The Apples in My Orchard

If you read my blog yesterday, you know I’ve been teaching during the last two days. Today, was more of the same – connecting students in grades 4-8 to our local lands through writing Haiku.  The theme was wetlands but many wrote about Autumn, tree color, and other such observations that were encouraged in my brief introduction to writing Haiku.

We followed a traditional Japanese Haiku syllabic pattern, although many English Haiku have been written in, and accepted as, an even briefer form. As usual, I wrote alongside my students and ended up with several Haiku to share. Most of the teachers took their student Haiku with them, but I did retain several especially good pieces of writing that resulted from our station just steps away from the La Crosse Marshlands.

Since using ones’ senses and making observations of the nature that surrounds us was important to this writing exercise, I made sure we spent part of each group’s session outside walking near the marsh and through the pollinator gardens. Each group and each individual in each group noted something different which they described in this brief form of poetry. As is usual with student writing, some took it more seriously than others, but most did produce a piece of writing that made an honest attempt at a traditional Haiku. I  believe their teachers were pleased!

What follows are some of my own pieces from Wetland Education Days at the Marsh.

Algae Frosting

Green Algae Frosting

Very Close to Water’s Edge

Capping the Surface

Autumn at the Marsh

Many Brown Seed Heads

Water Lies Silently Still

Autumn at the Marsh

Marsh Waters

Still Marshy Wetlands

Gray Skies Cover Flat Water

Green Algae Frosting

Afternoon at The Marsh

Sun Shines Brightly Now

Water Glistens like Gemstones

Squirrels play by The Marsh

Eagles

A Bald Eagle Pair

Soaring High over the Marsh

A Wonderous Site

Milkweed at the Marsh

Brown Milkweed Seed Pods

Like a Mouse’s Ear, so soft

Lined up Soldier Seeds

I am saving some of the Haiku for a future post. Hopefully, you enjoyed these snapshots of our wetlands. I know I enjoyed the students, the nature we experienced together, and the writing that was inspired by being outdoors.

This post is part of Poetry Friday. For more awesome poems, please check the host page at Karen Edmisten. Thank you!