WITS is run as a consecutive 2-day workshop, and we request that we work with the same students on the second day as we did the first. Our lessons are designed to be taught by a team of two instructors, and schools may not split a team apart for any reason. However, if multiple classrooms want to workshop simultaneously, schools can request more than one team for a single visit. Each team is available to teach a total of 4 hours per day.
WITS focuses on poetry that uses specific, concrete images and sensory details. Oftentimes these concrete images work to describe the experience of an abstract idea (friendship, love, loss). Many of the students we work with have very little familiarity with poetry and the arts when we first arrive, and, nevertheless, their work shines by the end of the day. Our program is not just about celebrating the arts; it is designed to foster and emphasize attention to language, associative thinking, experimentation, risk taking, and creative problem solving.
How to Prepare
We will need:
- Chalkboard / Dry Erase Board with plenty of space for writing.
- A projector is not required, but sometimes it can be helpful.
Students will need:
- Plenty of lined, loose leaf paper.
- A pencil to write with.
It is not necessary to prepare in advance of our visit, but if you would like to read some poems with your students in the days leading up to their WITS workshop, it may help them have some ideas ahead of time about what poetry can be. It can also help them be more receptive to and engaged with our workshop.
Please let your students know that we will collect and read their poems after each workshop and select poems to feature in our yearly anthology. We also want students to be aware that if we come across content that we find worrisome, we may let you, their teacher, know.
Program Policies
Scheduling
WITS is run as a consecutive 2-day workshop, and we request that we work with the same students on the second day as we did the first. On Day 2, students generally feel considerably more comfortable, demonstrate a greater sense of authority with their writing, and take more risks. If you need an accommodation to fit your school’s schedule, please let us know.
We Teach in Teams
Our lessons are designed to be taught by a team of two instructors and schools may not split the team apart for any reason. If multiple classrooms want to workshop simultaneously, we are happy to send more than one team.
Teachers Must Stay in the Class Room
In the event of an emergency or a behavioral issue, we require classroom teachers to remain inside the classroom at all times during WITS visits. Teachers are more than welcome to work on lesson planning, grading, or whatever else they need to do during our visits, though we do ask for your help with classroom management.
Returning Poems
At the end of each class period, tutors will collect all student poems. A handful of poems will be featured in our yearly anthology, and all poems will be mailed back to the school. We do not provide feedback on poems because we don’t want students to measure their feedback against another student’s feedback. We hope that students will feel proud of the work itself, and not our assessment of its value.
Worrisome Content in Poems
Creative writing can offer students an opportunity to try on a persona with which they are unfamiliar. Sometimes, when students think of poetry, they think of depression, loneliness, or unrest, and so they try to represent these states of mind in their own work. But sometimes the act of creative writing gives students permission to express truths about their private lives, their inner worlds, or hidden aspects of themselves. If we notice a disturbing pattern (violence, isolation, self-harm, etc.) in a student’s poems, we will notify you as quickly as possible. You know your students better than we do and you can decide how to proceed.
Suspicion of Child Abuse
As employees of the University of Arkansas, WITS staff member are mandatory reporters. This means that if a staff member either witnesses or is directly told about any instance of physical, mental, or sexual abuse or neglect, they are mandated to contact the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline as well as local law enforcement.
Donations
There is no charge for WITS to visit your school or institution, and we do not expect donations. Because WITS is part of the University of Arkansas, we cannot accept donations from other state agencies (meaning schools cannot make donations to WITS). If an individual or PTO/PTA would like to make a donation, please contact the WITS director.