Learn how to use and customize your camp's Daily Agenda as your central operational hub. Reference this guide to understand the agenda structure, see examples of strong planning, and learn best practices for keeping your team aligned throughout camp.
Daily Agenda Structure
Your Daily Agenda is organized into multiple pages. Use the left sidebar to navigate between them.
- Page 1: Overview & Guidelines | Describes the standard camp schedule and key moments of each camp day (Opening Circle, Brain Breaks, Closing Circle, etc.). Includes guidance on customizing the agenda and timing guidelines for technical learning sessions.
- Page 2: Day 1 Camp Setup Checklist | Details all action items that need to be completed before scholars arrive on Day 1.
- Pages 3-12: Day-by-Day Schedules | Each day has its own tab with a detailed schedule where you’ll coordinate as an instructional team for every moment of the day.
- Page 13: End-Of-Camp Checklist | Provides a detailed list of all required end-of-camp tasks.
You’ll find your camp’s Daily Agenda in the Team Folder of your camp’s Google Drive folder.
How to Use Your Daily Agenda
The Daily Agenda outlines the plan for the day and specific IL responsibilities for every moment of the camp day. A thorough Daily Agenda includes an updated schedule, links to key resources, and action items for each session. Follow the steps below to ensure that your Daily Agenda includes all of the details for the teaching team each day!
Step 1: Schedule Adjustments
Update actual timing based on previous day's pacing
Add or remove brain breaks as needed
Note any special events or integrations (Speaker Series, mentor visits, etc.)
Step 2: Resource Links
Update the mainframe slides link
Add links to your customized lesson slides
Link to answer keys and practice solutions
Include any supplemental resources the team needs
Step 3: Team Coordination
The Lead Instructor for each lesson should document team member roles and expectations. At a minimum, the Lead Instructor should:
Specify who's leading each session
Identify specific brain break activities
Detail how IAs should support during practice time, especially breakouts
Assign specific scholars to ILs if needed (for differentiation)
Draft Slack messages to send during the day
Step 4: Complete Daily Reflections
At the end of each day, update the afternoon huddle notes with your reflections based on your review of scholar microfeedback surveys.
Optional Steps
There are a few additional elements that camp teams have found helpful in the past. The Lead Instructor may optionally:
Draft questions to check for scholar understanding along with exemplar responses
Plan for scholar misconceptions and how you will respond
Decide how you and your team will monitor scholar progress and understanding
Add time stamps for the exercises in a lesson to support with pacing
Assign specific ILs to support designated scholars or scholar groups
Plan for incorporating scholar voice
Your Daily Agenda is only as good as the detail you add to it. The more specific you are about team roles, timing, and coordination, the smoother your camp days will run. Treat it as a living document: update it daily, use it to communicate with your team, and adjust as you learn what works for your scholars.
A Visual Walkthrough
Watch the video below for additional guidance on tailoring your agenda to ensure strong collaboration and communication throughout camp.
Time Management Strategies
Running behind schedule is common. Adjusting your agenda is a normal part of effective instruction. Use the guidance below to decide where and how to make time back when your day runs long.
✅ DO
- Trim 5-10 minutes from multiple lessons rather than skipping one entirely
- Focus on foundations: Protect core concepts scholars need for continued learning
- Communicate transparently: Tell scholars what's optional and where to find it
❌ DON’T
- Teach faster by speaking faster (this reduces comprehension!)
- Remove entire lessons (this creates knowledge caps that compound later)
- Show stress or panic (scholars will be able to pick up on this!)
You can also maintain engagement, but streamline interactions by swapping time-intensive instructional activities with quicker alternatives. Below, you’ll find some examples of ways to make some quick swaps for time based on your modality.
💻 Virtual Camps
- Conduct Try-It activities in the Cloud instead of breakout rooms
- Drop answer keys for 1-2 minute silent self-review instead of group discussion
- Minimize transitions between the Cloud and Houses
- Use 1-minute chat drops/blasts instead of a 5-minute share-out
📍 In-Person Camps
- Replace "Think, Pair, Share" (8-10 min) with "Turn and Talk" (3-4 min)
- Use strategic sampling instead of hearing from every group
- Focus on essential examples rather than multiple demonstrations
- Have scholars vote with sticky notes or hand signals instead of full-group discussion
Need help? Don’t hesitate to reach out to
@curriculum-instruction on Slack if you need a thinking partner. Our team is here and would be happy to help! Remember: falling behind isn’t a reflection of your instructional skills. Timing is more of an art than a science!Examples of Strong Daily Planning
Example 1: Well-Coordinated Practice Session
Example 2: Adjusting for Time
Original Plan: Lesson 7 (45 min) + Practice (30 min) + Brain Break (15 min)
Reality: Lesson 7 ran long - now it's 2:30pm and you haven't started practice
Adjust the Daily Agenda Live:
- Skip the Brain Break and add a quick stretch in the Cloud
- Shorten practice to 20 min, focus on mild challenge only
- Encourage scholars to complete spicier challenges after camp
Communicate:
"We're running a bit behind, which shows how engaged you all were in that lesson! 💚 We'll do a quick practice now, and you have the lesson link if you want to keep exploring after hours."
Example 3: Scholar-Specific Support
From Microfeedback: 3 scholars in House B are in Alarm Zone
Next Day Action Items:
- IA 1 (House B): During practice, create breakout room for scholars needing extra support
- IA 2 (House B): Lead differentiated code-along for those 3 scholars
- Instructor A: Check in with House B during practice to see if they need additional time
- Follow up: Send scholars resources for async review + encourage them to attend the After Party
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if we finish a lesson early?
A: Build in extra brain breaks, extend practice time, or start the next lesson early. Update your agenda to reflect actual timing.
Q: Should we follow the agenda exactly?
A: No! The agenda is a guide. Adjust based on your scholars' needs, your team's pacing, and what's working. Just keep your team informed of changes.
Q: What if we disagree on timing as a team?
A: Instructors make the final call, but should listen to IA input. Use afternoon huddles to discuss and align on next day's plan.
Q: Can we add our own activities?
A: Yes! Just make sure core learning objectives are still met. Add brain breaks, integrations, or review sessions as needed.
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