Task 3: A Haiku a day...

Well done on your excellent work for Task 2. Very impressive!

Please read this week's task very carefully, so that you do EXACTLY what I ask you to do...

A syllable is a part of a word pronounced separately. Sometimes, you can count the syllables in a word by clapping your hands each time you make a new syllable. For example, the word "syllable" has 3 syllables: syl-la-ble.

HAIKU (pronounced "hi-koo") is a traditional form of Japanese poetry - but it can work well in the English language too. A haiku consists of only 3 lines. The first line has 5 syllables; the second line has 7; and the third line has 5.

Here is an example of a haiku:

The Frog

Green and speckled legs
Hop on logs and lily pads,
Splash in cool water.

See how the poem obeys the syllable rules I mentioned earlier.

Here is another way to remember the 'syllable rule' for Haikus:

I am first with five,
Then seven in the middle;
Five again to end.

Have a look at some haikus written by some other children from around the country by clicking here. See if you can work out which of them has actually followed the rules correctly. Are there any you think are particularly good?

Writing a bad, boring, hurried haiku is EASY. But writing a GOOD haiku is very difficult indeed.

Read this haiku by the wonderful poet, Roger McGough:

The only problem
with haiku is that you just
get started and then...

Not as easy at it seems, is it?

How about this one though?

When I write haiku
I feel like a bird soaring
On high looking down.

Want to write a really good haiku - one that blows your moderators' minds??? Here are some tips:

1. Have fun with language - especially the way it sounds. For example, some alliteration is great! Read your haiku aloud as you write it. Do you like the way it sounds?
   
2. Think HARD about the words you use; don't use the first words that come into your head. Be original - and experiment with new words, or new ways of using the ones you already know.
   
3. Use the shortness of haiku to concentrate on what the topic is actually all about - kind of like holding a poetic magnifying glass to the topic. What are its most important qualities? What does it really mean to you? Think hard about this before you start writing.
   
4. Expert haiku writers often have a slight change after Line 2. It might be just a change of 'mood' (e.g. happy to sad); a change of 'tone' (e.g. positive to negative); or even a change of pace (e.g. fast to slow)
   

OK. Are you 100% clear now on what makes a really good haiku? Do you understand all of the rules? And, more importantly, what turns an OK haiku into an AMAZING one?

Good. :)

Here is your task for this week then:

You need to write 7 haikus. You could choose to draft one each day, or do them all in one go. But, either way, please make sure you upload them as ONE post, all together.

Your haikus should be on the following 7 topics (which can also be their titles):

1. Our Planet
   
2. Growing Up
3. War
4. Summer
5. Family
6. School
7. Fear

Right: NOW read through this task again several times. ONLY when you COMPLETELY understand ALL of it should you even THINK about starting to plan your writing; and ONLY when you have PLANNED your writing in DETAIL should you even BEGIN to draft your poems; and ONLY when you have DRAFTED and RE-DRAFTED your poems SEVERAL times should you settle on your FINAL version; and ONLY when you have settled on your FINAL versions should you POST your task.

In other words... TAKE YOUR TIME!!!

Good luck.

The deadline for this task is 6pm on Saturday 11th July 2009.