Haiku

Haiku

Pencil and paperOnline interactive
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about writing a Japanese form of poetry called haiku.
Basho_Horohoroto.jpg
Haiku are short Japanese poems with a fixed pattern of three lines.
  • The first and third lines have 5 syllables (not words).
  • The second line has 7 syllables (not words).
Haiku are usually about natural things. Read this example:
 
When/ rain/ beats/ whip/like     5
And/ for/ests/ cry/ for/ mer/cy  7
The/ rain/bow/ an/swers           5

Question Change answer

a)  Using the previous Haiku as an example, sort the lines into the correct order for a Haiku.
  • Very determined to grow
  • Pushing dirt aside
  • A mushroom can be

Question 1Change answer

b)  Write your own Haiku. You may want to write about a season or an animal in your Haiku.
     Remember: 1st line 5, 2nd line 7, 3rd line 5 syllables.

Question 1Change answer

c)  Now edit and finish your Haiku.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online.
Copyright: 
Basho_Horohoroto.jpg
Haiku by Matsuo Bashō (1688). Source: Wikipedia | Public domain
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
haiku, poetry, syllables, grammar knowledge, structure and language
Description of task: 
Students are provided with information about the structure of a haiku poem. They identify the syllables in another haiku poem, and then write their own.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • choose effective content, language, and text structure
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: text features, set 5
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
  

Y8 (10/1999)
a) A/ mush/room/ can/ be
Ver/y/ de/ter/mined/ to/ grow
Push/ing/ dirt/ a/side		 3 correct – difficult

2 correct – easy

1 correct – easy
b)
  • Lines have the correct number of syllables.
  • An idea or description is conveyed.

[Normally each line should start with a capital but the focus in this assessment is on the structure.]
moderate
easy