New
New
Year 3

Learning how to write a haiku

I can understand what a haiku is and how to write one.

New
New
Year 3

Learning how to write a haiku

I can understand what a haiku is and how to write one.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Haikus are short poems consisting of three lines.
  2. Haikus have a specific number of syllables in each line.
  3. A haiku is a traditional form of Japaense poetry that consists of three lines with a syllable count of 5-7-5.
  4. A haiku is traditionally written about nature.

Keywords

  • Haiku - a traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of three lines with a specific syllable pattern (5-7-5), often focusing on nature and capturing a special moment

  • Syllables - a single sound or beat in a word that contains a vowel sound

Common misconception

Pupils may think that poems are punctuated like prose.

Teach pupils that different types of poetry follow different patterns. Punctuation is still used to help the reader and lines in poems often start with a capital letter.

You may wish to provide the pupils with more examples of haikus to explore in LC1 in order to identify the set of rules.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
True or false? A poem is a piece of writing that uses creative and rhythmic language to express thoughts, feelings or ideas, often with a specific structure or pattern.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q2.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was a famous ...
politician.
Correct answer: poet.
illustrator.
Q3.
‘Ozymandias’ is a type of poem called a ...
haiku.
Correct answer: sonnet.
limerick.
Q4.
How many lines are used when writing a sonnet?
7
10
Correct answer: 14
21
Q5.
‘Ozymandias’ is a very popular poem and people enjoy it because it tells a story about an ancient statue and a powerful ...
Correct answer: king.
queen.
prince.
Q6.
True or false? The theme of a poem is the underlying message or central idea that the poet wants to convey, exploring topics or universal concepts that can be found throughout the poem.
Correct Answer: true, True

6 Questions

Q1.
Words are made up of different parts. These are called ...
lines.
paragraphs.
Correct answer: syllables.
Q2.
True or false? A syllable is a single sound or beat in a word that contains a vowel sound.
Correct Answer: true, True
Q3.
How many syllables are in the word 'delightful'?
1
2
Correct answer: 3
4
5
Q4.
True or false? Haikus are a type of short poetry that originated in England.
Correct Answer: false, False
Q5.
How many lines should a haiku consist of?
Correct answer: 3
5
7
14
Q6.
Which of these is the correct syllable structure for a haiku's three lines?
3-6-3
4-7-4
Correct answer: 5-7-5