Level: Intermediate (grades 3-6)

Objectives

• Write a tanka poem
• Understand and identify descriptive words in poetry
• Understand and apply syllabication

Introduce the Poetry
Tanka is a Japanese poetry style that dates back to the 5^th century. The poems were originally written to mark a special occasion or moment. They traditionally contained five lines and 31 syllables in a 5-7-5-7-7 fixed syllable pattern. Tanka poetry stresses the use of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in the elaboration of its subject. The structure also emphasizes the use of patterns and syllabication. Rhyming, if included, is generally alliterative or internal.

Teach the Poetry

• Write the following examples of tanka poetry on the board or overhead projector or hand out a copy of the samples page.

Thunderclouds building Gathering strength as they grow Releasing themselves Pouring life-giving torrents Cleansing the world in shower	Thun/der/clouds build/ing Ga/ther/ing strength as they grow Re/leas/ing them/selves Pour/ing life giv/ing tor/rents Cleans/ing the world in show/er	5 syllables 7 syllables 5 syllables 7 syllables 7 syllables
Light, airy snowflakes Fall frostily on your nose Fascinating fun Frolicking in dainty flakes Gathering crystals gala!	Light, air/y snow/flakes Fall frost/i/ly on your nose Fas/ci/na/ting fun Frol/ick/ing in dain/ty flakes Gath/er/ing crys/tals ga/la	5 syllables 7 syllables 5 syllables 7 syllables 7 syllables

• Review the syllable pattern in each tanka with students.
• Have students identify the subject in each poem (thunderstorms, snowflakes). Explain that as in haiku, the author's purpose in tanka poetry is to transform a seemingly common person, place, thing, or experience into something special or extraordinary.
• Discuss how tanka poetry stresses the use of interesting and descriptive words in the elaboration of its subject. Have students identify the nouns (Thunderclouds, strength, torrents, world, snowflakes, nose, fun, flakes, crystals, gala), verbs (building, Gathering, grow, Releasing, Pouring, Cleansing, Fall, Frolicking, Gathering), adjectives (life-giving, light, airy, Fascinating, dainty), and adverbs (frostily) in the poems.           

Model Writing a Tanka

• The first step in writing a tanka poem is to choose a good topic. Tanka poems were traditionally written to mark a special occasion or moment, but in modern times they are used to comment and expand on just about any topic.
• For the purposes of this lesson, encourage students to use their emotions and senses to brainstorm a list of nature-related topics. Subjects might include: different types of weather, clouds, landforms, water formations, seasons, etc. Record students' suggestions on the board or overhead projector.
• Choose a topic from the generated list and write it on the board or overhead.
• Invite students to name words or phrases that describe the chosen topic. Then, as a group, experiment with putting the words and phrases together to describe the topic in five lines according to the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. Model rearranging and rethinking word choices to match the syllable pattern. For example, if a chosen phrase has four syllables, but the pattern requires that it have five, model selecting a similar two-syllable word.
• Have students write their own tanka using the same topic. Encourage them to use a dictionary or thesaurus to find synonyms or more interesting and precise words as necessary.

Word Work: Syllabication

• Students must be familiar with syllabication to apply the tanka structure. To review or teach syllabication, use the poems or words listed on the board. Have students clap the syllables, or beats, in each word. Extend the exercise by having students categorize the words by the number of syllables they contain. For example, sort the words in the thunderstorm tanka (one syllable: strength, as, they, grow, the, world, in; two syllables: building, themselves, Pouring, torrents, Cleansing, shower; three syllables: Thunderclouds, gathering, Releasing, life-giving).
• Choose one of the topics listed on the board. Create a three-column flow chart titled one-syllable, two-syllables, and three-syllables. Have students brainstorm one-, two-, and three-syllable words that describe the topic. Write the words on the board in the appropriate category.
• Work with students to combine the words on the board or overhead to write five- and seven-syllable lines that describe the topic.

Poetry Practice

• Have students work individually or in pairs to choose another topic from the generated topic list on the board. Then have them write a tanka.
• Have students begin by brainstorming a list of words and phrases that describe their topic. Then have them practice putting the words and phrases together to describe the topic in five lines according to the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern.
• Explain that although punctuation was not originally used by Japanese poets, in modern creations it may be used for emphasis or clarity or to establish more meaningful connections. Typically, each line should begin with a capital letter.
• As students write, encourage them to brainstorm words and phrases that communicate and fit the tanka structure. For example, invite them to look for synonyms that might be more interesting and concise to enrich their writing and/or resolve syllabication issues (cold: icy, freezing, nippy, brisk; hot: burning, scorching, fiery, sizzling).
• Have students revise their work to improve understanding and/or to fit the syllable pattern by adding, deleting, consolidating, and rearranging words as necessary.

Use the Worksheets for Practice

• Have students compose a tanka poem using the scaffolded worksheets. There are three choices of worksheets and a samples page:

Worksheet 1 for students who need additional support
Worksheet 2 for students who have a basic understanding of tanka poetry
Worksheet 3 for students who have a solid understanding of tanka poetry
Samples for examples of tanka poetry

Extend the Activity

• Celebrate the writing process by having students read their poetry aloud with fluency, rhythm, and expression.
• Assign a class topic such as favorite holidays. Topics might include: My Birthday, Halloween, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, and so on. Have students choose a favorite holiday to write a tanka about. Allow them time to share their poems with the class. Publish the finished poems in a class book titled "Celebrations!".
• Have students share their writing with as many different audiences as possible. Poetry may be published through classroom or school-wide displays, a poetry book, a school newsletter or website, an online poetry contest, or any other creative form of communication.
• Practice fluency by having students read their poems into a tape recorder. Save their best readings. Make the recordings available for other classes and/or grade levels to check out and listen to.