Analysis

Instructional Needs:
Lesson Goal
After completing the lesson the student will be able to compose Haiku that contains the three major elements discussed.
Classify Goal
Gagné's Intellectual Skills, Problem Solving
Why is it Needed
Creative writing activities expand students' creativity, make students better readers and critics of literature, and increase students' critical thinking skills beyond the literary realm. Haiku in particular provides a different format for creativity, heightens observational skills, and can help people to grow closer to nature. (I polled creative writing instructors from OWCC and UWF, Dr. O'Brien of UWF and Beverly Holmes of OWCC responded.)
Parallel Standards
None that I have found at the collegiate level, but creative writing is a a competence requirement at the high school level and lower levels so I'm sure it's importance extends into the post secondary levels otherwise it would not be offered..

Environment:
 

 Unfortunately, OWCC does not provide students with free email accounts and Internet access so students will have to find a way to access these items themselves.  With free email providers, like Hotmail, any student can create an email account that is accessible from any Internet connection.  All OWCC computer labs have Internet access so if students can work within open lab hours even students who do not have a computer at home could access this lesson. I intend to have a printable version of the lesson so students can print it out and read it at their convenience, regardless of computer lab hours.  They can read the lesson text and plan what they intend to submit when they are in the lab so as to minimize any limitation on lab time. If they are having trouble finding lab time to search the web for the haiku web sites I provide they may use books of haiku from libraries. Three of the OWCC sites (Niceville, Ft. Walton Beach, Crestview) have libraries on the site. The remaining three centers (Eglin, Hurlburt, and Defuniak) have libraries in the area.

 Learners:
 Who:
 Primary learners are OWCC degree seeking students, secondary learners are non-degree seeking students composed of community members interested in the subject who may or may not be auditing the course. Students range in age from sixteen (dual enrollment, charter school, GED graduates) to sixty or older. According to the 1999 OWCC Fact Book the average age is 30 for freshmen and 31 for sophomores. Over 80% of the student population is white (81.15% white, 10.37% black, 3.96% Hispanic, 3.44% Asian, 0.80% Indian, and 0.28% Non-Resident Alien).  The 1999 Fact Book did not mention gender, but the OWCC Student Demographics Web Site listed the gender breakdown as 42.3% male and 57.7% female with the largest population being between the ages of 20 to 24. Though the average student will be white, female and American, people of varied religious, ethnic, citizenship, and socioeconomic backgrounds will also access this lesson. Distance learners at OWCC tend to be active duty military, full-time employed, or parents of young children who have limited options for class times.  More and more students are discovering that Distance Learning fits their schedules better than traditional classes so the typical distance learning student demographic is changing.  (NOTE: OWCC has changed names and web address, I have removed the links)

 I would like to have this class password protected so that only enrolled students may participate. If not for the threaded discussion group and access to enrolled students' email accounts I would leave it open to anyone but I want to protect the students from possible trouble or unwanted attention.

Where:
Most students will reside in Okaloosa and Walton counties, see our OWCC District Map for more details.  (NOTE: OWCC has changed names and web address, I have removed the links)  Although some students have traveled from as far as Pensacola, Chipola, and Panama City or further to attend OWCC, students who are not in the area will typically fall into three categories:

• active duty military who have been sent TDY during the semester
• inmates in corrections facilities, usually Eglin Federal Prison Camp though other facilities have contacted OWCC about enrolling inmates
• transient students, usually those that have moved towards the end of their programs and are trying to complete their OWCC degree from the new location or have gone home for the Summer Semester to be with family but plan on returning in the Fall

Technical Abilities/Knowledge:
Students must have basic computer skills. They do not have to know how to type, but that would help them move through this and any other lesson easier.  Students must have enough Internet experience that they can access the lesson in the first place and they should be familiar with how to work their Internet browser. I will explain the navigational tools within my lesson, how to post to a threaded discussion and where to access a chatroom. My introductory letter will include the lesson URL as well as pictures of  the Netscape Browser and Internet Explorer browser with the spot to enter the URL noted, just in case. I will provide a link to Hotmail so they can create an email account if they do not have email but they should be capable of following their instructions.

Prior Knowledge:
Prior knowledge will range from never having heard of Haiku to actually having experience composing them.  Many elementary schools do teach Haiku so many students will be familiar with Haiku but may have misconceptions or a limited knowledge about the true form.

Individual Differences:
As mentioned earlier, the learners are a varied group. Differences include:

• purpose/goal for the class
• educational history
• exposure to poetry/Haiku
• age
• socioeconomic background
• race/ethnicity

Special Requirements:
Students with special needs should contact the instructor or the Counselor for Students with Special Needs.  Modifications to the lesson to fit their needs will be discussed. I will endeavor to use varied techniques for varied learning styles as well as use easy to read fonts and no excessive or inappropriate graphics.

Objectives

 Level 1:  Knowledge Level -

• Students will identify and define the major elements of haiku discussed in the lesson.
• Students will define the secondary elements of haiku discussed in the lesson.
• Students will count the syllables in four given poems and determine if the poems follow the traditional 5/7/5 pattern.
• Students will compose a 17 syllable description of themselves that follows the three lines of 5/7/5 syllables pattern.
• Students will identify the season represented in a sentence/poem that contains "season words".
• Students will compose their own list of "season words" for each of the four seasons.
• Students will identify good and bad examples of imagery.
• Students will rewrite the identified "bad examples of imagery" to make them good examples of imagery.

• After the section on elements of haiku, students will read haiku and identify elements and to determine if the poem follows traditional rules.

• Using the writing process and his/her choice of methods of composing haiku, the student will be able to compose two Haiku that contain the three major elements discussed in the lesson.

Instructional Analysis: Concept Map

Strategy Design

INTRODUCTION
To set the tone I have selected an Asian background and a Haiga (Japanese pen and ink painting often painted by haiku poets to accompany their poems). The picture is of an older Japanese man about to set pen and ink to paper - presumably to compose Haiku! The navigational links will contain English and Japanese Kanji Symbols (the language of Japanese Haiku).

I will have a brief statement about haiku - defining it as a form of very brief Japanese poetry - and mention how it is often studied in elementary schools so our class will be bringing different levels of knowledge to the lesson. As a sort of pre-test I will have everyone write down what they know about haiku and ask them to even compose one if they know how. This will be emailed to me so we can compare our original thoughts to what we have learned at the end of the lesson.

To motivate and provide relevance, I will tell students how learning to compose haiku will expand their creativity and allow them to express themselves in a new way. It will also change the way they look at the world for it forces them to examine things more closely or look at them with new eyes - "haiku eyes".  Finally, I hope the chance to post their poems to a web site at the end of the lesson will motivate them.

I  will post the instructions for navigating the site and definitions of items on the page on this first page and links that provide as well as instructions for creating a Hotmail account for those without email or for those who want to keep their private accounts separate

A very brief history of haiku will lead directly into the lesson. I believe that to understand haiku one must understand where the poetic form came from.

BODY
The same background and navigational tools presented in the Introduction will be in place throughout the body of the lesson. The only exceptions will be on assessment pages and the student haiku page. I intend to use alternate Asian background (one for assessment and one for student page) to magnify that the purpose of the pages has changed.  The body will be broken into two sections. The first deals with the elements of haiku. The second offers tips for composing haiku.

First Section:
(page 1) First I will have a general overview of what makes a haiku a haiku, based on various sources since no one seems to agree totally.  Most sources do agree on three major characteristics but many minor characteristics are important enough to mention.  All will be listed in a graphic organizer which will be linked to each page discussing that issue. The major elements are: 1) form/syllabication pattern, 2) kigo or "season word", 3) imagery. The minor elements include feeling, surprise, contrast, "time word", and "cutting words".  Each element will be examined in turn.  I have cherry blossom graphics to make the page visually attractive and to break up the text if needed. I chose cherry blossoms since they are so often used for imagery and kigo in traditional Japanese haiku.

(page 2) In the syllabication pattern lesson a review will be available for students who feel rusty in that area. Clicking on the review will take students to a page with definitions, examples, and self-quizzes. If they are successful at the self quiz they will go back to the lesson. For the lesson itself I will discuss the brevity of haiku and the traditional though not mandatory 5/7/5 pattern. I will show a haiku that has been broken down into syllables to show the pattern. Immediate assessment to make sure they have grasped the concept will be conducted via a quiz on identifying correct and incorrectly syllabified poems.  Then students will practice writing patterns of set number of syllables without concerning themselves with other haiku elements.

(page 3) Next we will examine "kigo" or "season words" and the notion that haiku are about nature. I will discuss how references to seasonal animals, plants, activities, weather patters, etc. reveal the season.  Immediate assessment/feedback from a quiz on finding season words will lead into a practice assignment.  After a comment that even famous haiku poets keep list of kigo, students will be asked to create their own list of "kigo", 10 for each season. They can create a chart, concept webs, or just make a list - whatever method they choose.  I will have different models of concept webs of my kigo for Autumn as examples of ways to brainstorm should they need advice. They must submit their lists to a threaded discussion to share ideas and draw from each other. (Instructions for threaded discussions will be posted)

(page 4) Imagery is vital in haiku, poets must paint an entire picture with a few words so they must make the most of the images they select. The importance of specific and concrete images will be stressed. Tips on things to avoid will be listed. As practice, students will be presented with good and bad images and must select the good example.

(page 5) Finally we will examine some minor characteristics that do not always appear in haiku but do often appear.  These will be briefly defined then students will be presented with examples.

(page 6 ) Assessment. For immediate feedback, students will be presented with multiple choice questions then examples of my haiku to pick out examples of the element requested. For higher level assessment, students will be sent to various web sites (or can look up haiku books in libraries and bookstores should they wish).  They must read haiku, select 5 and identify the major and any minor elements contained in each poem and report back to me by email with the names, location, and elements of the five haiku they selected. Even though they only have to report on five, they will be encouraged to read as many as they can to get a feel for haiku and improve their own writing. There will be a reminder that once they leave my web site to look at the haiku sites they must use the navigational bar on their browser. They will also be warned that Japanese haiku, when translated into English, often will not meet the syllabication rules. This is lost in the translation to preserve the meaning/feeling of the poem. They will also be warned that cultural differences and changes in meanings over time may make the season words hard to identify in translated Japanese poems but to not let that stop them from trying.

Second Section (one page)
After learning the elements of haiku and studying examples of haiku it will be time for students to try their hand at writing haiku. In this section students will be presented with methods for composing. The writing process will be mentioned to activate prior knowledge, then we move on to writing haiku specifically. One method is a meditation method, relaxing oneself and simply existing within a particular moment. Another method is to brainstorm words and moments related to a season and place these images into the syllabication rules. Ginko, or "haiku walks" are a traditional method. The student may create his or her own method. Much encouragement is needed, haiku is not easy, and they will be reminded not to expect masterpieces from the start. I will mention how I am by no means a master but with practice I have improved and so can they. After composing, they will revise and edit their own haiku. I will show examples of my poems before and after revising as examples. Their assignment will be to email two original haiku to me. They will be informed that their haiku will be posted to a class haiku page (motivation) and given the deadline for submitting their poems. Once the page is posted they must go to the site and read each other's poems. We will all meet in a chat room to discuss the good aspects of everyone's poems and give suggestions for improvements so they will have to prepare at least one comment for each poet ahead of time for the scheduled chat session.

CONCLUSION
Linked to the class Haiku Page will be a conclusion. It will contain a redefinition of Haiku, including the graphic organizer from the body of the lesson. Students will be reminded of their original thoughts on haiku and how they now have a much fuller understanding. They will be praised for all of their hard work and participation - Haiku is not easy and it can take a lifetime to master. I will also mention how this study can impact their composing other styles of poems and self-expression and how they now look at the world in a whole new way - through "haiku eyes". I will also encourage them to keep reading and writing haiku, and to experiment with free verse haiku or fun haiku, like the contests television shows or web sites put out for haiku about their programs or other silly subjects. The page will have links and book titles for further study if they wish to read more. Students will be encouraged to read critically to develop their own sense of good and bad haiku, mentioning they have taken the first steps in this direction earlier in the lesson.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment takes place throughout the lesson. Both immediate assessment/feedback quizzes will be used as well as assignments to create examples that will be sent either to my email, threaded discussion groups, or chat sessions.  Finally, the student will show their understanding of haiku by composing themselves.  Participation will play a large roll in assessment since artistic creativity is so subjective.

Assessment Items: