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.

Poetry, Clerihew Poems

Writing Workshop will focus on poetry for the next two weeks. We began working with free verse poems. Students listed topics they were interested in developing. Next, they picked one and worked on a "So What?" This is based on Nancie Atwell's Lessons That Change Writers. Atwell talks about the importance of knowing, "Why are you writing that," and, "what is the point?" She wants writers to think about the lesson, meaning, and/or moral.



Mrs. Bower, the Educational Specialist that is in each day during Writing Workshop to help students, taught about how to write a Clerihew poem. This type of poetry has four lines and is often written about a person. The first two lines rhyme and the last two lines rhyme. The poem is meant to be funny, so after a week of gray days the students enjoyed the "comic relief" that writing them brought.

I once had a teacher named McGuire
Someday he will have to retire
That'll be a sad time when he bids us "Good Bye"
I'm so sure all the cute girls will cry!

Mrs. Bower shared this example for all of the students (and they thought this was soooo funny).

One of the tools we used to help find rhyming words was the website www.rhymezone.com. This website makes it much easier when students choose to write poems that rhyme.



Check back to see some of the best student work!