Matt’s poetry workshop engages & inspires students as well as helping to raise literacy levels. He can work with a small class of 30 to a whole year group of 200+ for either one lesson or a whole day.

Working in table groups, each student will write a stanza of poetry and be given the chance to perform throughout the session.

You may choose to begin the day with one of Matt’s engaging and interactive performance assemblies.

Each workshop begins with a class discussion and performance by Matt. Challenging their perception of poetry and bringing it to a contemporary level immediately allows each individual to feel involved and part of the session. Matt helps to ease any fears that the young people may have with regards to writing poetry which enables them to think and create in a relaxed environment.

Working in small groups, the class begin to fill their page with associating words from the day’s topic.

Topics for the day can vary depending on class size, lesson duration, student age and ability. Over the past decade, poetry themes in Matt’s workshop have varied from superheroes to healthy eating, identity to anti-conflict, plus many more.

When each group has 20 – 30 associating words, there is a class discussion about rhyming and half rhymes. Freestyle games are played with Matt who provides the class with a greater skill set, allowing them to rhyme more comfortably and uniquely. Rhyming words are then added on to their poetry topic page. This is done to assist each young person when writing their rhyming couplets.

Once every member of the group has four to six lines each, they then work together on a group chorus. The chorus is something that the group say together, at the beginning and at the end of the poem, to introduce and conclude their performance.

All team performances can involve movement, beat-boxing, call & response audience participation or any other creative vice that they wish to use to enhance their delivery.

It is very common to see the shyest and quietest of students step up to the microphone to perform their work. With that said no one shall be forced to perform in front of the class that doesn’t want to, as long as they have applied themselves correctly throughout the lesson and completed the work that has been asked of them.

All Poetry with Punch workshops can help with the following: