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First Graders Master the Discipline of Haiku
This week first graders have learned how to write a haiku, the last type of poem in their Writer’s Workshop poetry unit. “Haiku is a great form to use with first graders,” says teacher Nicole Schoentag, “because they learn about syllables in Fundations, our phonics program. Haiku allows students to use what they have learned about syllables in a more creative, abstract way.”
Because traditional Japanese haiku focus on nature, the students took their writing materials and found places to sit in the garden outside the classroom, where they could enjoy the quiet and find inspiration. Many were lost in concentration, counting line syllables on their fingers: a haiku has just seventeen syllables, in lines of five, seven, and again five. In spite of the form being challenging for first graders, “they really step up to the challenge,” says Ms. Schoentag. “It is fun for them to have a set of rules and then be able to play within those rules. When writing our haiku, our students got to play with language in a way that hasn't been necessary in our prose units.” MORE PHOTOS
