Today I wanted to share my fall haiku poetry worksheet so students across the country can compose some nature haikus! When the weather starts to turn chilly, I want to grab a mug of hot apple cider and go on a hayride. I also want to play in the leaves. While I do not often get the opportunity to jump in leaf piles, I do admire the beautiful burnished hues on the trees and ground. Even if geographically you don't experience all the seasons, students can still appreciate the natural world this autumn. Utilize this fall haiku exercise to get their creativity flowing. 

What is a haiku?

A haiku is a three-line poem that originated in Japan during the seventh century. These poems are usually written about nature and capture a single image or moment in time. The structure is based on syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third.

How to Use the Fall Haiku Poetry Worksheet

With my fall haiku poetry activity, students will use vocabulary words to write haikus that conjure up thoughts of falling leaves and crisp air. Since I cut out the leaves on the fall-inspired haiku poetry worksheet and use them to decorate a bulletin board or our classroom door, I always have students first practice the haiku structure and choosing words with the right number of syllables: ________ in the ________ ___________ a ____________ to ___________ Yearning for __________ ___________.

Once students have practiced writing haikus, I pass out the fall haiku worksheet and encourage students to reflect on nature. If the weather is particularly nice, I take students outdoors to complete the poetry activity.

Incorporating Vocabulary into the Fall Haiku Poetry 

Make sure that your students’ fall haikus include precise vocabulary and vivid imagery. I have specified that each leaf have at least two haikus, and that each haiku utilize at least one vocabulary word and one precise image from nature.  Hopefully this exercises helps to foster vocabulary development as well as a quick and fun poetry exercise and lesson in details and description.

Download the Falling into HaikusVocabulary Activity now!

Fall Haiku Examples

Here, we can offer a few student examples of fall haikus. We hope one of them will inspire you and your students to develop their writing skills and appreciate nature this fall.

Fall Haiku Example 1:

Fall Haiku Example 2:

Fall Haiku Example 3: