By: Ellen Grace Olinger

Ellen Grace Olinger — Mon, 16 May 2016 12:41:44 +0000

Dear Charlie, Thank you for your work. I am not a scholar in haiku, though the elementary lesson plans I wrote for THF with Jim Kacian are based on my knowledge of the effective instruction literature (dissertation in education at NIU in 1987). Because Montage, edited by Allan Burns, is the textbook, students, teachers, parents, and others are naturally reading a wide variety of haiku by many poets. There are lessons for awareness/listening, and reading, before writing plans. They are meant to be a supplement to the required curriculum. I am retired now and have not attempted to collect any empirical data to support my work here – which was only a way to help begin the education resources feature in 2013. Grateful also to Brad Bennett and Jeannie Martin for their new work at THF as the education co-chairs. Tom Painting’s work – many poets and teachers and scholars.

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With my blogs, I decided not to teach; though have shared about the work in education here (and other haiku sites). I guess I learn best by reading. For example, I also read many poet pages in the Haiku Registry, edited by Billie Wilson, to learn more about contemporary haiku, as I wrote lesson plans again (took me well over a year, with Jim’s support as editor).

My work here was service. Also want to mention that while Dave Russo linked from the plans to other areas of THF site, the plans also can be printed out for teachers to use in settings where there are no computers. I saw a wide variety of programs when I worked with practice teachers in Chicago and Northern Illinois years ago, and how resources can vary. Brad Bennett extended the work, and many others, as I’ve said.

All the best,

Ellen

Comments on: How We Haiku — Teaching Stories 4

By: Ellen Grace Olinger