Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? It is! My grade 4s have been very busy learning about different types of poetry and loving it. When we got to Haiku’s I, of course, had to use my lesson based on this book:
“Combining evocative
haiku, informative text and luminous illustrations, The West Is Calling
is a celebration, for our youngest readers, of one hundred and fifty
years of British Columbia’s history. Each detail-rich illustration
depicts a particular moment in the province’s dynamic saga, from
pre-contact Haida culture, to the natural resources-fueled economic boom
in the 1960s and beyond, to Expo 86, to the opening up of the North and
the growing appreciation of First Nations’ traditions.”
~Good Reads
My kids really surprised me with some thoughtful and insightful poetry. They are excellent writers, and I knew that, but this lesson reminded me how powerful poetry can be for young writers. Even my reluctant writers came up with some beautiful poems.
You can find this lesson on TPT by clicking the photo below. The task is to create a Haiku about your home – students may choose a
narrow topic, such as their actual home, or go wider to town, or
province. They are provided with a criteria sheet, brainstorming sheet
and two choices for a good copy sheet. A marking rubric is also
included as well as samples from grade 4 students.
