Haiku Activity

SSAT Middle Level Vocabulary #2

---

Haikus shrink our words

And expand our beating hearts

Thump. Thump. Have fun too!

---

Welcome to the Haiku activity! This advanced form of vocabulary practice can help with mastering words that may appear on the SSAT Middle Level, or in life in general!

Haikus are a beautiful form of poetry that originated in Japan. They usually focus on nature, but can have other subjects as well. With Haikus there is no need to rhyme. Their unique format on its own can create enough charm to win over an audience.

Here are the rules:

Pick a word from the examples that come after this intro. Write a Haiku in the comments that uses the word properly. The Haiku format is like this:

5 syllables

7 syllables

5 syllables

Here is an example Haiku with separated syllables to get you started:

Five syll-a-bles first

Now are se-ven to play with

Sor-ry back to five

If you get stuck, look at the rest of the haikus below or contact us. Remember, we love teaching and tutoring so we always try to be available for a student in need.

---

Below are 10 SSAT vocab words and the example Haikus that use them:

---

Adhesive – something that is sticky or able to hold onto another thing well

The sap was sticky

Nature’s little adhesive

From picking roses

---

Admire – to look up to someone with respect

I admire trees

They give us their wood and shade

Happy just to serve

---

Affiliation – being a member of or connected with a group

All my life I wait

A grand affiliation

With the sun and moon

---

Aggravate – to annoy someone or make a situation worse

Flies aggravate us

Upset people make things worse

Aggravating things

---

Aggregate – a thing made up by combining several separate things

Some Dandelion

Dash of rose and sunflower

Lovely aggregate

---

You made it half way to the end! Here is a famous Haiku by Kobayashi Issa called “A World of Dew” to give you some more energy! He is another great master of Haikus. Keep in mind, he wrote his Haikus in Japanese, so the English version may not follow the 5/7/5 structure that we are using.

A world of dew

And within every dewdrop

A world of struggle

---

Agile – able to move quickly and easily

Cats land on their feet

Agile in their pursuit

For the little mice

---

Ail – cause trouble or worry to someone

My mind ails from thoughts

My body ails from walking

My heart ails from loss

---

Aimless – not having a purpose or direction

Lost in the forest

Aimless as the compass spins

Roar! A bear is near

---

Akin – being similar to someone else

The dragon fly roars!

Akin to the jungle lords

King of the insects

---

Alarm – The feeling that something bad may happen or to cause someone to be scared

I walk through the park

A sense of alarm fills me

Boo! Just my friend John

---

Time to post in the comments below!

Now It is your turn

Post a fun Haiku below

Here is the format:

5 syllables

7 syllables

5 syllables

Include at least one of these words in your Haiku:

adhesive, admire, affiliation, aggravate, aggregate, agile, ail, aimless, akin, alarm