Activity
Tanka Poem
Most of us are familiar with haiku, but the tanka is an even older form of Japanese poetry. The tanka poem is 5 lines long with a fixed number of syllables. Because so many Japanese poems are about nature, help your 4th grader create a poem about the outdoors.
What You Need:
- Paper
- Pencil
- Imagination
What You Do:
- Explain to your child that you are both going to write a Japanese poem called a tanka. It is similar to a haiku because there are a fixed number of lines and specific number of syllables per line.
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 7 syllables
- Many Japanese poems are about nature. Help your daughter brainstorm nature topics for her tanka. Maybe there is someplace you’ve recently visited as a family that she would like to write about.
- Once your daughter has picked a topic, have her make up a word list. What words come to mind when she thinks about her topic? These words will help her choose what she wants to include in her poem.
- Time to write! Each line can contain a separate thought or one thought can be split between two or more lines. Be ready for some serious rewriting as she tries to achieve the right number of syllables per line.
For extra inspiration, try printing off pictures of your favorite natural places and ask each person in the family to write a tanka. You’ll be surprised how different each poem is. Display each poem with the photo that inspired it!
Related learning resources
Analyzing a Poem
Worksheet
Analyzing a Poem
The Analyzing a Poem graphic organizer supports students with specific questions to help them understand a poem.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Pantoum Poem
Activity
Pantoum Poem
Practice rhythm and rhyme with these step-by-step instructions for a pantoum poem!
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Couplet Poem
Activity
Couplet Poem
Learn about how to write a couplet poem in this easy introduction to the classic poetry style.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Acrostic Poem: "Mother"
Worksheet
Acrostic Poem: "Mother"
In an acrostic poem, the first letter of each line spells out a word or message! Give your child a fun challenge with this acrostic "mother" poem starter.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Bio Poem Template
Worksheet
Bio Poem Template
In this worksheet, children read an example of a bio poem for jazz musician Thelonious Monk, then use the prompt to create a bio poem for a person of their choosing.
3rd grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Back to School Poem
Activity
Back to School Poem
Celebrate the new school year with a back to school poem!
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Sensory Poem: Halloween
Activity
Sensory Poem: Halloween
Encourage your child to take in the tastes, smells, sights, sounds and textures of the year's spookiest holiday with a sensory poem!
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Write a Thanksgiving Day Poem
Activity
Write a Thanksgiving Day Poem
This holiday, why not memorialize some of those details and events with a family poem? You can create a lasting memory in the form of a poem with contributions f
kindergarten
Reading & Writing
Activity
A Poem with Details from Your Thanksgiving
Worksheet
A Poem with Details from Your Thanksgiving
In the worksheet A Poem with Details from Your Thanksgiving, learners will write an abecedarian poem with details from their Thanksgiving break where the first letter
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Make Shape Poem Greeting Cards
Activity
Make Shape Poem Greeting Cards
Help your fourth or fifth grader design and write their own innovative greeting card by formulating a poem in the shape of their favorite object of choice.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Write a Simile Poem ... Starring Your Pet!
Activity
Write a Simile Poem ... Starring Your Pet!
Give your fourth grader a head start in poetry with a simile writing activity that guides him in crafting a cute poem about the beloved family pet.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Activity
Read With Rhythm and Rhyme
Worksheet
Read With Rhythm and Rhyme
Help students learn how to recognize the beats in a poem with this worksheet.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet