Unit 4

How Do We Express Ourselves?

Activity

Perfect Harmony: Haiku Poem

In this activity, you will create a Haiku Poem about music or a musical instrument.


A Haiku Poem is an unrhymed poem with only three lines and a total of seventeen syllables.

The first line must be five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line five syllables.

A haiku has a cutting word which divides the haiku into two points. You can use a punctuation mark to show the change in thought (?, .;) .

A haiku is traditionally a nature poem. Therefore, it contains a seasonal reference. The haikus featured in Literacy in Action 6B are not nature poems. Your poem does not need to contain a seasonal reference either.

Watch

Remove Ads from Course Videos

Your next task is to watch a video.


Sometimes, an advertisement will pop onto the screen after you click the video play button. To remove the ad, click the X (usually in the top right corner of the ad).

How to Write a Haiku


Here is video for those students who require more support with Haiku.

Counting Syllables


Are you thinking about syllables in words? Here is a quick review of how to count syllables.

Click each row to follow the steps of the activity.

Look at the Bass Haiku poem on page 41 of Literacy in Action.


  1. Count out the first line: Buried in the Deep
      • Did you count out five syllables?

  2. Count out the second line: reaches of the belly; bass
      • How many syllables did you count out?

  3. Now count out the third line: booms deep and heavy
      • Did you count out five syllables?
Skill Builder

Skill Builder

To learn How to Write a Haiku, click the Skill Builder button to access the Skill Builder page, then view Searches - How To Write a Haiku.

Decide whether your poem will be about music or a musical instrument.

List as many words as you can about the music or instrument you have chosen. Use the Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music to generate your words.


As you complete Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music, ask yourself the following questions:

  • What do you see when you think about the music or instrument chosen?
  • What do you hear?
  • What can you smell or taste?
  • What do you feel when you hear the music or instrument being played?




Document: Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music
Click here to download
Printer-Friendly Version

Download PDF


  1. Download the document Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music.
  2. IMPORTANT NOTE: When the download screen opens:
      • Click the "Open with" button.
      • Select "Adobe Reader".
      • Click "OK".
      • You will then be able to view the document Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music.
      • Can't view the file? View Skill Builder: Saving Dynamic PDFs.

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  2. Name your Use Your Senses! Sensory Chart: Music file in this format: jsmith_sensorychartmusic and save the file to your Documents folder.

Decide what you will call your Haiku (the word Haiku should be part of the title).

Pictured here is an example of the poem Bass Haiku put into Word Mover.


Websites

Websites

You may use the Word Mover to write your poem.  You do not need to use it.

Use the Online Dictionary to check for spelling errors.

Follow these instructions to use Word Mover:


  • Click Start a New Poem.
  • Click My Own Words.
  • Put in the poem's title and your name.
  • Select a background.
  • Click +Add a Word.
  • A box will appear and you can write a word in it.
  • Click on the box and move it where you'd like to place it.
  • When you click on the box, you will see a small word that says "Style".
  • Click on Style and you can change the colour of the word and the font. You can also choose bold, italicize, or underline.
  • When you're done, click Next.
  • You can use the zoom to see how your poem looks.

Send

Send E-mail

Click Send as an E-mail so the file emails to yourself. You will receive a PDF file. Save the PDF file to your computer.

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  2. Name your Assignment 4-2 as per the previous page or name your Word Mover Poem in this format: jsmithla6_wordmover and save the file to your Documents folder.

Summative Assessment

Throughout the unit, you learned and practiced new concepts and presentation formats. Now it’s time to demonstrate or “sum up” your understanding of that information by submitting this assignment for a mark.


  1. Submit your Assignment 4-2 (and Word Mover Haiku poem)  now to your teacher for marking.
  2. Click Add Submission to upload your document.