Haikus

We talked all about the 5-7-5 pattern.  I read them examples.  We discussed.

Then I gave them a worksheet where they were to write the topic of their haiku followed by words related to their topic.  There was a little circle where they could write the number of syllables in each word.

This was all meant to scaffold the writing of the haiku.

One of my smart girls whipped out her whiteboard and quickly wrote a haiku.  She said, "I don't need to use the worksheet."

Her haiku was not very interesting.  It had the 5-7-5 pattern perfectly, but just said over and over that her dad was the best. (Every line had dad and best in it.)

I told her that I thought she could do better.  I said, "I want you to spend more time and think up more interesting words.  Use that creative brain of yours."

She was huffy, but went back to her seat.  I was engaged spelling endless words for a stream of children coming to my desk. (I write words on little pieces of paper and send them on their way.  It is more efficient than spelling out loud for them.)

When it was her turn in the line, she slid her paper across the desk with a smug smile.

I tried and mostly succeeded at not smiling and said, "OK."

I handed her the next page where she was to write the actual haiku.  I think that surprised her.  I said, "You can write a haiku about that, or I can give you a new page and you can start over."

She said she would start over.

I spend my days torn between gathering up the stragglers who can't keep up with the class and reining in students like her and trying to keep them from being "so stinking bored out of (their) mind(s)."

I pull and push.  That's my job.