5.6 Session Plans

Part of program design is knowing what you are doing, where you are doing it, with who you are doing it with, and what you need material and equipment-wise to do it! Having a written plan on hand for your session, lesson or workshop will help you stay organized, keep your session tracking on time, and ensure you haven’t skipped or missed anything. A good session plan should answer the 5 W’s:

• Who is participating? Instructing?
• What is the session called? What is the topic?
• When is the session being held (date)? What time?
• Where is the session being held? Exact location?
• Why is the session being held? (ie, It’s the second in a series of 8 lessons, it’s a team debrief, it’s a special event, it’s a Round Robin)

In addition to answering the “5 W’s”, a good session plan should also include an additional “What” that lists the supplies and equipment (materials) needed to run the session and the quantities needed of each item (See STEP 6: Supplies, Equipment and Swag). For a straightforward lesson, session or workshop, a simple session plan will do. For a more complex recreational session or for a special event with lots of moving parts involving multiple people, it is recommended that a full Walkthrough checklist be completed and written up (See STEP 10: The Walkthrough). The idea is to avoid winging it. A poorly designed recreational program or event is bound to fall apart, appear haphazard, or fail entirely. The better the program is designed, and the more details are included in the session or event plan, the easier and less stressful it will be to execute.

Sample Session Plans