This intriguing poetic style evolved in Japan in the thirteenth century and is based mainly on nature. The poetry usually has three lines, wherein the first line contains 5 syllables, the second line 7 and the third line 5. Some versions follow a 3-5-3 pattern. The first example is a fun, handy reminder of how to write a haiku! The second is from the Japanese master Basho; the remaining examples are from Class 4 pupils of Workman’s Primary (2012) and 3rd form Lester Vaughan Secondary (2010). 

Examples—

Five on the first line
Seven on the second line
Five on the third line

the first cold shower
even the monkey seems to want
a little coat of straw
     —Basho (1644–1694)

Pineapple prickly
Hard outside, a bit like stars
Sweet, yellow beauty.
      — Raziel Holligan

National Hero
Father of Independence
Skipper the Dipper
       — Tré Waithe Smith

The morning wind blows
Brings ripe golden apple smell
And song of bird laugh
       — Tyreese Franklin

Blue, yellow and black
Our history on a pole
Waving in the breeze.
       — André Field

Flying fish gliding
in the sea. Colours of freedom.
YUM!
             — Skye Shepherd

Raindrops big as limes
gushing on the okra leaves
Soil moist and brown.
             — Markeesha Elder

READ ON
• There are numerous haiku writing resources across the Internet. Check out this one out at Poetry.org or find and bookmark some friendly ones of your own.
• Enjoy haiku and haiku-inspired verse in ArtsEtc’s own haiku gallery by Barbadian writers Anthony Kellman, D.J. Simmons, Bill Grace, and others.
• Read my account of teaching haiku in the classroom.

TEACHER’S TIPS
•Take children out of doors to record their observations of nature using all their senses. They may jot their ideas down to flesh out and discuss when back in the classroom prior to drafting and writing.
• Encourage more advanced and creative pupils to produce haiku of 13 to 15 syllables or with a line syllable count of 3-5-3.
• In all cases, the haiku should seek to encapsulate “the world in a raindrop”—and when read aloud, should convey the impression of being deivered in one, natural flowing breath. Read back over the examples above and decide for yourself which haiku seem to run smoothly off the tongue!
• Haiku traditionally do NOT carry titles and do not rhyme.
• The plural of haiku is haiku!