Haiku

Cool Melons — Turn to Frogs! by Matthew Gollub
This teacher's guide includes summary and background, prereading questions, vocabulary, reader response questions, strategies for ESL and interdisciplinary connections.

Dairy Lama
Students can submit haiku (or "mooku") here for publication. Be sure to read the suggestion on the "submit" page. The site owners make this offer: if an entire class submits haiku, they will send the class Dairy Lama buttons!

Exploring Haiku with Issa
Video of former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass reading a translation of haiku by the 18th century Japanese poet, Kubayashi Issa; analysis; and teaching tips.

Haiku and Beyond: A Study of Japanese Literature
This extensive unit about Japan is designed for 4th graders. The lesson on haiku begins on page 14. Adobe Reader required for access.

Haiku for People!
All things haiku: How to write them, collections from famous writers, and contemporary haiku including "Urban Haiku." An excellent resource.

Haiku Spirit: Classic Haiku
Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki are considered the Japanese masters of this ancient poetic form. This site includes examples of each of their poems.

In the moonlight a worm...
This lovely site was designed for teachers and students who work with haiku. It contains lesson plans and reproducible poems.

On the Poet's Trail
From National Geographic, a biography of the haiku master Basho.

Sangeet's Haiku and Poetry Corner
An excellent collection of links to sites about haiku. Scroll down for sites on Renga, Haibun, Tanka, and Ghazal.

Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season
In this lesson, designed for grades 3-5, students work with descriptive language related to seasons. They analyze haiku together, then write and illustrate their own.

Writing Haiku
This lesson on haiku includes samples by Basho and Richard Wright.