Shift Planning Task Box: Put Job Tasks in Order and Gather Supplies

This planning my shift task box teaches students to gather materials first, put job tasks in a workable order, and use a simple shift checklist before and during work.

Why I made this: A student at a hotel job made many trips to the supply closet in one morning. When we planned his shift on paper, gathering everything first and doing rooms in order, he finished early. He needed practice planning the work, not more practice on how to clean a room.

What's included:

• A 21-page PDF and an editable Word copy

• A teacher page with exact counts and a 2-week plan

• Level A: 12 near-errorless what do you gather cards with pictures, in 16 point type

• Level B: 24 shift-order cards with 3 choices

• Level C: 24 twist cards such as a task that needs another task first, a missing material, or a task that belongs later

• A shift plan mat, a planning rules at work page, and a blank shift checklist

• 3 practice pages, an answer key with twists marked, an executive function data sheet, a 10-session graph, a try-it-for-real page with a 5-item adult check, and blank cards

How to use it: Read the planning rules together. Students work one level at a time with self-check codes and the shift plan mat. Then give a real list of tasks and let the student plan, gather materials, and tick off the checklist while you use the adult check.

Who it's for: High school special education teachers, 18-21 program teachers, job coaches, and paras building job site independence with students ages 14 to 21.

Format: PDF, US Letter, 21 pages, plus an editable Word copy. Level markers use a word plus a shape, so the set works in black and white.

How this is different: Other job skill boxes focus on reading when you work or counting stock in a supply room. This box is about planning the work inside a shift: what to gather, what order makes sense, and what to do when the plan breaks.

Pairs with: Job skills task boxes on reading work schedules, restocking a supply room, and getting started once students can plan the order of their tasks.

Jeremy D. Gooch, 20+ years in education.