#1669. Round Robin Haiku

Reading/Writing, level: all
Posted Sun Apr 16 20:09:52 PDT 2000 by Pamela Johnson (Pamela.Johnson@granite.k12.ut.us).
West Kearns Elementary, Kearns, UT, US
Materials Required: pictures of scenes from nature (number them), 1 per student plus extras, sheets of 5 x 7 art paper
Activity Time: 30 - 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Descriptive adjectives, writing fluency, haiku form

This lesson works best as a follow-up activity to a lesson on replacing average adjectives with alive adjectives.
1. Review examples of alive adjectives and vivid verbs
2. Show students a scenic picture (old calendars or magazines are good sources) and have them brainstorm several unusual, descriptive adjectives that could be used in writing about the scene.
3. Review or teach haiku format with students.
4. Explain round-robin format: Each student gets one picture to begin with. They write the number of the picture as the title of their poem and then write a haiku using the picture as inspiration. When they finish one they quietly hold the picture up and the teacher exchanges it for one that is in the extra stack. Students keep writing in this fashion for 20 minutes (I have had students actually want to keep writing for close to 45 minutes during this activity)
5. After the initial writing session you may continue with the next phase: PUBLISHING, or save it for the next class period.
6. PUBLISHING: Students should select their favorite haiku and circle it. Using the art paper, students create a decorative border and then neatly write their haiku in the center. They need to make sure they put their name and the number of the picture they used on the back of the paper. I use these to make a bulletin board display: Just put up the pictures and arrange the haiku that are written about that picture next to it.