Poetic Forms: Haiku and Limerick Which is which?! Why do you think so?! The pretty falling leaves, Fell and made me sneeze, The tree over there, Held a pear, It swayed and fell in the breeze. I saw two seagulls And a red bird in a tree Waiting there for Spring.

Limericks  A limerick is a poem with five lines. It is written with one couplet and one triplet . A couplet is a two-line rhymed poem. A triplet is a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a. Lines 1, 2 and 5 contain three beats and rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 have two beats and rhyme. Some people say that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700's.

Practice with Limericks A flea and a fly in a flue Were caught, so what could they do? Said the fly, "Let us flee." "Let us fly," said the flea. So they flew through a flaw in the flue. How many beats are in each line? (Lines 1, 2, and 5 should have three beats; Lines 2 and 4 should have two beats) Does this limerick follow the a a b b a pattern?

You will be creating your own limerick in station 2 For practice, try to complete this limerick using your criteria.   There once was a pauper named Meg Who accidentally broke her _______. She slipped on the ______. Not once, but thrice. Take no pity on her, I ________.

Haiku Haiku poems are generally written to describe nature. The most widely recognized form consists of a three-line stanza that has a total of 17 syllables, written in the following pattern: Line 1: 5 syllables Clouds float slowly by Line 2: 7 syllables Fluffy, lumpy, cotton balls Line 3: 5 syllables Silver, gray, and white The words and phrases used in haiku do not rhyme. When writing a haiku, the author's purpose is to transform a seemingly common nature-related topic into something special or extraordinary by using words.

Let’s practice… Bursting in bright hues Splashing colors all about Autumn leaves must fall How many syllables are there in each line of this poem? What is the subject (topic) of this poem? What interesting and descriptive words to you see in this poem?

Station 1   You will read a poem and decide if it is a haiku or limerick and answer two questions about each of the poems.

In Station 2… Work in groups to create your own limerick and haiku. FOR A LIMERICK use the (a a b b a) 5-line form. Hint: Practice the rhythm of limericks by clapping you hands or snapping your fingers. FOR HAIKU use the (5, 7, 5) syllable 3-line form. Hint: The words and phrases do not have to rhyme.

You will also be creating a haiku with your group in station 2… The first step in writing a haiku poem is to choose a good topic. Haiku poems are generally written about nature. Let’s brainstorm a list of nature-related topics. Subjects might include: different types of weather, clouds, landforms, water formations, seasons, etc. Brainstorm words or phrases that describe the topic. Put the words and phrases together to describe the topic in three lines according to the 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

Station 3  Vocabulary:

Station 4 SSR Conferencing: Bring your reading log and a pencil with you as well as the materials you have completed in stations thus far.