Lessons for All Ages: Kigo

Workshop on Kigo

Try this: Assign the group a common kigo word or phrase. It may appear anywhere in the haiku. For this example we will use “summer’s end.”

Next assign the following three “rules”:

Before the students actually start writing provide examples:

faded paper fan
on the windowsill
summer’s end
Amy Aderman

the foul ball lands
in an empty seat
summer’s end

Tom Painting

summer’s end
sun-bleached sand dollars
on the deck rail

Connie Donleycott

summer’s end
the boat lies sideways
on a mound of sand

John W. Wisdom

With the exception of one of the above haiku, all fall within the writing practice parameters. A survey of published English language haiku will more often than not reveal the same economy of words and syllables.

After students have written to the assigned kigo, have a reading of their work and a discussion about the sights, smells, sounds and activities that signal the end of summer.

Once a particular seasonal word phrase (kigo) has been explored broaden the discussion by asking students about other observations they have made or things they have experiences synonymous with the season as a whole. Again, focus on concrete images.

The following haiku were written by 8th grade students:

summer cottage
the bullfrog
slips my grasp

Emily Cornish

summer breeze
the flutter of clothes
thrown over a chair

Laura Santiago

summer dusk
throwing stones
through a broken window

Travis Moore

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We hope this lesson is a fun addition to your program and welcome your feedback!