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Managing Lessons

Lessons are the individual teaching sessions within a study. Each lesson represents what happens during a single class meeting. This is where you build out the detailed content that volunteers will use when they teach.

Creating a Lesson​

  1. Navigate to the Admin area, expand the program and study, and find the study you want to add a lesson to.
  2. Click Add Lesson.
  3. Enter a Name and other details for the lesson.
  4. Save the lesson.

Understanding the Lesson Structure​

Each lesson is organized into several layers:

  • Venues -- Different versions of the lesson for different age groups or settings. For example, you might have a "Preschool" venue and an "Elementary" venue for the same lesson.
  • Sections -- The segments within a venue, such as "Welcome", "Video", "Bible Story", and "Activity". Sections control the flow of the class time.
  • Roles and Actions -- Within each section, you assign roles (for example, "Lead Teacher" or "Small Group Leader") and give each role specific actions.

Action Types​

There are four types of actions you can assign to a role within a section:

  • Say -- text the volunteer should speak or paraphrase to the class.
  • Do -- a physical activity or instruction to carry out.
  • Note -- background information or a reminder for the volunteer (not read aloud).
  • Play -- a video or audio clip to play during the section.

Adding a Venue​

  1. Open the lesson in the admin view.
  2. Click Add Venue.
  3. Enter a name for the venue (e.g., "Preschool" or "Elementary").
  4. Save. You can now add sections to this venue.

Adding Sections and Actions​

  1. Expand a venue to see its sections.
  2. Click Add Section and give it a name (e.g., "Welcome").
  3. Within the section, click Add Action.
  4. Choose the role, action type (Say, Do, Note, or Play), and enter the content.
  5. Save.

Repeat this process to build out the full lesson flow.

Uploading Lesson-Level Resources​

You can attach downloadable materials directly to a lesson -- for example, an activity sheet or coloring page specific to that week.

  1. Open the lesson in the admin view.
  2. Navigate to the Resources section.
  3. Upload your files.
tip

Build your lesson from the volunteer's perspective. Step through the sections and actions in order and ask yourself whether a first-time volunteer could follow along without any other preparation.