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!
I’ve found haiku to be a great way to introduce students to poetry, and nature in autumn offers boundless opportunities.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! I have used it for years and now and found it useful to connect them to nature as well. Some very reluctant writer’s were writing!
LikeLike
Thanks! I couldn’t agree more!
LikeLike
What a wonderful day! Haiku is such a good form to introduce students to poetry and to the careful observation that science requires.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree! Most were already familiar with it and “acted” bored at first but once we got outside to observe they were all working on their poems in their heads – counting syllables!
LikeLike
Having students notice and wonder about nature is a great motivator to engage students in the writing process. I enjoyed reading the children’s poems.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLike
Wonderful that you are writing with your students! I especially enjoyed the images in your milkweed haiku.
LikeLike
Thank you! I shared that with the students, too!
LikeLike
I love this idea of using poetry to foster students’ awareness of their environments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! I think it worked well. Most students took it very seriously!
LikeLike