Aside
Write a Halloween Haiku & Get the Kids Writing Too!
BLACK CAT, A Halloween Haiku (inspired by Midnight, our fabulous furry feline). ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author
Meet MidnightâThe fabulous furry feline who inspired me to write BLACK CAT, a đHalloween haikuđ (Haiku: a Japanese-inspired three-line: 5-7-5 syllable poetry form).
Midnight’s grooming table is decked out for each season or holiday and she loves it. I designed this year’s poster using a photo I took of Midnight resting on her grooming table here at the farmstead in central Maine. She’s a kitty who loves to hunt for spiders (one of her favorite treats). After taking the photo and writing the haiku, I added text plus spider and web graphics, then added a frame to make a poster. Kids of all ages enjoy writing and illustrating their own poetry. It makes a great family activity too.Â
Whatâs inspiring you this Halloween?
Brainstorm your list and get writing.
đHave funâdon’t forget to get the kids writing too!
Here are some writerâs tricks (literary devices found in every writerâs toolbox) I used to create BLACK CAT. These tools can set a moodâ they make writing and reading memorable and fun. Check them out and see if you can discover where I used them in my poem.
Read on to find out more about these literary devices.
BLACK CAT (haiku) by Bette A. Stevens
Black cat waits, watchesâŚ
Stalking tricksters in their web.
Spiders are her treats!
Three Writerâs Tricks (Literary devices used in writing poetry and prose)
Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.
Consonance
Another literary device used by writers and poets is consonance. It is the repetition of the final consonant sounds, usually in the more important words or in the accented syllables.
Alliteration
You put your alliteration tool to work when words that start with the same sound are used close together in a phrase or sentence. The sound is usually a consonant and the words donât have to always be right next to one another.
Finding âjust the right wordsâ
Abundant resources are available in print as well as through online searches. Listed below are the two resources I had readily available in the classroom for my students (Grades 4-8). Paperbacks are inexpensive enough to have multiple copies available, and in my opinion, they are indispensable.
- The Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary by Sue Young
- Websterâs Thesaurus for Students by Merriam-Webster
                       đ Happy Writing and Reading Haiku
                                   & Happy Halloween đ
                    ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Like this:
Like Loading...
***
In European 
The main purpose of familiars is to serve the witch or young witch, providing protection for them as they come into their new powers.
Bats and cats, owls and howls, trick-or-treat, hosts and ghosts.
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 10/27/2018