Haiku

Haiku poetry originated in Japan. It has a strict format that includes:

1. Three lines with 17 syllables in the pattern of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables
2. Only one topic
3. Traditionally about nature and/or seasons
4. Does not rhyme
5. Written in present tense
6. Stirs the imagination


Sunshine by J. McGuire

Breaking through treetops
filtering golden beauty
bringing in the day

Spring By Alina S.

Spring is here today
Daffodils and crocuses
Blooming everywhere

When it Rains by Josh P.

Clouds roaring with fierce
Lightening attacks with anger
Peaceful when rain stops

Spring Flowers by Connor H.

They are violet blue
they are purple and yellow
they are spring flowers

Mushrooms by Sean C.

walking through the woods
see those mushrooms, see them.
go and pick them please

Wildfire by Shelby C.

Bright like a wild fire
suddenly stepping forward,
out of plane nothing.

Jumping Flowers by Justin H.

Flowers jumping up
out of the rich dark brown soil
their bright pedals glow

Hot, Nice Day by Dimitri H.

Walking outside, oooh
look at the big sunflower
what a hot nice day

Morels by Mrs. Bower

Hunting for mushrooms
Delicacies hiding low
cool, damp, sunny day.

Carpenter Bees by Mrs. Bower

Angry, droning pests
Aggressively drilling holes
wood chewing insect.

An Arch of Color by Jennie B.

Rainbows have colors
Pot O' Gold at the bottom
An arch of color

Walking in the Woods by Brittany M.

Walking in the woods
alone looking for a waterfall
it's close when it's cool.

Dancing Rain by Haley E.

Rain dancing outside
Around and around it goes
Going on forever

Wolves by Kari W.

Mistaken creatures
Wandering through the forest
Gentle animals.

Grass by Amanda K.

long, soft cut, pokey
green, soft, rough, up in the air
falling all over

Clouds by Dillon Y.

Clouds, drifting like ghost
in the sky so high above
Fly by day and night.

Birds by Brianna G.

birds fly in the air
cardinals and red tailed hawks
what beautiful birds.

Trees of the Forest by Jacob T.

The trees of the damp
forest move swiftly by my
eyes with great beauty.

Are You Smarter Than a 7th Grader?

Everyone has heard of Fox's show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. In Reading Workshop, I didn't settle for that. I wanted to see if students are smarter than a seventh grader.

Yesterday, students were given an assignment straight out of the Ohio Seventh Grade Reading Achievement Test. As I told them from the start, "this is seventh grade work." The grandmother of Connor, a Reading Workshop student looked at the work and said, "this looks like 12th grade work to me." Obviously, this assignment was challenging.

You can view the test at the ODE website. Just follow the link to the 7th reading March 2006 Full Test. The answer key is there also. Students read a haiku poem and a passage, Do You Want to Write Haiku.

The passage had seven multiple choice questions and two extended response. As students worked on the passage yesterday, they put forth tremendous effort and concentrated on their work. Tension was high today as students scored their answers.

Student success was determined based on cut scores from the Ohio Department of Education, that determined reading proficiency for Ohio students in the seventh grade. Remarkably, in the two classes, 38 out of 43 students passed! I am amazed by such a successful sixth grade class!