Haiku is unrhymed Japanese poetry typically written in three short lines. The lines are divided into five syllables, seven syllables and then five syllables. The poems can capture an image or feeling, but many are related to a time of the year (e.g. spring or autumn).
As a class, we decided to become poets for the day as we created our own haiku. Since none of my students, myself included, had done written one before, we started off pretty simple and our only restrictions were that our haiku had to be about a season and follow the 5-7-5 rule. Here’s what a few students wrote:
My dog is happy
the summer is coming now
and we can be out (Pilar)
Leaves fall from the trees
we are raking most of them
to jump on all day (Marisa)
Then we decided to get more complex by not only talking about a season, but relating a season to an emotion and/or something about us. The challenge brought a pleasant surprise:
I like the summer
I remember my city
rain, wind, sun and you (Laida)
Early morning sun
shines very bright by my bed
always warms my heart (Li)
Vivacity goes
so do you as winter comes
my heart turns to ice (Me)
Have you ever written haiku? Share your favorite with us!
