Lesson 02 builds on clear messages: turn a set of instructions into a task plan you can follow. Practice with fictional records, get feedback, and save your notes. Free public self-study; no enrollment or AI account required.
ADULT FOUNDATIONS · LESSON 02
Turn instructions into a clear task plan.
Know what to do, what comes first, and what to ask before guessing.
Adults 18+ · About 45 minutes, with flexible pacing · Paper or keyboard · No AI account required
Start here: Step 1Original noncredit self-study resource · Version 1.0 · October 9, 2026. No academic credit, occupational hours, certificate, or enrollment is offered.
Previous: Lesson 01 · Clear appointment messages
Use fictional details only. These exercises do not submit or store your responses in a database or browser storage. Reloading may clear your work; browsers may retain form history. The surrounding website uses its existing services. Downloads and printouts are yours to protect.
01 / START · 5 minutes
A plan someone can follow.
By the end, you can identify the required result, preserve the supplied facts, order the work, and ask one precise question about a missing detail. Writing speed and accent are not assessed. Take breaks, use paper, or dictate your response. Translation and assistive technology may support access.
Next: 2 · Learn02 / LEARN · 8 minutes
Result. Facts. Order. Question.
- Result: name what must be ready and who checks it.
- Facts: copy quantities, times, and limits from the instructions.
- Order: put preparation before review and review before the deadline.
- Question: name what is missing and ask the person responsible. Do not quietly invent it.
Fictional instruction card A
Sam coordinates a workshop at Example Skills Center. Prepare 12 blank folders. Put one approved agenda in each folder. Ask Sam to check one sample before making the other 11. Have the set ready Tuesday by 2:00 p.m. The approved agenda file and its location have not been supplied. Sam can identify the correct file. Do not print attendee names.
Worked task plan
- Ask Sam which approved agenda file to use and where to find it.
- After Sam identifies the file, assemble one blank folder with one copy of that agenda.
- Ask Sam to check the sample before assembling the remaining folders.
- Once the sample is checked and any correction is made, assemble the other 11. Count 12 folders and check that each contains one approved agenda and no attendee names.
- Have the checked set ready Tuesday by 2:00 p.m. If an unresolved question or delay threatens the deadline, tell Sam and ask for direction.
This plan does not invent a file, a review time, or permission to skip the sample check. In real work, verify the full date, time zone when relevant, resources, authority, and local procedure.
Next: 3 · Spot the gap03 / SPOT THE GAP · 5 minutes
Which next step follows the record?
A draft says: “Print the first agenda you find, add attendee names, make all 12 folders, and ask Sam afterward.”
Choose an answer for feedback.
Read the explanation
B is correct. The approved file is unknown, the sample must be checked before the remaining 11, and attendee names are prohibited. A guesses and reverses the review order. C changes both the quantity and required contents. A deadline does not authorize changing instructions.
04 / PRACTICE · 12 minutes
Write your own plan for card A.
Use numbered steps. Include the missing-file question, sample check, quantity, contents, privacy limit, and deadline. Explain what you would do if Sam has not answered in time. You do not need to copy the worked example.
Need a starting frame or optional AI prompt?
“The required result is ___. Before I can begin, I need to ask ___ about ___. First ___. Then ___. Check ___. Ready by ___. If blocked, ___.”
Optional prompt using fictional facts only: “Turn instruction card A into ordered steps. Preserve all facts. Flag missing details separately. Do not invent a file or skip the sample check.” Compare every claim yourself. An AI self-check is not independent verification. No external tool is necessary. Record any meaningful help.
0 of 4 checks marked. A person still reviews the actual plan.
Next: 5 · Try a new task05 / TRY A NEW TASK · 10 minutes
A fresh record. Your decisions.
Fictional instruction card B
Lee asks you to prepare 8 blank practice packs for Example Learning Center. Each pack needs one worksheet and one pencil. Use the worksheet version Lee approves. Lee checks one sample before you make the other 7. Have the packs ready Wednesday by 11:00 a.m. The worksheet version has not been identified, and the pencil supply has not been checked. Lee can confirm the worksheet and direct you if supplies are short. Do not add learner names.
Write an ordered plan and two questions. Try without AI-generated wording or another person supplying the answer. Access supports may remain available when they do not supply your reasoning.
After your attempt: model and explanation
Ask Lee which worksheet version to use and what to do if fewer than eight pencils are available. Confirm the version and count supplies before making a sample. Put one approved worksheet and one pencil in a blank sample pack. Have Lee check it. Make corrections, then prepare the other seven. Count eight complete packs, check that no learner names were added, and have them ready Wednesday by 11:00 a.m. Tell Lee promptly if an unresolved question or shortage threatens the deadline; do not substitute materials or promise a new deadline without direction.
The sample check comes before duplication so a mistake is not repeated. Version and supply questions come early because they can block the task. If you read this model before attempting the task, ask a facilitator for a fresh equivalent record.
06 / SAVE · 5 minutes
Keep your plan and name one habit.
The download contains your entered text, not a grade or certificate. No activity here contacts a customer or supervisor.
Facilitator guide
Assess the new task and explanation, not the checked boxes. Mark each criterion Meets, Revise, or Not observed. All four must meet; an average cannot override a missing criterion.
- Accuracy: eight packs, one approved worksheet and pencil each, Wednesday by 11:00 a.m., no learner names; no invented approval or substitution.
- Sequence: confirm version and supplies, prepare one sample, obtain Lee’s check, correct if needed, make seven more, count and inspect the set.
- Questions and escalation: ask about the worksheet and shortage handling; identify Lee as the decision maker and report a threatened deadline without inventing an extension.
- Explanation and ownership: explain why checking precedes duplication and disclose meaningful help.
Accept written, spoken, dictated, or typed work with recorded access supports. Harmless spelling and accent differences do not change the result. Feedback should identify the fact or step that needs repair: “You counted eight packs correctly. Move Lee’s sample check before making the other seven.”
Fresh reassessment task
Robin at fictional Example Workshop needs six blank kits by Friday at 9:30 a.m., each with one approved instruction sheet and one marker. Robin checks one sample before the other five. The sheet version and marker availability are unknown. Robin supplies direction. No participant names. Apply the same four criteria with these substituted facts, without first supplying the model.
This is developmental practice of one task-planning skill. It has not undergone a learner pilot, independent curriculum review, translation review, or formal accessibility audit. It does not establish general employment readiness. Use an approved private system for any facilitator records; this website is not a learner-record system. Original DTU instructional resource, AF-02 v1.0.