Japanese poet Masaoka Shiki died in 1902.

Shiki Masaoka, well known for reforming and re-invigorating the haiku form of poetry, was born in Matsuyama, Japan, in 1867. Shiki's early goals were in politics and philosophy, but his studies at the Imperial University drew him toward a career in literature, specifically the haiku form of poetry. His given name was Tsunenori, but as a young man he adopted the pen name Shiki, which refers to a legendary bird that coughs blood as it sings. Shiki's adoption of this name coincided with a bout of ill health in which he himself coughed blood and the time period in which he abandoned his political aspirations to devote himself to literature. Unfortunately, Shiki's health would continue to deteriorate over time, and on the morning of September 19, 1902, he succumbed to tuberculosis and passed away at the age of only 35. Shiki's contribution to the haiku came in his refocusing of the craft toward a principle of describing life just as it is. Haiku in this form aims to observe nature at a particular moment in time and reflect on the motion, appearance or impact it has on the observer.

EDSITEment
Can You Haiku? (3–5) introduces students to the close observation and reflection prevalent in this Japanese form of poetry. In this lesson, students learn the rules and conventions of haiku, study examples by Japanese masters and create original haiku.

Middle school students are introduced to the technique of haiku poetry writing in The World of Haiku (6–8). In the lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art. Then, they compose their own haiku.

The Japanese poetry style of Haibun grew out of the Haiku style. Haibun is prose punctuated by Haiku. Say Hi to Haibun Fun (9–12) is designed to introduce students in language arts or social studies classes to elements of this Japanese writing style and the Japanese cultural concepts incorporated by the Haibun.

ReadWriteThink
In Seasonal Haiku: Writing Poems to Celebrate Any Season (3–5), students listen to a sample of haiku read aloud. Then, using seasonal descriptive words, they write their own haiku following the traditional syllable and line format. Finally, they publish their poems by mounting them on illustrated backgrounds that represent the images depicted in the poems.

ARTSEDGE
Oceans: A Fact Haiku (K–4) combines poetry writing with geography and science as students write about oceans using the haiku style of poetry. Students use all five senses to write a haiku about what is known about oceans and then describe ways that oceans shape and reshape the land through erosion and by depositing soil.

In You Too Can Haiku (K–4) students write their own haiku, which they publish on a Japanese-style scroll.