and a clear structure makes that request easier to write and easier for the teacher to answer.
What to listen for
Notice whether the student places the greeting and sign-off around the message or sees them as optional extras. Read it over is often placed after press send, which is worth discussing. When they draft, look at whether the question is stated plainly in the first lines or buried.
Carrying it home
When your teen has a real question for a teacher, sit with them while they write the email using these steps, but let them type. Ask them to read it aloud before sending. Over time, step back to just checking the subject line and the question. Keep a saved draft they can reuse as a template.
What's in this activity
- Open a new email
- Type the teacher's address
- Write a short subject line
- Start with a greeting
- Ask your question clearly
- Thank them and sign off
- Read it over for mistakes
- Press send
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Students in grades 6 through 12 learning to communicate with teachers in writing, including students working on self-advocacy and executive function.
- Does this teach a formal email style?
- It teaches a clear, polite structure. Each school has its own expectations, so adjust the greeting and sign-off to match them.
- 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.