Open lesson for parents - Yikes!

[laugh2]

In a little over a month, I have to have a lesson to which the students' parents are invited. This is for three different groups: Starter children (aged 6, 7, 8 ,9), a Starter 2 class (aged 9 to 11) and a Starter 3 class (ages 9 to 11) -- or are these two latter groups considered Beginners? -- for a total of four and a half hours of "show time."

I have been told to do a play and games and given precious little else in direction or assistance. Please help --- ideas, links, threads. I am not in the panic stage....yet.

[maggie123]

I think you'd better give a detail information about which subject you would teach where I stand is that singing and dancing is always good activities for most of classes and students ,especially for starter hope my suggestion can help you ,good luck

[mesmark]

Is it one big show? Or are the parents coming to watch lessons?

[hushui]

I think you can design certain games in your lesson. For esample, guessing game. You give students several questions and they have a competition. Or you may ask them to guess a name of an object according to your description. The losers will sing a song or tell the whole class a joke.

[laugh2]

Thanks for your feedback. It will be three different open lessons, one for each group, hour and a half lessons

[Sally Olsen]

If you can give each child a part, their parents will feel that their time is well spent and their money too if they are paying for the lessons. Go through your lessons and pick out things that the children know well and make it in to some kind of drama or presentation. If they know songs they can act them out, if the know a story they can act that out saying a line each or taking parts and having a few narrators. If they know some games you can have them play. One of the students should learn a little speach to welcome their parents and to say goodbye. I like to give them food but half an hour is pretty short. If you have been doing some written work you could leave a little time at the end for the children to show the parents their portfolio. They could introduce their parents to the other children and show them around the classroom explaining your posters and so on. Take pictures at the end to display in the classroom to show that you welcome parents and to show the childrent that they value learning English. It all depends on what they have learned but you can make it fancy with costumes and scenery and it will seems more impressive. You might want to have a little ceremony with diplomas for the children and special awards for those who have done something special. If you have any class pictures you can display them for the parents and have children tell a little story about what they did and what they learned. This doesn't have to be a huge speech, just what the children can say at their level. If they can go around the room and point out vocabulary items, the parents are usually pleased. Display any English books that you have and use and any materials that you have used or are going to use in the future. If you have a curriculum, you can pass it out for the future so they can reinforce what they have learned at school or you can start a homework book that they can get the parents to sign when they think their children have mastered a lesson.

[laugh2]

Thank you Fairy Godmother, I mean, Sally, for your great ideas. They're really really helpful. It sounds like you've done this before.

I was thinking, in fact, of asking our director if I could limit the length of the "open" part of the lessons. For the younger ones, it's a lot of pressure for them. And I'm actually kind of worried about the whole classroom management thing. The little kids can get pretty wild, and since I know almost none of the native tongue, my classroom can get pretty free-form at times.

Thank you for giving me a good start!

[laugh2]

Thank you everyone!

[Sally Olsen]

For discipline just make sure the kids are sitting with their parents. If the students have desks bring in chairs beside the desks so the parents can sit right beside their children. The parents will usually keep their kids in line when there are other parents there and they are identified with the child. If you don't have desks have the parents sit in a circle with the kids on their laps or in chairs with the kids on their laps or in a chair between them or beside them. Try to get the parents to participate in some way as well although as I said, with half an hour by the time they all get settled and show off their talents it will pass quickly.

[laugh2]

Good idea. Actually, each open lesson will be 90 minutes long. Three different classes, three different 90 minute open lessons.

[Sally Olsen]

I think if I had 90 minutes I would just conduct my lesson as usual but include the parents in anything that I had planned. It will give the students the idea of what you are really trying to do normally as well and may make things easier for you in future lessons. Do you always have them for 90 minutes? Do you do some written activities during that time to keep them that long? Get the parents involved in that as well and then for the last 20 minutes give our diplomas and recognize the work that the students have done over the last semester or how ever long you have had them. You could even give the parents a newsletter about the class' progress and what they have accomplished and will accomplish in the next session. If you have any material that you can give the parents to help them encourage their children this would be a good time to do that.