Download Two Haiku - Lesson Corner

Multicultural Curriculum - Eighth Grade Language Arts Lesson Plan
“Two Haiku”
Japanese Haiku
Content/Theme:
Japanese Haiku
Grade Level:
Eighth Grade
Textbook Connection:
Literature, Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes, Prentice Hall,
Silver Level: “Two Haiku,” pg. 849
Benchmarks
• LA.8.2.1.1: The student will identify, analyze, and compare the characteristics of
various genres (e.g., poetry, fiction, short story, dramatic literature) as forms chosen by
an author to accomplish a purpose
• LA.8.2.1.3: The student will locate various literary devices (e.g., sound, meter,
figurative and descriptive language), graphics, and structure and analyze how they
contribute to mood and meaning in poetry
• LA.8.4.1.2 The student will write a variety of expressive forms (e.g., realistic fiction,
one-act play, suspense story, poetry) that according to the type of writing employed,
incorporate figurative language, rhythm, dialogue, characterization, plot, and
appropriate format.
Time: 1 Class Period
Objectives:
• Students will identify aspects about the history and culture of Japanese poetry.
• Students will create their own Haiku.
Teacher Preparation/materials:
• Multicultural Information
• Colored Markers/Chart Paper
Activities:
1. Think Pair-Share: Ask pairs to write down on a piece of paper what they already
know about Haikus. Tell them to discuss it and try to think of where they
originated, the rules, and the focus and the history of the Haiku. Have pairs report
back to the class.
2. Show students the history of the Haiku key points (transparency).
3. Read the two Haiku’s in the Prentice Hall Silver Level Reading Series (pg.849).
Discuss by using the questions within the textbook.
4. Tell students that they will be making their own Haiku’s. Brainstorm topics and
create a word list on the board that has to do with things in nature. Remind students
of the haiku examples they have already read in the textbook. Create a group
Haiku as a model.
5. Have students write their own Haiku and illustrate it on Manila paper.
ESOL Strategies: Modeling, Cooperative Learning
Assessment: Student Participation, Haiku activity
Resource: http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/index.html
Multicultural Content Information:
The modern Japanese Haiku, as we know it today, was born through influences of
another form of poetry closely resembling it from ancient Japan. A form of poetry called
Haikai was popular during the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries or during the Edo period.
Haikai was a longer poem that started off with short verse called a hokku, which set the tone,
and then the rest of the poem would follow. This first part of the poem required a kigo be
used. A kigo is a season word, which indicates the tone of the poem as to which season the
poem is set. Many writers, like Matsuo Basho, would just write the hokku part of the Haikai,
since it could be understood by itself. Eventually, this more popular shorter form became the
Haiku as we know it today.
But it wasn’t until 1890 when Haiku became officially recognized as an independent
poetic form when Masaoka Shiki recorded the exact parameters for writing haiku. He
included the previous structure of three lines with a five, seven, five syllable order and the
presence of a kigo, the season word. An example of a kigo could be words like “tulips” which
would indicate spring, “snow” would indicate winter, and “mosquitoes” may indicate summer.
Over time, the season word has become less obvious and has even been extended to include
simple themes of nature.
One of the most famous Japanese haiku poets was Matsuo Bahso. Basho lived during
the Edo Period and was influenced by Zen, a form of Buddhism that was in fashion at the time.
The name Bashó, means banana tree; he adopted this name around 1681 after moving into a
hut next to a banana tree. Basho began writing poetry form an influence of a local lord, Todo
Yoshitada, who was fond of writing haikai. Basho’s poems are well known for capturing the
uniqueness of nature at a precise moment in time. His style of expression can be described as
sensitive and though provoking. Using the clear and concise style of Haiku he painted lasting
images.
Today, in addition to being one of the most popular forms of poetry in Japan, haiku
enjoys worldwide popularity. The simple expressive style attracts people. Haiku’s most
modern form does not include any metaphors or other literary devices. All description should
be clear, explicit, and unambiguous. Finally, the poem should have two parts, the first part
puts forth a pair of seemingly separate ideas and the second part, in some barely visible way,
links them together. The result is a truly lasting impression.
HAIKU
The modern Japanese Haiku, as we know it
today, was born from another form of poetry from
ancient Japan.
This poem was called, Haikai, a longer poem
that started off with short verse called a hokku, which
set the tone, and then the rest of the poem would follow.
The parameters of the first verse, the hokku, was that it had three
lines and had a kigo
A kigo is a season word, which indicates the tone of the poem as to
which season the poem is set.
Many writers, like Matsuo Basho, would just write the hokku part of
the Haikai, since it could be understood by itself. Eventually, this
more popular shorter form became the Haiku as we know it today.
But it wasn’t until 1890 when Haiku became officially recognized as
an independent poetic form when Masaoka Shiki recorded the exact
parameters for writing haiku. This included the having three lines
with a five, seven, five syllable order and the presence of a kigo, or
the season word.
An example of a kigo could be: “tulips” (spring) “snow” (winter),
and “mosquitoes” (summer). Over time, the season word has
become less obvious and has even been extended to include simple
themes of nature.