engleski

Poetic truth by children with language difficulties

I am a teacher in school for children that have speech and language problems. They come from regular schools and stay in ours as long as their problems with language need addressing. Usually in schools in our country, children are introduced to haiku in the 5th grade (aged11) in the subject “ Croatian language and literature” , but from the last school year, we started 2 years earlier in the 3rd grade (aged 8-9).This group was an experimental one. It has proved that beginning with haiku expression in this early age is a very good idea. Even at first sight, the short haiku form is attractive to them. They are able to read and understand the poetic image in this form and to write some verses as well. How do we start? In the beginning, they are motivated to write 3 short sentences based on their own drawings or some experience from the nature. In this way a child is in “ its own territory” , expressing its sensation in its own words. This is a very good way for them to “ organize their thoughts” in sentences that must be short, but grammatically correct. It is very important to support and encourage their efforts to express themselves in this way. Why? Because haiku is everywhere. Haiku can focus their attention constantly, engage it outside the context of the therapy lesson. Before they were just looking, but didn’ t see, now they observe and notice with all their senses. Their perception changes and now the world has become “ an interesting place” full of events, because everything around us has its “ secret” life that can be connected with us. Very often we made a common haiku inspired by some “ small incident” , that was turned into a “ poetic moment” . What I want to say is that every moment can be a haiku moment, a “ therapy haiku moment“ for children that have slight language impairments and are hyperactive. Focusing their attention, they become aware of the world around them and I hope, maybe, this can result in a new way of life for some of them. This is a healing power of haiku : to focus the attention of children that have attention deficit, and to express themselves by short, grammatically correct, language structures.

language difficulties; poetic truth; therapy haiku moment

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