For Teachers

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So you’re a teacher, and you’d like to bring some real live poets into your classroom. Congratulations, we applaud your decision (we’re big on applause). Of course, you’re going to have lots of questions about how WordPlay will fit in your classroom. Below is a list of some things you’ll definitely want to know. There are always more questions than answers, so you can contact us – or skip right to booking some poets. Either way, there’s a handy form right here.

My students are (young / old / poetry haters / teenagers / ESL students / garden gnomes). Will WordPlay still work for them?

The workshops are specifically designed to adapt to the needs of your classroom. Our poets have an enormous variety of styles and experience, and they are experts at getting people interested. We like to find out as much as possible about your class before we come to visit, so that we can make sure to send poets with relevant material.

How much do your workshops cost?

Our workshops cost anywhere from $200-$1000. You obtain a more detailed breakdown by contacting us through our workshop form. Don’t be scared off by the numbers—we like poems a whole lot more than math, and we’ll work hard to get poets into your classroom no matter what.

Don’t youth of today think poetry is boring?

Nope. We’ve done hundreds of workshops. Boring isn’t a word that has applied to any of them.

What will the poets do?

They’ll perform some of their own poems, lead students through writing and performance exercises, provide tools and feedback, and generally be charming. We can’t say in what order this will happen—it varies every time.

How long are the workshops?

Anywhere from twenty minutes to all day. Our standard workshop is approximately ninety minutes, but let us know how long you’d like us to visit, and we’ll create a workshop to fit that time.

How should I prepare my students for the workshop?

You can have kids bring material that they’d like to work on during the workshop. You can share your favourite poems with them. You can have them bring their favourite poems to share with us. All of these things are optional, but awesome.

How can I help the poets during the workshop?

Be ready to participate in the exercises (we write along with the students, and we like it when you do too). Don’t worry if the class gets excited—we’re used to it.

How many students can the poets handle?

Ideally, we like to keep a ratio of no more than 15 students per poet. We always send poets in pairs (i.e. if you have a class of 30 students, we’ll send two poets). We’re able to work with groups of most sizes, but the smaller the group, the more personal attention the poets can give to each poem.

What else do you want to know?

Everything else we’d like you to tell us is on the booking form. After you send in the initial information, we’ll contact you to make sure that we’ve covered everything.

What’s the most hilarious thing that’s ever happened during a workshop?

It involved a skunk.

What’s with the garden gnomes?

We have no idea. Honestly.

When can you come?

Right away. You can book us or contact us through our Workshop Request form.