Holiday Haiku by Carolee Dean

I try to avoid the teacher's lounge during the holidays. The supply of sugary, buttery sweets is endless.

Several years ago I gave up baking cookies for the holidays and started giving away bookmarks with poems I'd created. Not only are these treats non-fattening, they are totally gluten free and last all year long! 

I love haiku poems. They have a simple form of three lines with a syllable structure of 5-7-5. It takes minutes to learn the rules of haiku, but a lifetime to master the art.

 I find it a great mental exercise for students of all ages to brainstorm a subject (winter holidays for instance) and categorize words and phrases into syllables. Even high school students continue to struggle with understanding syllable structure, a fundamental skill for decoding increasingly longer and more difficult words.

I like to start with a brainstorming session where we create a "word wall" on the white board. I then type the list and pass it out the next time I meet with students. Reluctant writers have the words spelled out for them and then may simply put interesting combinations together to create a haiku poem. Students who want a greater challenge are free to ditch the list and create their own. I always leave extra space at the bottom of the list for any last minute inspirations. The haiku poems may then be written on cards or custom made bookmarks. 

One Syllable	Two Syllable	Three Syllable	Four Syllable	Five Syllable
Ham Snow Frost Toys Trees Lamb Star Gift Elves Lights Coal Gloves Boots	Presents Apples Kwanzaa Rudolph Reindeer Snowflakes Snow Day Santa Skiing Eggnog The Grinch Mittens Ski Lodge	Jingle Bells Pumpkin Pie Black Friday Hanukkah Snowboarding Ice Skating Mrs. Claus Hot Cocoa Posole Ornaments Candy Cane Winter Break New Year’s Eve Button Nose	Merry Christmas Happy New Year Biscochitos Decorations Silver and Gold Apple Cider Two Hour Delay Saint Nicholas	Frosty the Snowman Watching the Ball Drop One Horse Open Sleigh Gingerbread Houses Luminarias Winter  Wonderland Nutcracker Ballet A Red-Nosed Reindeer

Here are a few examples: 

Green elves who live in

haunted gingerbread houses

shouldn't throw snow balls

Frosty the Snowman

ice skating in Central Park

watching the ball drop

Warm, woolen mittens,

snowflakes on reindeer noses,

A cold winter's night

Drink some hot cocoa, 

and write yourself some poems. 

We'll see you next year!!