One simple idea for parents night is to demo a Three Ring Circus, because you only have usually ten minutes to reach your audience so a story or even PQA is out of the question. I got this from a colleague who feels that Three Rings works with parents:
Last night was middle school curriculum night. We only had a 10 minute slot, so it was very much a sound byte, but I did a micro-mini TPRS demo lesson for the parents! I decided to do it in Haitian Creole because I figured it was likely that nobody knew this language. Anyway, it went really well. I got a couple volunteers up to demo the “3 ring circus.” It was cool. They were all excited and totally engaged! Amazing energy! And total support from the Department Head, who spoke first about how we are transitioning to comprehension based methods, and then she turned the floor over to me to do the demo. I have to tell you that this is HUGE because typically I try to avoid even going to curriculum night. Snore. But this year I offered to do the demo, was excited to go, and was even more excited afterward!
Any other ideas about things that work at Parent’s Night are welcome.