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Back to School Night: What are your plans?

Laura Massa

With the new school year fast approaching, I am curious how everyone is preparing for Back to School Night. Are you planning something new or are you sticking with tradition? How do you make the evening engaging for parents? Do you include short video clips in your presentation? I am searching for a brief one that encapsulates the essence of Big History. I would love to hear your thoughts.    

  •   , I give parents a small activity to do while they file into the room. It's the same one I give students in the first week of school. It's where you have to connect 9 dots with 4 straight, consecutive lines. With students  I use it to show that the seemingly impossible is possible.

    DOC

    Something happened when uploaded it. All the symbols should be circles.

    As we have just 10 minutes, I stick to the basics: grading, homework, expectations. 

  • in reply to John Vidoli

     I like this activity to fill the silence when parents come into the classroom and nobody knows each other. Do people solve it?

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    Yes, sometimes. It's always nice if a student shows up with their parent. I'll have them show the parents the solution. Spoiler: Here's the answer.

    PDF

  • Too fun!  I teach too many other classes to just have a Big History activity, but here is one I've used before and you can modify it easily.  The idea with this one is that if the parent and the kid disagree on the quiz answers, they can write their own answer in and I'm more than happy to tell them who's better later on.  It's pretty fun to watch the kid and parent argue over what they think they know.   

    Parent Teacher Quiz

  • I thought I might put this up on the board.  We have more of a drop in situation.  This is from the ICSS newsletter about our state social studies convention.  

  • in reply to Bryan Dibble

      I am sure it is fun to see the interaction between parent and child. Like I commented on  's post, these are fun activities while parents wait in a room full of strangers.

    At my school, things are more structured. I have ten minutes to introduce myself and the course, outline the main content and goals for the year, explain where to find homework, how to support their child, and how to contact me.

    I’ve prepared a slideshow with this information and a brief video on Big History. Do you have a similar format, or is your approach more flexible?

    At my school, things are more structured. I have ten minutes to introduce myself and the course, outline the main content and goals for the year, explain where to find homework, how to support their child, and how to contact me.

    I’ve prepared a slideshow with this information and a brief video on Big History. Do you have a similar format, or is your approach more flexible?

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    This is cool  ! I would like to try AI on Canva and come up with a graphic representation on my course. Thank you for the idea!

  • in reply to Laura Massa

    This is really clever  ! I like the idea of an agreed-upon answer or room for disagreement. I bet it's entertaining!

  • This is a great thread,  ! I typically keep it traditional, I provide a course overview and provide my contact info. I also usually link the website incase anyone wants to dig into the course a bit more. 

    I will say, I am inspired by some of these more interactive examples. Looking forward to seeing what other folks do! 

  • Something I did for the first time last year that was a hit is to display the BHP Thresholds next to a large chart paper. I have felt tip pens and post-it notes out with the direction to draw a piece of post-it art to add to the chart paper next to the threshold sign. It's an engaging activity for caretakers, guardians, parents, and students, who also attend. Here are a couple of images!