Teaching How-to: Chapter 3.2: Mapping Out Your Lessons

Designing a class, section, or lab with active learning requires careful planning; you need to intentionally build in time not only to present material but also to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and instructions they need for your planned activities. To do this effectively, you’ll want to consider what your students learned earlier in the course as well as the new things you want them to learn by the end of the session. Being aware of where your students start out and where you want them to end up will help you tailor the course sessions to their needs. In this section, we’ll cover the various steps you can take to plan out your lessons: 

Where to Start

Effective class preparation isn’t about how much or how little time you spend preparing, but how wisely you use that time. 

While there’s no simple or best way to prepare for class, the most successful sessions have clear goals in place. What instructors do, and what they aim for in a lesson plan, varies significantly among disciplines, courses, TFs, and class types. That said, the best class sessions are those in which the goals are explicitly communicated to students in order to enhance their understanding of the class’s relevance—a key aspect of demystifying the hidden curriculum. 

Before class, ensure you have a clear sense of the course objectives for that week and how your session contributes to these goals. What does your class session aim to accomplish in the broader context of the course? Review Ch. 3.1, “Preparing for Class: Principles and Frameworks,” for writing your own objectives, and Ch. 4, “Engaging Students in Active Learning,” for ideas of activities to incorporate into your lesson plan.  

A Six-Stage Game Plan for Section

Once you’ve figured out the purpose of a specific session and written down a few actionable objectives, you can move on to planning the session itself. One way you can plan your sessions is by following the six steps below: 

Welcome

Welcome your students into the classroom! This is a great time to practice using names and build rapport; as students come in and settle down in the minutes before class, ask how they’re doing or how things are going outside of class. Using opportunities like this to connect is an important part of community-building. See Ch. 3.3, “Leading a Class Session,” for more about welcoming students into conversation (beyond just saying hello). 

Announcements

Use the first few minutes of class to make announcements about upcoming assignments, assessments, due dates, and other class updates. A reminder at the end of class can also be useful, especially if any students arrived late. It’s also critical to ensure that any information you share is available online, either via the Learning Management System (LMS) or via email.

Review

Start by revisiting the end of the last class. Did you achieve your goals? What did students learn? You might deliver a quick recap, ask students to reflect in writing, or have them collaborate to generate a shared list of key points. See Ch. 1.2, “Student-Centered Learning,”  and Ch. 3.1, “Preparing for Class: Principles and Frameworks,”  for more about this kind of review, and Ch. 4.1, “Metacognition,”  for more about student reflection. 

Reviewing past activities or class content is also an opportunity to solicit questions about recent assignments, quizzes, or tests. If you choose to do this, be aware of how much time you’ve allotted for later parts of the session. Let students know how much time you’ve set aside to discuss this in class, and once you hit the time limit, ask them to talk to you after the session, via email, or in office hours.

Connect and Prepare

Clearly state the objectives for the session and connect them to both the previous class and the broader goals of the course. You can introduce these connections yourself or have students make them through freewriting or small-group discussion. Give students a brief overview of the day’s agenda, highlighting new content and planned activities.

Present the core material for the session, but remember—it doesn’t need to be a full lecture. A concise explanation, quick demonstration, or review of key readings may be all that’s needed to provide context. Real, deep learning rarely occurs when students are passive, so aim to minimize long lectures and use activities to keep students actively engaged. 

In courses where a significant portion of class time is devoted to presenting new material, use this segment to encourage interaction. Break up lectures with brief activities or intersperse questions to encourage discussion and participation. Short, active moments like these help sustain students’ attention and create a more dynamic learning experience. 

Finally, consider what foundational knowledge students need to participate in the next part of the session. Review Bloom’s Taxonomy from Ch. 3.1, “Preparing for Class: Principles and Frameworks,” for ideas about how to structure learning progressively, moving from foundational understanding to higher-order thinking. 

At some point, the focus of learning should shift from you to your students. This doesn’t mean relinquishing control, but rather guiding discussions and activities in a way that empowers students to take the lead. Your role is to steer the session without dominating it, maintaining the balance of offering direction while allowing student autonomy.

The level and type of engagement will depend on the class format. In a discussion-based session, encourage students to lead the conversation about a reading and interact with one another rather than directing responses solely to you. In a problem-solving or recitation session, students might pair up to work through a derivation or solve a problem collaboratively. In a lab, they may divide into groups to take on different components of an experiment, working together to complete tasks and analyze results. Regardless of format, the goal is to create meaningful opportunities for students to participate, collaborate, and apply their learning.

Ensure you allocate enough time to introduce any activities you plan to include, clearly explaining their purpose, providing instructions, and addressing questions. See Ch. 4.2, “Everyday Active Learning,”  for ideas, and review UDL to ensure accessibility for all students. 

After a long discussion or activity, students might lose focus on the overall goals of the session. Pause for a brief summary (either by you or a student) of the key takeaways, then clarify how it all ties into the larger course objectives.

Summarize and Reflect

Reassemble the class and briefly summarize their work. This is an opportunity for reflection and metacognition. What did students learn? What were their key takeaways? Were there any points of confusion? What do you, as the instructor, hope they gained from the activity?

Connect

Bridge the session’s lessons to the broader objectives of the course, students’ lives outside class, and the world beyond Yale. While this may be more straightforward in some disciplines than others, making these connections is important for student learning and retention. For more on this approach, see UDL. You can also integrate this step at the start of class as motivation for the session. 

Give students an idea of what to expect in the next session and how it builds on the day’s material. Distribute any necessary materials, and remind them of upcoming deadlines or assignments. You may also want to point them toward relevant resources—such as office hours (with details on time, location, and discussion topics), review sessions, or academic support programs like the Writing Center, Academic Strategies Program, or tutoring services.

This is also an ideal time to return graded work. Doing so at the end of class allows students to review feedback privately and process it without being distracted during the session. If students have questions and want to discuss their work with you, they can stay after class while thoughts are fresh. If your grading policy requires a 24-hour waiting period before discussing grades, remind them; and if a student is concerned about their performance in class, take a few moments to provide additional context and suggest resources for improvement. 

Your work continues even after class is over. Allocate at least five minutes for tidying up (wiping boards, logging off computers) and another five to ten minutes for student questions. Adding in this buffer time between the end of class and your next activity makes you more approachable and accessible. If there are no questions, use this time to reflect on the session and unwind.

Reflect on what worked well, what was challenging, and what could be improved. These reflections can help you identify questions or problems to bring up in the next teaching team meeting. A simple Start-Stop-Continue exercise can be helpful: identify one thing you want to start doing, one thing to stop doing, and one thing to continue doing based on how the session went. For more on this exercise and self-evaluations, see Ch. 5.3, “Feedback and Evaluations”.

If you’re unable to stay for ten minutes after class, let students know how else to reach you, for example, over email or office hours. Communicating your availability fosters trust and clarifies that you’re leaving for another commitment, not avoiding their questions.

Putting the Six Stages Together 

Each of the six stages requires a different amount of time, and you may find yourself moving back and forth between them, especially when covering multiple topics or tasks. By structuring the class as a narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, you make preparation easier and improve the overall experience for your students. 

After figuring out your plan, the bulk of the time you spend preparing will be directed towards Stages 2 (Present Material) and 3 (Engage Your Students), which form the core of any section meeting. You should think about what you’ll say during Stages 1 (Prepare Students to Learn), 4 (Bring Students Back), and 5 (Preview Next Lesson and End Class).

You can visualize the breakdown of a 50-minute session using the graphic below. This pie chart illustrates how the session might be structured based on the six stages: 

 

Pie chart depicting a 50-minute lesson plan, with 5-10 minutes allotted to each of the six stages

Throughout the Semester: Feedback and Assessment Sessions

Incorporating feedback and assessments throughout the semester is essential for gauging student progress and refining your teaching strategies. See Ch. 5.1, “Assessments”, and Ch. 5.3 “Feedback and Evaluations” for more details on strategies and practices you can incorporate. When these feedback sessions come up, the lesson plan can follow the usual structure, but with some adjustments: 

Feedback

It’s a good idea to regularly collect feedback from students at multiple points throughout the semester, not just during midterms or at the end of the course. This ongoing feedback gives you insights to make adjustments that will proactively benefit students. Collecting feedback doesn’t need to take up a lot of class time; a brief 5-10 minute survey or evaluation in Stage 4 (Bring Students Back), and 5 (Preview Next Lesson) of your lesson plan can be effective. Dedicating class time to feedback also increases response rates (Young et. al., 2018).

Assessments  

Assessments quizzes, tests, presentations) may replace Stages 2 (Present Material) and 3 (Engage Your Students) and possibly Stage 4 (Bring Students Back). However, maintaining routine elements, such as welcoming students at the beginning of class and previewing the next session, helps create a stable classroom environment. If assessment requires additional time, make sure to communicate when, where, and how students can complete them. 

Tips for Preparing for Class 

Laying the Groundwork

Thoughtful preparation is just as important as time spent in the classroom. As you craft your course syllabus or think about how you want to lead your discussion section or lab, below are some steps to help you understand where your students are in the learning process and plan your teaching with intention:

  • Attend lectures (if applicable).
  • Review past, current, and upcoming lecture notes.
  • Complete assigned reading or problem sets.
  • Consider student feedback to address concerns and interests.
  • Attend a teaching team meeting to coordinate lesson plans.
  • Outline the session, estimating time for each part: 
    • What are your session objectives? 
    • What are the questions or issues around which to center activities? 
    • Which activities will be included? 

Putting the Plan into Action

Once you’ve outlined your goals and structure, the next step is translating that plan into materials for you and your students. Here are some steps you might consider as you prepare to teach: 

  • Prepare slides or videos.
  • Create handouts with questions or activity descriptions.
  • Use discussion protocols as reference points for activities.
  • Design homework assignment or discussion prompts.
  • Compile a supplementary bibliography or list of sources, including media.
  • Make supplemental handouts (for example, writing or problem-solving tips, research methods, lab techniques).
  • Create study guides and assessments.
  • Email students with reminders about upcoming due dates, assessments, and resources.
    • Previews of slides or handouts.
    • Questions to consider before class.
    • Links to relevant media.

Conclusion

It’s common for new instructors to over prepare, but lesson planning becomes smoother as you develop routines and templates. However, flexibility is just as crucial—be ready to adjust based on student engagement, questions, or pacing. If you haven’t yet, connect with lead instructors, course directors, or fellow TFs/PTAIs to see if they have lesson plans or handouts you can adapt. See Ch. 2.1, “Getting Ready to Teach,”  for additional preparation strategies.

Finally, be mindful of your time. Yale’s TF Level descriptions and the Local 33 Union contract specify required working hours, including preparation, teaching, grading, and meetings. Set realistic expectations for prep time, balancing effectiveness with workload management. This will become easier to predict as you gain more experience.

Works Cited

Young, K., Joines, J., Standish, T., & Gallagher, V. (2018). Student evaluations of teaching: the impact of faculty procedures on response rates. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(1), 37–49.