Class: Senior Secondary School 1 (SS1, SS 1, SSS1, SSS 1)
Term: 3rd Term
Week: 2
Age: 15 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Office Practice
Curriculum Theme: Office Practice
Previous Lesson: The Reception.
Topic: Documents Handled by the Receptionist
Subject Matter: visitors book and register, visitors slip and form, telephone message pad, business cards, telephone directory, steps in answering telephone calls.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain:

define reception documents and state their uses.
identify documents handled by a receptionist.
state the uses of visitors register, visitors form, telephone message pad, business cards, and telephone directory.
list the steps in answering telephone calls in an office.

Affective Domain:

show polite behaviour when receiving visitors and answering calls.
value neat record keeping and confidentiality in handling office documents.

Psychomotor Domain:

complete entries in a visitors register correctly.
fill a visitors form and write a clear telephone message using a message pad.

work in pairs to practise visitor reception and message taking.
communicate clearly and respectfully during role play activities.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
State Unified Scheme of Work
Office Practice for Senior Secondary Schools Textbook
National Careers Service: Receptionist
SkillsYouNeed: Telephone Skills
Encyclopaedia Britannica: Office

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

sample visitors book/visitors register sheets
sample visitors slip and visitors form
telephone message pad sheets and sample message slips
sample business cards (real or printed)
telephone directory (printed sample pages or a mock directory)
chart showing steps in answering telephone calls

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils understand the documents used at the front desk and how they support order and security in an office. It also builds good communication and record keeping skills needed for school and workplace situations.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have basic knowledge of the receptionist and the reception area and can identify common office activities such as receiving visitors and handling calls.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Documents Handled by the Receptionist

Visitors Book/Visitors Register

A visitors book or visitors register is a record used to capture details of people who visit an organization.

The following are details commonly recorded in a visitors register:

visitor’s name
address/organization
purpose of visit
name of staff to see
time in and time out
signature of visitor

Visitors Slip and Visitors Form

A visitors slip is a small slip issued to a visitor, while a visitors form is a form completed by the visitor or receptionist to provide visitor information.

The following are uses of visitors slip and visitors form:

identifies the visitor within the premises
helps the receptionist confirm the person to see
supports security and access control
provides record for follow-up when needed

Telephone Message Pad

A telephone message pad is a set of message sheets used to write details of calls when the person needed is not available.

The following are items written on a telephone message pad:

date and time of call
caller’s name and contact number
person the caller wants to speak with
message content (short and clear)
action required (call back, appointment, urgent)
name/signature of the person taking the message

Business Cards

A business card is a small printed card that contains contact details of a person or organization.

The following are common details on a business card:

name
job title/position
organization name
telephone number
email address
office address

Telephone Directory

A telephone directory is a list of names and telephone numbers arranged in an order that makes it easy to find contacts.

The following are uses of a telephone directory at the reception:

helps locate contact numbers quickly
supports correct routing of calls
reduces time spent searching for numbers
helps confirm names and extensions in an organization

Steps in Answering Telephone Calls

The following are steps in answering telephone calls in an office:

answer promptly after a few rings.
greet the caller politely and mention the organization name.
introduce yourself (name/position) where required.
listen carefully and identify the caller’s request.
ask for clarification when necessary and write key details.
transfer the call to the right person/department if available.
if the person is unavailable, take a clear message on a message pad.
repeat important details to confirm accuracy.
end the call politely and record any follow-up action.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Lecture, Demonstration, Role Play, Question and Answer, Visual Aids

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Set Induction
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays sample reception documents and asks pupils to name any they recognize, then introduces the lesson topic.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the documents and share where they have seen them used.
Learning Point: Reception documents help record visits and manage communication.

Step 2: Visitors Book/Visitors Register

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the visitors register and guides pupils to list the common entries, using a sample register sheet.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy notes and practise writing a sample visitor entry.
Learning Point: A visitors register records visitor details for order and security.

Step 3: Visitors Slip and Visitors Form

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows a visitors form and visitors slip, explains their uses, and demonstrates how to fill the form correctly.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils fill a sample visitors form in pairs and submit for quick checking.
Learning Point: Visitors slips/forms support identification, access control, and record keeping.

Step 4: Telephone Message Pad

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Demonstration
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains message pads and demonstrates how to take a message using a sample call scenario.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils complete a message slip from a short dictated call message.
Learning Point: A message pad helps capture clear and correct call information for follow-up.

Step 5: Business Cards and Telephone Directory

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Explanation
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains business cards and telephone directories, then guides pupils to list common details and uses using samples.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify items found on business cards and locate sample numbers from a mock directory.
Learning Point: Business cards and directories support quick contact and correct communication.

Step 6: Steps in Answering Telephone Calls

Time: 6 minutes
Teaching Skill: Guided Practice
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher lists the steps in answering calls and organizes short role play for handling calls, transferring calls, and taking messages.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils role play caller and receptionist and practise the steps and message taking.
Learning Point: Proper telephone handling improves office communication and reduces errors.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

Define visitors register and state three details recorded in it.
Mention three uses of visitors slip and visitors form.
List four items written on a telephone message pad.
State five steps in answering telephone calls in an office.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 5 minutes
Teaching Skill: Recap/Summarization
Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarizes the documents and their uses and gives an assignment: prepare one sample filled visitors form and one completed telephone message slip for an office scenario.
Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the summary and assignment.
Learning Point: Reception documents and good telephone handling support effective office operations.

Lesson Keywords

Visitors register – a record used to capture visitors’ details in an organization.
Visitors form – a form used to obtain visitor information for entry and access control.
Visitors slip – a slip issued to identify a visitor within an office premises.
Telephone message pad – sheets used to write call details when the receiver is unavailable.
Business card – a card containing contact details of a person or organization.
Telephone directory – a list of names and telephone numbers used for quick contact search.

Differentiation

Pupils who learn faster will design a simple reception document set (visitor register page, visitor form, message pad) for a school office, while pupils who need support will complete guided templates with prompts for each required field.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Use real or well-prepared samples to make the lesson practical, and insist on neat handwriting and correct details when pupils fill forms. During telephone role play, emphasize politeness, clarity, confidentiality, and accuracy in recording messages.