How to Write a Tanka

Teaching Kids Poetry

Feb 24, 2007 Elizabeth Yetter

Teach children how to write a tanka with these easy instructions.

The tanka is a fairly new poetry form in the United States. It originated in Japan about 1200 years ago. Non-rhyming and similar to the haiku, tanka uses more syllables than haiku. It also makes use of similes, metaphors, and personification. This means that tanka allows the writer to add more of herself to the poem, including emotions.

Tanka consists of five non-rhyming lines: line one 5 syllables, line two 7 syllables, line three 5 syllables, line four 7 syllables, and line five 7 syllables. In other words, 5-7-5-7-7.

Example:

River running wild (5 syllables)

Madness overwhelms the banks (7 syllables)

Unable to stop (5 syllables)

A frenzied rush to nowhere (7 syllables)

A moment without control (7 syllables)

For those unfamiliar with writing a tanka, simply write a haiku and then add two more 7 syllable lines to it. This is an excellent way for teachers to carry out a haiku writing lesson into a tanka writing lesson.

For a bit of online fun, you can write an instant tanka poem at http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/tankapoem.htm.

Enjoy!

The copyright of the article How to Write a Tanka in Children’s Books is owned by Elizabeth Yetter. Permission to republish How to Write a Tanka in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.