Poetry: Haiku Good Copies

Today we did a lot of work on our Haiku poems. Some students were able to get their good copies of their Haiku poems finished while others are still working on them. We will likely get some time to work on them tomorrow in class so that everyone can be caught up.

For those students who have not yet finished their rough copies, they need to be done tomorrow. If any parents get a chance to look at them that would be helpful. One thing that I am being particular about is that students not use "It is" and similar words in their poem. They should be using as many descriptive words as possible. They do not need to write sentences.

I gave the examples of lines in class today:

Cold and Damp in here

and

It is Cold and Damp


I would prefer the first sentence as it sounds less choppy than the first. I hope that explains things for you.

Poetry: Haiku Poems

Today I introduced Haiku poems to the students. A Haiku poem is one that has 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and 5 syllables in the third line. They are typically about nature (though several of the examples I gave were not about nature).

We talked about criteria for a good Haiku poem and came up with the following:
- Spelling and grammar
- Fits the form (5-7-5 syllables)
- Uses strong words to describe something
- Is about Nature (for a traditional Haiku)
- Pick a subject and stick to it

We made a poem as a class:

Pizza is pretty,
Pineapple olive sauces,
Pizza is so good