Lesson Title:

Exploring Haiku through Basho and the Fox

By:

Lynn Hannapel, Wendy Durst, Kelly Hirneisen, and Nancy Kelso

Objective:

  1. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will develop an understanding of Basho, the man and the poet, as a prominent figure in Japanese literature.
  2. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will experience Japanese poetry through haiku.

Suggested Grade Level:

3rd grade

Materials:

Resources

  • Basho and the Fox by Tim Myers
  • Haiku: Learn to Express Yourself by Writing Poetry in the Japanese Tradition by Patricia Donegan
  • Grass Sandals - Dawinine Spivak, illustrated by Demi

Regalia, artifacts

  • maps of Japan
  • timeline of Japanese history
  • photos of Yamadera
  • photos of Basho statue
  • statue of Basho
  • print of Basho's poetry

Colorado Model Content Standards:

Geography

Standard 1. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ know how to use and construct maps, globes, and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, and environments.

Standard 2. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ know the physical and human characteristics of places, and use this knowledge to define and study regions and their patterns of change.

Standard 5. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ understand the effects of interactions between human and physical systems and the changes in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.

History

Standard 1. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major eras to identify and explain historical relationships.

Standard 6. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ know that religious and philosophical ideas have been powerful forces throughout history.

Reading and Writing

Standard 1. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ read and understand a variety of materials.

Standard 2. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Standard 3. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

Standard 4. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing.

Standard 5. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ read and recognize literature as a record of human experience.

Assessment:

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will be able to place Basho on a Japanese timeline as a prominent figure in Japanese literature.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will write an individual haiku.

Rubric:

3 - Writing includes the 6-7 characteristics of haiku and final draft is legible.

2 - Writing includes 4-5 characteristics of haiku and final draft is legible.

1 - Writing has 3 or fewer characteristics of haiku.

Previous Lessons:

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ have created sensory and seasonal word lists.  ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ have heard a think-aloud focusing on the setting and characters of the story Basho and the Fox by Tim Myers.  ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ have completed a QAR on Basho and the Fox.

Implementation:

Instruction

The intent of the lesson is to focus on the idea of haiku and Basho as a person and poet.

  • Introduce and discuss the 7 characteristics of writing haiku on chart paper. Anchor the idea with examples of each characteristic.
  • Re-read Basho and the Fox and focus on the haiku poetry by doing a think aloud. Discuss the characteristics of haiku in each haiku that Basho writes for the foxes.
  • Read more haiku examples and point out each characteristic and/or have students determine where the poem demonstrates evidence of haiku characteristics.
  • Model writing a haiku with the students using the 7 characteristics.
  • Demonstrate a haiku by doing shared writing of haiku with the students.

Guided Practice:

  • Scaffolding: give the students the first 2 lines of a haiku and have them complete the last line.
  • Example: (from Donegan text)
  • yellow daffodil
  • in the sunny kitchen

Optional prompt:

  • Scaffolding: gave the students a haiku prompt and have students substitute words.
  • Example: (from Donegan text)
  • distant mountains
  • reflected in the ____
  • of ______________

Independent Practice

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ may practice writing their own haiku.

Conclusion

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ create a watercolor picture of their haiku that matches the idea of their individual haiku.  ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will share their haiku in Author's Chair.

Extensions:

  1. Read Grass Sandals.
  2. On a map of Japan, show Basho's travels.
  3. Revisit the photos of the Yamadera region and the Basho statue.
  4. Tea ceremony lesson and its' significance to haiku.
  5. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ can enter haiku contest (see Haiku: Learn to Express Yourself by Writing Poetry in the Japanese Tradition by Patricia Donegan)
  6. Have students explore various website from Haiku: Learn to Express Yourself by Writing Poetry in the Japanese Tradition by Patricia Donegan to find modern haiku.
  7. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ can make individual haiku books.
  8. Teacher can make a class haiku book.