Haikus & Syllables by Mina Fitzpatrick, modified by Eugene Lee (South Korea ETAs)
Are you looking for a way to incorporate poetry into your classes, but worry that it may be too high-level for your students? At a mere total of 17 syllables, the haiku may provide a gateway for you to introduce English-language poetry in your classes. (This despite the fact that the haiku is a Japanese poetry form…)
Modified from a lesson plan by 2011-2013 ETA Mina Fitzpatrick, South Korea ETA Eugene Lee taught his high school students this lesson on English haikus. The lesson begins with an introduction to syllables with a music-listening exercise before presenting haiku examples and asking students to write their own short poems. The presentation and worksheets do include some Korean language and Korea-specific cultural references, but the lesson can be easily adapted to fit any country/native language.
Materials for this lesson can be downloaded here:
Be sure to check back next week for more lesson inspiration!