Wild About Haiku

Goal:

Students will understand what a Haiku poem is and how to write a Haiku while utilizing non-fiction text. Ideally this lesson would be introduced whole group during direct reading instruction and then placed at the poetry center, the writing center, the research center, the classroom library center or a combination of all four.

Materials:

• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

• Haiku Hike by the Fourth Graders of St. Mary Catholic School in Mansfield, Mass.

• Non-fiction books about various animals you might find in a zoo

• Wild About Haiku template (click on the files portion of the website for the template)

• Materials to make illustrations

Procedures:

During read-aloud time read to the children Haiku Hike. This book does a good job of explaining what a haiku is and gives examples. Discuss the differences between traditional rhyming poetry and haiku.

The next day tell students you are going to read them a fun rhyming story called Wild About Books, but to listen for the poetry in the story that doesn’t rhyme. See if the students recognize the haikus in the story.

Then tell students they will get to write their own haiku by taking a hike in a non-fiction book about their favorite animal. Either take a trip to the library and introduce non-fiction books about animals or have the books already picked out for the students to select their animal. This will work best if the books are on or near reading level, but you might pair high and low readers for the assignment or choose one animal book to read aloud and have everyone write a haiku about that animal. Another strategy is to use science readers from a textbook series and introduce the non-fiction text in reading group.

While students are reading their books have them take field notes like the ones in Haiku Hike. You might even assign things for them to find like description, diet, or habitat. Require less of younger children and more of older ones. Be sure the students are writing down what they observe about the animal.

Finally have the students use their field notes to write a haiku using the Wild About Haiku template. Students should add their field notes and the name of their non-fiction text to the bottom of the template. Add illustrations to make a final product or class book.

Background:For more information on haiku poetry visit http://www.worddance.com.

Bruce Lansky discusses writing haiku at http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/haiku.html.