Haiku in Color

Haiku is a "snapshot" of words, often related to nature or seasons. This poetry may not rhyme, but briefly captures a moment in time.

• 1.

  Read haiku poetry orally in books such as "Haiku Picturebook for Children" by Keisuke Nishimot. This book includes classic haiku poems written by Japan's most famous writers. Also read "Spring: A Haiku Story" by George Shannon. Discuss how the beautiful illustrations enhance the poetry. What do you notice about the poems?

• 2.

  What is a syllable? Count the syllables in a few of the haiku poems you read. You’ll find that haiku contains just 17 syllables, in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. The poems are usually about nature or seasons.

• 3.

  With a small group or on your own, brainstorm what nature or seasonal topic you could write a haiku about. Think small--one bird, not a flock, or one snowflake falling, not a snowstorm. Write your haiku on a white board with Crayola Dry-Erase Markers. Count the syllables! If you have too many, just erase and change your words!

• 4.

  Give your haiku a title. Add a simple picture to illustrate it. Circle the nature word or phrase in your poem. Share your poetry with your classmates!

Benefits

• Students understand that haiku is a centuries old form of Japanese poetry. It has 17 syllables in three lines with pattern: first line, 5 syllables; second line 7 syllables; third line, 5 syllables.
• Students recognize that haiku does not tell a story but rather creates a picture and usually includes some sort of seasonal reference or relates to nature. Older students understand that haiku is written in the present tense about a single moment.
• Students write their own haiku poems and draw a picture relating to them.

Adaptations

• Ask older students to draw a box around present-tense verbs.
• Research a similar poetry form, senryu. A senryu may be witty and tends to be about people. Some feel that any reference to human beings in a haiku turns the poem into a senryu. Read "Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku" by Paul B. Janeczko. Write senryu, too.
• Research and write tanka, an ancient form of Japanese poetry. Tanka are 31-syllable poems that have been the most popular form of poetry in Japan for at least 1300 years. As a form of poetry, tanka is older than haiku, and tanka poems evoke a moment or mark a special occasion. In Japanese, tanka is often written in one straight line, but in English and other languages, it usually is divided into 5 lines with these syllabic units: 5-7-5-7-7. Read "Cricket Never Does: A Collection of Haiku and Tanka" by Myra Cohn Livingston. Write your own tanka.
• Assessment: Students write an original haiku poem and illustrate it. All of the characteristics of haiku are evident. They circle the nature word or phrase.