Lesson Overview:

The sound and movement of ocean waves may be called poetry in motion. This lesson uses the ocean to teach students about a form of Japanese poetry. After learning about haiku, and hearing haiku, students listen to the ocean to inspire them in writing their own haiku.

Length of Lesson:

Two 45-minute class periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suited to grades 3-4.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• organize information with a logical plan.
• use vocabulary specifically about oceans.
• describe ways that oceans shape and reshape the land by eroding the land and by depositing soil.
• write a haiku about oceans.
• create their own books of haikus and a joint class book of haikus.

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

Have students close their eyes and listen to the sound of the ocean for a minute. Do not tell them what the sound is, and ask them to write down what they believe they heard. List the suggestions on the board, and circle the responses that contain information about oceans.

Guided Practice Activities

Give students time to write down all of the things they can think of about oceans. Encourage them to think in terms of all five of their senses (you may wish to list the senses on the board.

Instruct students to use a different color crayon or marker to circle observations that reflect each of the senses the senses. (For example, circle all items relating to sight in red, those relating to touch in blue, etc.)

Have students think about the ocean environment, in terms of the animals live there, the motions of the oceanic waters, etc. Have them write down their observations.

Learning about Haiku

Describe the syllable pattern of 5-7-5, used to create a haiku. Read a collection of haiku, counting out syllables for each line.

Refer back to some of the suggestions from the Guided Practice Activities. Pull ideas with descriptive facts about oceans. Arrange the descriptive words into sentences or phrases. Revise and edit the words until the syllable pattern, 5-7-5 is in place. The finished haiku should describe one or more facts about the ocean.

Independent Activities

Students should use their own lists to create haiku describing facts about oceans.

Closure

Compile student haiku in a class book. If desired, have each student create an illustration to accompany his or her haiku.

Assessment:

Assess the extent to which students successfully complete the following tasks:

• Brainstorm facts about the ocean.
• Describe ways that oceans shape and reshape the land by eroding the land and by depositing soil.
• Write an original haiku.

Sources:

• Armento, Beverly, and J. Jorge Klor de Alva, Gary Nash, Christopher Salter, Louis Wilson, and Karen Wixson. From Sea to Shining Sea. Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
• Kemper, Dave, and Ruth Nathan, and Patrick Sebranek. Write on Track. Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
• Scholastic, Inc. Storyworks. September 1997.
• Sweeney, Jacqueline. Quick Poetry Activities. Scholastic Professional Books, 1996.

Authors:

• Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
  Kingsford Elementary School
  Mitchellville, MD