Teaching Sijo

resources for teachers

The sijo is a traditional structured three-line Korean poetic form comparable to Chinese jueju (quatrain) and Japanese haiku. It has been the most popular form of lyric verse in Korea for over five hundred years and is considered a classic example of traditional Korean fine arts. Through the sijo, students may be introduced to not only a unique, lesser-known form of poetry, but also a culture little explored.

Here you can find resources intended to aid teachers interested in bringing the sijo to their classrooms.

Teaching Examples

• Video index - Video recordings of teachers teaching about sijo in their high school classes. All videos are hosted on Youtube.
• Ms Elizabeth Jorgensen and Ms Heidi Hamilton, Arrowhead Union High School (Hartland, WI)
  
  • Arrowhead HS Day 1
  • Arrowhead HS Day 2
• Ms Tracy Kaminer, Randolph-Macon Academy (Front Royal, VA))
• Ms Deb Holland, D'Evelyn Jr/Sr High School (Denver, CO)
• Video recordings of an impromptu class of elementary-age students being taught sijo by Ms Elizabeth Jorgensen (Arrowhead Union High School, Hartland, WI).
  • Part 1: What is Sijo?
  • Part 2: Let's Read Sijo
  • Part 3: Write Your Sijo
  • Part 4: Share Your Sijo

Teaching Guides

• Sijo structure and samples (.ppt) - a brief overview of sijo with examples, compiled by the Sejong Cultural Society
• Sijo structure and samples (.pdf) - a brief overview of sijo with examples, compiled by the Sejong Cultural Society
• Reading and Writing the Sijo by Tracy Kaminer (.doc) - a suggested outline for teaching sijo in a language arts classroom, intended for grades 7-12
• Korean Sijo by Amy Stoltenberg (.doc) - a lesson plan with a focus on translations and the cultural aspect of sijo, intended for grades 9-12
• Writing Haiku and Sijo: Showing the Differences in East Asian Cultures by Chuck Newell (.docx)
• Sijo lesson plans by Elizabeth Jorgensen (.pdf)