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
Sample Session Plan 1
Session Information
Name of Session: Head, Heart, and Hands: The Art of Facilitation, Session II
Date: Saturday, October 12, 20XX
Time: 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
Location: Community Room B, Aspenside Community Centre
Instructor(s): Shelby Smith
Description and number of participants: 24 Youth-Leaders-in-Training – YLIT Program
Supplies and Equipment
Supplies | Equipment |
---|---|
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Session Plan
Time | Activity | Description | Formation/Space | Materials |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:45 P.M. | Instructor Arrives | Session Set-Up | Community Room B | All |
1:00 P.M. | Grabber:
“Wah!” (deinhibitizer game)
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Launch into game
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1 large circle; Shelby starts in circle, steps out when game is underway |
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1:15 P.M. | Review:
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Welcome group back for Session II
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Group seated on floor on back-jacks horseshoe formation
Teach from opening of horseshoe |
Note: Post flipchart pages around room |
1:35 P.M. | Activity:
“Warp Speed” (prop initiative)
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Opportunity for participants to demonstrate listening skills, problem-solving skills, patience | Groups break into 4 circles of 6, away from back-jacks |
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1:50 P.M. | New Material:
Art of Facilitation II
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Instruct group using prepared flip chart papers; Q&A | Group seated on floor, back-jacks in horseshoe formation |
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2:10 P.M. | Bio Break | |||
2:20 P.M. | Activity:
“Nose Jousting” (prop initiative)
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Risk-management awareness, meta-processing skills, importance of appropriate sequencing | Move back-jacks to perimeter of space; group moves through space freely |
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2:40 P.M. | Warm Down:
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Memory takeaway | Back-jacks back into circle formation |
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2:55 P.M. | Closing:
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Land learning from today’s session | Back-jacks in circle formation | None |
3:00 P.M. | Depart | Session tear-down | Space tidied, back-jacks stored | All other equipment & materials leave with Instructor |
Sample Session Plan 2
Session Information
Name of Session: Motion in Canoes: Lesson Plan
Date: Tuesday, July 15th, 20XX
Time: 10:00 A.M. – 11:15 A.M.
Location: Waterfront
Instructor(s): Pete and Sally
Description and number of participants: 8 Campers: Adventurers (Ages 11-12 years)
Equipment:
- 5 canoes
- 11 paddles
- 1 PDF per person
Time | Activity | Formation |
---|---|---|
9:50 A.M. | Prep: Meet group at boathouse, fit campers for paddles and PFDs; grab canoes, head down to beach |
XX xxxxxxxx |
10:00 A.M. | Intro/Grabber: Paddle Song (beach) |
XX x x x x xxxx |
10:05 A.M. | Review: Parts of canoe (beach)
(Canoe is in red, in the middle) |
XX x | | x x | | x x x x x |
10:10 A.M. | New Skill: Strokes
(forward, reverse, pull, push) |
On the water: pinwheel formation |
10:30 A.M. | Activity: Follow the leader | On the water |
10:45 A.M. | Warm-down: Canoe Tag | On the water: extra paddle begins in stern of instructor canoe |
11:00 A.M. | Clean Up: Learning debrief (beach)
Gear and canoes away (boathouse) |
XX x x x x xxxx |
11:15 A.M. | Class Ends |
N/A |
Sample Session Plan 3
Let’s Zumba! (Dance Lesson)
Date: Saturday, June 4th, 20XX |
Time: 10:00–10:30 A.M. |
Lesson Focus: Let’s Zumba! |
Instructor: Daniel B. |
Group Size: 19 students |
Group Age/s: 8-9 years |
Space/Venue: Medium-sized workout room |
Equipment: Console, projector, screen, Wifi to play YouTube Video |
Desired Learning Outcomes:
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Warm Up (10 min):
Students perform each movement ×10:
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Zumba Activity (5 mins):
Watch & dance along with the movements demonstrated in the video:
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Warmdown (10 min)
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