Friday, August 1, 2014

Do You Haiku?

Do You Haiku? The Pros and Cons of teaching haiku | The Logonauts

I have a love-hate relationship with haiku. Actually, it more of a tolerate-hate relationship. I find the form cramped and limiting, and students always begin by writing banal sentences along the lines of

I can write haiku
I can write some more haiku
I just wrote haiku

Painful. (That was not a real student example, as I would never criticize a students' honest efforts. The hyperbole is to make a point.) But then, for some, the magic happens. Every year I have students who find their poetry voice within the confines of haiku. Fascinating and humorous images and small moments appear. First and third lines get flipped around, and creativity spikes. At the end of the year when students are offered free range in their choice of form for writing their memoirs, there are often multiple memoirs written entirely in haiku.

And yet.

I spend much of the time when sharing and teaching about poetry focused on free verse. An early emphasis is on how poems do not have to rhyme and do not have to follow specific rules or forms. I have found that my third graders are better able to express themselves and explore ideas when they are focused on concepts like description, sharing a big idea, focusing on something small, or thinking about their word choice, rather than focusing on counting syllables, creating rhyming couplets, or forming acrostics.

And yet.

But it is through trying and experimenting with different styles and forms that students are often able to launch into their own poems. Whether it is trying to write a "So much depends ..." poem like William Carlos Williams or a "Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It" poem like Gail Carson Levine (and William Carlos Williams), having access to poems and poetry forms serves as a scaffold for students just starting out with poetry. And so does haiku. It might not be my favorite poetry choice, but it is one that has served my students well and captured their interests. In later posts I will share some of my favorite haiku resources for teachers, but I would like to end this post with my own haiku reflection:

Haiku can be so
limiting. All I see are
counting syllables.

The ideas get
locked out when all you do is
count. Set poems free!  

Do you haiku? I would love to hear from other teachers and poets about your experiences with teaching haiku to your students (or not). Share your thoughts below!

This week's Poetry Friday Roundup is being curated by Margaret at Reflections on the Teche. See the whole list of hosts at Poetry Friday by Kitlitosphere.

10 comments:

  1. "The Logonauts" is a very cool name. There are a number of Poetry Friday regulars who really make the most of the haiku form -- you might want to look to them for inspiration. Robyn Hood Black has even posted some amazing student haiku. Here's an example: http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=951339

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    1. Thanks so much, Tabatha. ("Logonauts" just seems like a word that needs to be, doesn't it?) Love the example poems, and especially that they are from a student, thanks!

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  2. I do haiku, but not always very well. I've presented haiku to students with the thought that a few will flourish within the confines of its form, but all should be exposed as it. Haiku has value in both its creation and when reading it. = )

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    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Bridget. I agree that it doesn't work for everyone, but when it does, wow. Glad you stopped by!

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  3. To introduce haiku to my gifted students, I use the book "Cool melons turn to frogs" about the life and haiku of Issa. This book models the magic of haiku, the single moment in time and nature. I have them look outside or at an image of nature. They usually move beyond the simple sentences and counting and work on imagery.

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    1. Thanks, Margaret. Funny that you mention Cool Melons. It's actually the first book I will talk about in my follow up post next week about books about haiku for kids. I've used it for several years with my students, and they always find it so powerful to hear about how Issa's life is reflected in his haiku. A great jumping off point.

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  4. I can't really speak to teaching haiku since I have never been in that role. But for me, looking beyond syllable count is key to getting at haiku's essence. Other Poetry Friday contributors (besides Robyn) who use this form with expertise are Diane Mayr and Liz Steinglass.

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    1. Thanks for the tips, Michelle, I will check them out too!

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    2. Thanks, Michelle, for the shout-out! Katie, you can see my haiku at Random Noodling.

      I'm sorry I missed this post last week! I'd like to recommend Haiku by Patricia Donegan. It is a how-to written for children, by an "authentic" haiku poet (if you read some of my haiku posts, you will find that I am rather opinionated--I apologize in advance). I would rather haiku not be taught in the schools at all than to have it taught as a lesson in syllables.

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    3. Thanks for your comment and recommendation. I absolutely agree with you, Diane, that syllables are not the point and not what I try to teach with haiku, but it always surprises me how hard it can be for students to "think beyond" that aspect. I look forward to checking out the book and your work, thanks!

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