Note to Teachers: Welcome to The Haiku Foundation Education Wall. We are beginning our area for Senior High students with a list of selections from resources available for free, here at THF site. This video and reading list is designed as an introduction to English-language haiku. Formal lessons for this group are in progress. We look forward to working with you, and to reading new poems by your students.
THF Video Archive
The Haiku Foundation is producing seven different kinds of films:
- THF Galleries
- THF Interviews
- THF Lectures
- THF Master Clips
- THF Readings
- THF Video Haiga
- THF Reports
For this Introduction, we are highlighting two films from THF Reports, which may be useful to classes by themselves and/or as a part of curriculum for National Poetry Month in April (founded by the American Academy of Poets). The Haiku Foundation sponsors National Haiku Poetry Day on April 17. These two short films are from haiku poetry readings in 2012 and 2013. Events were also held in many other locations, and they are summarized on THF site.
The Haiku Foundation Reports: HaikuNow! 2012 Winners. This short film is a poetry reading at the National Haiku Poetry Day Celebration in Princeton, New Jersey (17 April, 2012). Jim Kacian, the founder and director of The Haiku Foundation, read the winning poems for this contest. The haiku are also written on the screen, so students both see and hear the haiku. Jim Kacian explained and described briefly the three contest categories: Traditional, Contemporary, and Innovative Haiku. Filmed by David Kelly Crow.
The Haiku Foundation Reports: National Haiku Poetry Day 2013, Washington D.C. Video highlights of the Towpath Haiku Society’s Events are featured. Filmed and narrated by Jim Kacian. Several poets read haiku, and a haibun read by Roberta Beary was also included.
Montage Galleries
Montage, a series of online haiku galleries edited by Allan Burns and sponsored by The Haiku Foundation, is a rich resource of material for various classes. Haiku by a wide variety of poets can enrich many subject areas, in addition to the language arts. Examples include science, history, music, and the visual arts. Each gallery has its theme and usually includes seven haiku by three different poets.
Here are three examples of galleries:
Montage #1: Foundations (Matsuo Basho; Nick Virgilio; Elizabeth Searle Lamb). This galley includes an introduction to haiku history, along with haiku by the poets.
Montage #6: Spring Migration (Peggy Willis Lyles, Matthew Paul, John Barlow). This gallery features spring bird Haiku.
Montage #30: New England Sketches (Peter Yovu, Bruce Ross, paul m.). This gallery includes a quote by Henry James; from “New England: An Autumn Impression,” from The American Scene (1907).
Our formal lesson plans for Senior High will focus on reading, writing, and sharing Haiku. We hope our content is useful, and we look forward to your feedback. We especially hope that haiku written by students are added to our Education Wall, with proper permission.
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