Hints. Inspiration. Tips.

Haiku challenge!!!!!!!

2009-04-14T12:43:00.003+01:00

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Have you tried writing a Haiku poem?

Haiku poems can be fun to write and can be written on any theme.

What is a Haiku?

A Haiku is a Japanese poem made up of 17 syllables. When writing in English, traditionally we construct the poem in three lines of five, seven and five syllables. However, because the Japanese language is different to ours many people disagree over the ideal length and syllables to use when writing a Haiku in English. To make it simple we will look at using Haiku with lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

What is a syllable?

A syllable is a chunk of sound.

It can help to read the word out loud.

Examples:
The word ‘cat’ has only one syllable: cat
The word ‘Monday’ has two syllables: Mon-day
The word ‘delightful’ has three syllables: de-light-ful

Here are a couple of Haiku on the April Spring theme:

Smelling sweet cut grass
Cleaning off the garden chairs
Anticipate sun

New life unfurling
Potential in the making
Growing to the sun

I am sure you could write great Haiku poems.

In fact Hannah from Berrycoombe School wrote an excellent Haiku in March when the theme was ‘food’. Here it is:

APPLES

Apples are juicy.
Colours as red as postbox.
Ripe apples for tea.

By Hannah C
Berrycoombe School
Age 7 Year 2

Thank you Hannah – great writing!

So I offer you a Haiku challenge!!!

Try writing Haiku poems and send them to bodminbookworm@aol.com (with your name, age, school and class).

It doesn’t matter if you don’t write perfect Haiku; the professionals write them in varied forms.

Just enjoy, have some fun and we’d love to read your Haiku on the current month’s theme.

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Inspiration from Georgina B, Age 10, St Tudy school

2008-10-29T17:51:00.005Z

When you are stuck for inspiration it helps to use a certain structure/form to help get you started. This first poem by Georgina B is an example of how you can use questions and answers as the basis of a poem. By repeating lines, the poem is also given a rhythm and structure.
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Are you married?
Are you married?
No me neither!
Are you engaged?
Are you engaged?
No me neither!
Are you cool?
Are you cool?
No me neither!
Are you a girl?
Are you a girl?
No me neither!
Are you popular?
Are you popular? No me neither!
Are you single? Are you single?.............................
.......................
Yerrrr........Me too!
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In the second poem (below) Georgina has repeated 'I know a.....'. To bring the poem to a close she has changed the second to last verse to: 'The lady/man....'. She has then finished by adding a personal couple of lines about herself. To add to this Georgina has also used a rhyming pattern.
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I know a girl who can touch her toes.
I know a boy who picks his nose!
I know a girl who likes to do art.
I know a boy in my class who goes in a cart!

I know a boy who likes to dig.
I know a girl who is such a pig!
I know a boy who likes mice.
I know a girl who does not like rice!

I know a girl who likes to fly kites.
I know a boy who puts up the fights!
I know a girl who fancies Wain!
I know a boy who just is a pain!

The lady down the bakery scratches her hair.
The man in the shop looks like a bear!
The lady in the fier team is quiet scary.
The man in the police force is very hairy!

But most of all it has got to be me.
Because I do EVERYTHING!
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Why not try writing on the monthly theme starting with questions like 'How?' What?' or 'Who?'. Or/and try using a repeated start to each line such as : 'I like...' 'I don't like....' 'I wish....'
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A big thank you to Georgina B from St Tudy CE VA Primary School. You can read more of her writing at www.bodminbookworm-sttudy.blogspot.com .

Inspiration from Moira Andrew

2008-09-29T14:35:00.006+01:00

Moira Andrew is a children's poet, writer, teacher and lecturer who runs creative writing workshops for schools. Her website is http://www.moiraandrew.com/. She has kindly let us publish the following poem to help inspire your own writing:

Recipe for a sandcastle

Take one sunny day,
a wide empty shore
and lots of sparkling waves.

Add one red spade,
a ton of golden sand
and a bucketful of sea-water.

Mix well, build high,
decorate with pearly shells
and top with a fluttering flag.

Bake under a yellow sun
where the tide tickles your toes
and you have made
a sandcastle!

(Please note: this poem is the Copyright of Moira Andrew and cannot be reproduced without her permission)

Perhaps you could try writing a recipe style poem/story on a holiday theme. Or a recipe for a scary poem/story - (for example: one hairy spider, two wailing ghosts and a pointy hat witch...........)

Please share your writing by emailing bodminbookworm@aol.com . Let us know if you found Moira Andrew's poem helpful and send us your Holiday/All things scary recipe style writing.