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Category: Elementary

  • Brushing Up on Your Math Skills Is As Easy as 1-2-3

    Brushing Up on Your Math Skills Is As Easy as 1-2-3

    Imagine yourself shopping at your favourite store, be it a bookstore, a clothing store, or a shoe store. When it is time to pay at the cash register, the staff asks you to wait for 30 minutes or so as they are currently troubleshooting their credit or debit card systems. However, your friend is already waiting for you at the movie theatre, but you know you really have to make this purchase—it is the last item on stock, and it’s at 50% discount! The staff says they can take cash, so you agree. However, you struggle as you count the change in your hands, and the staff explains the amount, but you still can’t figure it how it got to that.

    Okay, so this exact scenario may not have happened to you, but you have to admit it sounds extremely familiar. Do not fret, however, as you are definitely not the only one to have trouble with numbers. After all, not all of us are born with calculator skills. The good news is that you can actually improve on your math skills by following these simple tips.

    Join a math study group.

    While there are a number of students like you that may have difficulties in math, you likely have classmates who excel in the subject. Think of those who raise their hand even though there is a super-tough equation on the board. Do not be scared to approach these fellow students and let them know of your apprehensions. You can propose that they lead a study group so you can catch up on your math skills. As they are already math wizards, you will surely learn a lot from them.

    Do math puzzles.

    You can’t be a math expert overnight, but it really helps to do math puzzles from time to time, like Sudoku. These puzzles have their roots in ancient number puzzles. The main goal is to devise that all numbers in the rows, columns, and diagonal lines through a grid all add up to the same number. There are a lot of websites that offer free Sudoku puzzles you can try your hand on, as well as free apps on smartphones. If you can’t go online, just grab a newspaper, and there is likely to be a Sudoku puzzle there waiting to be solved.

    Try out word problems.

    Math is not just about numbers per se, but the idea of numbers. Ever encountered those word problems like “Clock A runs 1 minute fast per hour. Clock B runs 7 minutes slow per day. If the clocks show the same time at noon, how many minutes ahead of clock B will clock A be 48 hours later?” They seem simple at first, but it does require hard thinking to solve them. Try them out, and they will truly expand your math knowledge.

    Embrace math in practical applications.

    It’s easy to ignore math when you don’t have your textbooks with you and your math teacher isn’t around, but there is really no escaping it, so you might as well embrace it and appreciate it in terms of its benefits in real-life applications. For example, you have a limited budget for holiday shopping this year and limited time. Knowing how to be quick in numbers can definitely help you stretch that budget, calculate the discounts and savings in your head, and have you complete your shopping in a short time.

    Think positive!

    For someone who does not have any affinity for math, it is nice to think you can leave it behind once you are done with school. However, this kind of thinking does not solve anything. If you keep telling yourself and the people around you how much you hate it, the negative thoughts will persist. As such, it’s best to think positive—math is good!

    Math is nothing to be scared of. Once you get the hang of it, you will realise just how beneficial it is in your daily life. So, get started now and make an effort to improve your math skills!

  • Your Rest Is up to You: Sleeping and your Health

    Your Rest Is up to You: Sleeping and your Health

    Why do we sleep? Scientists still are not exactly sure what the answer is. What we know for sure is that we definitely need rest. Yet humans are a peculiar species – in our rush to get an assignment done or squeeze in one more social outing, we often intentionally deprive ourselves of relaxation.

    Students aged five to twelve years old get around 9.5 hours of sleep on average, which is just shy of the 10 or 11 hours that experts recommend. This is as detrimental to health as skipping meals or a lack of exercise. Getting rest allows the body to repair many of its functions, including healing, growth, and the immune system. We get irritated when hungry and have a harder time getting moving with less physical activity. Similarly, sacrificing rest negatively affects memory, mood, alertness, and responsiveness. The benefits gained from a couple of extra hours of studying or socializing are frequently outweighed by the consequences of the rest we were deprived of.

    School, work, and social responsibilities will not simply disappear. However, there are a few steps you can take now to help give yourself a bit more rest. Get some exercise during the day. An intense workout right before bedtime will make you too alert to sleep, but cardio, strength training, hiking, or running in the morning or afternoon can be very helpful. This aids your body in general and will actually provide better rest come nighttime.

    Caffeine is an obvious culprit of sleep deprivation, but it can also disrupt rest even if you consume it earlier in the day. Caffeine from coffee, tea, and soft drinks lingers inside of you for hours and can cause havoc on your body’s natural rhythms. If you are having difficulties relaxing, consider cutting caffeine out of our diet entirely.

    Pay extra attention to your diet in general. Eating a large breakfast helps prevent overeating at night or trying to relax with too little food in your system. This discomfort can prevent your body from optimal rest. When you are ready for a respite, ensure you have an ideal space for that. Do all your homework at a desk or in a room other than your bedroom to ensure the bed itself is only used for relaxation and sleep. This will help your body associate the bed with that purpose.

    In the evening, turn off all screens or change your phone’s brightness to warmer colours. Build a nighttime routine, such as a cup of tea followed by brushing your teeth, and stick to that regime daily. Your mind will associate those actions with rest, and in turn help ease you away from the stresses of the day.

    Giving your body a chance to recover is critical for succeeding in the things you want to do when rested. Little changes to your routine can make a big difference. With a more prepared and recovered body, your days will be filled with much more potential.

    Sources:

    KidsHealth. What Sleep Is and Why All Kids Need It. http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/not-tired.html

    NHS. Children’s sleep. http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/childrenssleep/Pages/childrenssleephome.aspx

    Secor, Melinda. Why Is Rest & Exercise Important for Children? LiveStrong. http://www.livestrong.com/article/344565-why-is-rest-exercise-important-for-children/

  • Why Joining a Sport’s Team Is Healthy for You in Every Way!

    Why Joining a Sport’s Team Is Healthy for You in Every Way!

    I’m sure you’ve heard that exercise is a very important part of staying healthy, but what if I told you there was a way for you to keep your brain and body healthy all while having fun?  Well, there is! Playing on a sport’s team is an excellent way to stay healthy in more ways than you may have even thought possible! Let’s talk about some of those reasons, and how they benefit you.

    You stay in good physical shape.

    Did you know you should be getting at least one hour of physical activity every day? Unfortunately, many people don’t receive their daily physical activity, and their health suffers as a result. A lack in physical activity can lead to serious medical problems such as obesity, heart problems, high blood pressure and even conditions such as type-2 diabetes. Regular daily exercise will not only help prevent these health problems, it will also give you more energy, more confidence and an overall healthier body!

    Between practices and games, being on a sport’s team allows the opportunity for you to get in your recommended amount of physical activity, and keep your body healthy and in shape. But you’ll be having so much fun, it won’t even feel like exercise!

    It keeps your brain healthy and strong.

    Did you know exercise is healthy for your brain, too? Stress, anger and sadness are all issues that take up a lot of your brains energy, leaving it without enough energy to help you think as clearly or as quickly as you normally would. Regular exercise helps your brain release these bottled up emotions, allowing you to have more room for memory and sharper thinking. Best of all, when your brain gets rid of these emotions through exercise, you do, too! Regular exercise helps you relieve stress, and is often a great way to overcome feelings of anger or sadness.

    It builds social skills.

    We all love to make new friends, but sometimes it can be challenging if we don’t know what to say, or who to approach. When you join a sport’s team, you become just that; a team! You’re all there to help each other succeed together, and you know you’ve already got one thing in common, your sport! Sport’s teams allow you will build special bonds with your teammates that can turn into lifelong friendships. How does this keep you healthy? Without friendship and positive human interaction, you may begin to feel isolated or lonely. No one enjoys these feelings in the first place, and they can even lead to further serious problems such as low self-esteem, increased stress levels and even depression. Joining a sport’s team will help you develop new friendships, and keep your mental state healthy and strong.

    It teaches you important life lessons and skills.

    Through sport’s teams, you are able to learn and develop many skills that will become very important as you go through school, the workforce and even just regular every day life. Sport’s teams help us learn about proper teamwork, good sportsmanship, problem solving skills and accountability. Developing these life-long skills will help you interact better with others, and effectively handle stressful situations you may face in the future. Sport’s teams even help you develop a stronger sense of character, belonging, and leadership qualities that will stick with you for the rest of your life!

    You’ll sleep better!

    Have you ever noticed you can’t think as well, or as quickly when you’re really tired? That’s because your brain needs sleep in order to do its job properly! Sometimes it can be challenging to fall asleep or stay asleep, and a lack in physical activity can often be the culprit. Receiving your recommended amount of daily physical activity through sports may be just what you need to help you fall asleep and stay asleep, leaving you feeling well rested and ready to go the next morning!

  • If the Shoe Fits – Life’s Lessons through Classic Fairy Tales

    If the Shoe Fits – Life’s Lessons through Classic Fairy Tales

    What was your favourite fairy tale growing up? Your most-loved fairy tales may have been around for 100 years or more, but they do not go out of style. A slew of movies, mostly animated ones, are based on these classic fairy tales, and there are innovative ways in which Hollywood comes up with modern re-tellings. Even on television, there is a program (“Grimm”) set in present-day Portland, Oregon which focuses on famous characters from the celebrated author’s creations.

    While fairy tales are praised for the entertainment value they provide to kids (albeit sometimes laden with terror—just refer to how the Queen meets her horrific fate in the real ending of “Snow White”), most people do not truly appreciate the lessons in these stories that we can apply in real life. Below are some examples.

    Cinderella 

    Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella” has been one of the many fairy tales which Hollywood has given both animated and live-action treatments, plus a modern spin (aptly titled “A Cinderella Story”). A few have criticised it for placing importance on vanity (Would the Prince have noticed Cinderella if she was not given a makeover?) or Cinderella’s lack of self-sufficiency (her fairy godmother had to enter the picture to ensure she can make it to the ball). However, look deep into the story, and you’ll learn a life lesson—even when Cinderella was continuously mistreated by her stepsisters and her stepmother, she handled the situation with grace and never mistreated them back.

    Pinocchio

    The most obvious lesson from this tale by Carlo Collodi was to never lie. Of course, a nose growing longer was an exaggeration, but it simply was a hint that lies will eventually be found out, so it is always best to go the truthful route. What a lot of people don’t realize is that apart from that, “Pinocchio”also proved the lengths one is willing to go through to care for someone in need. Pinocchio initially was not the boy that Geppetto dreamt of as the puppet was unruly to him, even disobeying and lying to him. However, when he fell sick, Pinocchio realized the error of his ways and finally came through for Geppetto’s health.

    The Little Mermaid

    Who can’t forget the song from Disney’s animated treatment of this well-loved tale from Hans Christian Andersen? The song even smartly captured the little mermaid’s plight—she wants to try something new and different, but there are physical limitations. Sometimes we find ourselves with a desire or goal for something—we want to join the Spelling Bee, but we have a hard time with words, or we want to learn to dance, but we have two left feet, or we want to join the track and field team, but we hate to exercise. “The Little Mermaid” taught us that if we truly want something, we should go for it.

    Jack and the Beanstalk

    This tale by Joseph Jacobs, we realize how a seemingly good fortune can turn into a misfortune. In an alternative ending, when Jack succeeds in getting the gold coins, the golden eggs, and the golden harp, and killing the giant, his comfortable life is turned upside down by the giant’s wife, who wreaks havoc in his town. As such, we should not be mistaken that riches can provide us with what we need, so we should not let greed overcome our desire for a good, happy life.

    The Three Little Pigs

    This tale (author unknown) has been retold so many times and has often been given a comedic spoof version. Though it features anthropomorphic pigs, it’s a situation we can relate to at some point or another. We may have come across someone like the wolf who has terrorised us to a great deal. The best defense against someone who is more physically capable than us is to outwit them. The third little pig did just that to great results.

    Think fairy tales are just for entertainment? They serve more than that if you give them a chance.

  • Practice Your Public Fears Away

    Practice Your Public Fears Away

    You are standing in front of your class. It is time for that presentation you have spent weeks preparing. The teacher has nodded, signaling that you can begin. Your classmates sit and stare, awaiting your words. After all that preparation, and all of that hard work, you find yourself awash in silence. Rapid heartbeats, beads of sweat, and heavy breathing abound. You have a fear of public speaking, and you are definitely not alone.

    Many adults often cite public speaking as their number one fear – even more than heights or death. As crazy as that may sound, many of us find it difficult to think straight once we have many eyes set upon us, even if we are talking about something we could discuss with ease to just one pair of ears. This universal phobia has many causes, and also has many ways to overcome it.

    It is important to work on the skills we use to communicate. Before you even think about speaking, take some time to practice confident body language. Ensure you are standing straight, smiling, and maintaining eye contact with people in front of you. Be very conscious of your breathing to ensure you are taking slow breaths, and slow down the tempo of your speech. One of the issues many of us have when speaking publicly is talking too quickly. We often do not realize that people need to be able to listen and take in what we are saying, so slow down!

    Take advantage of the comfort you feel at home. Practice in front of family and close friends who make you feel at ease. In your room, practice projecting your voice and altering your tone to get a sense of how you can come across to an audience. With those close friends, go out for an evening of karaoke or similar fun outings. A karaoke room with friends gives you a chance to let go of your inhibitions and experiment with different tones of voice in a safe public setting.

    When you feel ready, practice in natural, real world situations. When you are at a restaurant with family or friends, make sure you are the one ordering your food. Ask the server questions about the menu, such as modifications or daily specials, even if you do not intend to make those orders. Walk into stores and ask the salespeople about the products they have, even if you have no intention of purchasing anything. These situations help you practice speaking and thinking on the spot, and give you a greater comfort in different social situations. From there, try raising your hand more often in class, or engaging in audience participation in live shows. The more you practice, the more comfort you will gain.

    That comfort is essential. Reading an article will not solve anything. Take baby steps. Follow the aforementioned tips by starting with the easiest ones, then building from there. You will be a public speaking professional in no time.

    Sources:

    Liles, Maryn. Help Your Child Overcome Public Speaking Fears. Parents. http://www.parents.com/kids/development/intellectual/overcome-public-speaking-fears/

    Mamiverse. Present at School: 10 Techniques to Help Your Kid Overcome a Fear of Public Speaking. http://mamiverse.com/help-kids-overcome-fear-of-public-speaking-69484/

  • Improving your Reading Skills: Tips and Tricks

    Improving your Reading Skills: Tips and Tricks

    I know that reading can sound really lame. There’s always something more fun to do. Recess isn’t as long as we’d like it to be and teachers can pile on the homework sometimes. There’s a long list of reasons why people don’t like to read or why reading sometimes is swept to the side to make more room for fun activities.

    Though, sometimes reading gets put aside because a lot of kids feel like they’re not very good at it. When we think we’re not good at something, we tend not to try. Sometimes it’s because we’re scared or maybe we just don’t want to disappoint anyone. But, there are so many ways to improve reading skills and they’re pretty easy, too.

    The first thing is that practice makes perfect. It’s like that with anything you want to improve or master or learn. You need to practice and put in the time. Grab a parent and head out to a local library – maybe even the one at school. Go through the books for your age group and pick out something you think sounds interesting. Try and read a few pages whenever you get a chance. It might be best to complete a few pages every day so you don’t get too rusty. But, the good news here is that these books will be about something you’re interested in. As a kid, I was always more interested in reading something I liked than reading something I was told to read. Once you start a good book, you won’t be able to put it down.

    There are also a lot of people who you can speak to in order to better your reading. The teacher is there to help you. Your parents want to see you succeed as well. All you need to do is ask. Have your parents help you with any big words or difficult passages. If you’re too embarrassed to see the teacher during school, wait around after school and see her then. There’s no harm or embarrassment in asking someone for help, especially if you need it. In the long run, spending a bit more time with the teacher will help you in the future – even if it doesn’t look like it right now.

    I know that going to the teacher can take up our precious recess and leisure time. But, like I said before, you need to do some work in order to improve those skills. If you prefer to work on your reading at home, no problem! There are lots of resources to use.

    Leap Frog is a wonderful tool that helps with any words you may have trouble with. Audio books are actually what helped me with my reading when I was younger. There’s no age limit either. Feel free to read along with the voice in order to help get through anything that may be a bit confusing. Your parents are also another wonderful set of people to help you get through anything. Have them read to you before bedtime and the older you get the better you’ll become at reading. When you get too old for bedtime stories, read to yourself, ask your parents for a tutor or just turn to a friend and ask for their help. Your friends will be there for you no matter what, so there’s no shame in asking them for a little guidance.

    Reading makes us better learners, readers, writers, and thinkers. Reading has a lot of benefits. I know it can be hard but a little practice will make all the difference in the long run.

  • How to Avoid Peer Pressure

    How to Avoid Peer Pressure

    Our friends are some of the most important people to us. We listen to what they tell us, we spend a lot of time with them, and some of them may even still be our best friends when we’re older. They’re there for us when we need someone to turn to or someone to spend time with. We love them and they love us.

    Though, when your friends start to tell you what to do it can be a bit difficult to say no to them. When your friends begin to pressure you into doing something, this is called peer pressure. It’s not a very nice feeling. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed in trying to make the right choice or trying to remain true to our beliefs.
    I was a kid once, too. Not too long ago either. I remember pretty clearly how easy it was to do what my friends asked of me even though I knew it was wrong. I got into trouble sometimes for it. Most of the time, I wanted to tell them no because I knew better. But, like I said before, we love our friends and want to keep them around.

    Here’s the thing, though. We may love our friends but true friends who love us will never force us into doing anything that we’re uncomfortable with. If you say, “No, thanks,” to a friend, a true friend will take that answer without pressuring you into doing anything. As we get older many of our friends will be like us. They will try to find out who they are and what they like. It will be a tough time for a lot of you, I won’t lie. But, the most important thing to remember is that if you’re uncomfortable doing something, you have to say something. Don’t ever believe that you need to make your friends feel better by sacrificing what you want or believe in. Do the same for your friends. You’re all in it together.

    Something else that’s important to remember is that you matter. Your opinions matter. Your decisions matter – good or bad. If a friend wants to skip class or offers you a cigarette, you need to say no. It’s okay if you don’t want to. You’re just as important as they are and if you tell yourself that you won’t smoke or drink then you need to stand firm in your beliefs. It’s okay to put yourself first in these situations, especially if it means remaining true to who you are. It’s also important for keeping out of trouble because you know something is wrong.
    Remember, there are always adults that you can talk to as well. If you’re too embarrassed talking to the teacher, talk to a parent. They’re there to guide you and be there for you. They will have many stories about their own childhoods that will help you with your own. An older sibling is also a great person to go when it comes to advice. We’ve all gone through these things before.

    It can be really hard to turn down our friends, yes. It can be even harder to stick to our beliefs when we’re being challenged. But, it’s crucial to remember that we don’t need to do whatever our friends tell us or ask of us. True friends wouldn’t do that to you. True friends let you speak your mind and accept the answer you give them. If a friend of yours still pressures you, it might be time to think about letting that friend go and spending more time with the people who really care about you and want you to be safe.

  • How to Get Better at Reading

    How to Get Better at Reading

    When you go to school, you learn many useful facts and skills that can be useful for you later in life. However, you might have learned the most important skill of all even before you went to school. The ability to read and to understand what you’re reading is so important that everything else depends on it. Even if you have trouble reading, you can help to improve your skills and make your other studies easier at the same time.

    Suppose that you wanted to do a math problem or a science experiment. You would need to be able to read and understand what the words say before you could do anything else. Learning history or geography depends on being able to read. If you wanted to bake a cake or build a toy car, you would need to be able to read the directions. Almost everything we do depends on being able to read.

    If your family is like most others, you probably grew up with at least a few books or magazines in the house. Your parents or older brothers and sisters probably read to you when you were little. You might even have learned to read for yourself before you went to school. One of the best ways of improving your skills is to have something to read near you whenever possible. Books, magazines, websites, and even cereal boxes and soup labels can be good reading materials for improving your skills.

    Libraries are good places to find reading materials. It’s best to find something that you enjoy and that is close to your reading level. If you enjoy the sciences, you can find a book on those subjects at your reading level. If you enjoy exciting stories, you can look for books about real or imaginary adventures or even graphic novel versions of much more difficult books.

    Finding something at your level that you enjoy and find interesting is the first step, but don’t forget to challenge yourself. You should also look for a time and place that suits you. Maybe you enjoy reading in bed for fifteen minutes before you go to sleep or after you wake up. Maybe the bus ride on the way to or from school is best for you, or maybe during lunch. Find a time that works for you and try to stick to that time.

    Developing a large vocabulary is very important for learning how to read well, because authors use all kinds of words when they write. You might want to have a dictionary beside you while you’re reading and then write out any new words that you find. Later, you can memorize these words for the future. Notice the details in the text, because this will help you to understand it.

    Learning to read well can take a lifetime, but with time and patience, you can already get a good start.

    Bibliography:
    Children Learning Reading.com. “How to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills in Children?” http://www.childrenlearningreading.com/teach-children-reading/improve-reading-comprehension-in-children.html#.WCHQ9CSwiSo.
    Gisler, Peggy. “Top 10 Ways to Improve Reading Skills.” http://www.familyeducation.com/school/reading-activities/top-10-ways-improve-reading-skills.
    Swanson, Beverley B. How Can I Improve My Child’s Reading? http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-can-i-improve-my-childs-reading.
    Wikihow.com. “How to Improve Your Reading Skills.” http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Reading-Skills.

  • Why You Should Love the Way You Look

    Why You Should Love the Way You Look

    Have you ever looked at a person in a movie or a magazine and thought, “I wish I looked like that,” or wanted to change something about yourself because you just don’t like the way it looks? Well, if you answered yes to either or those questions, you are not alone! It seems like everywhere we turn someone is telling us we need to “fix this”, or “change this”. Amongst all the crazy obsession over how people say we should look, it seems as though people are forgetting one very important thing…we are all unique, and we are all beautiful! Let’s think of the world like an art gallery. Inside the art gallery, there are all kinds of beautiful masterpieces, each one different from the other. Some are very tall and skinny, some are tiny and wide. Some have lots of bright colours, and some are in black and white. Each one is different from the next, and each one is spectacular! Now what if all of the paintings inside the art gallery looked exactly the same? What a boring place that would be! The unique beauty that comes from each painting is what makes the art gallery so special! Well, if the world is an art gallery that makes you a unique masterpiece! There is not a single person in this world that looks exactly like you. You were made special, unique, and most importantly of all you were made the most perfect version of yourself! So, let’s celebrate that! You should love the way you look for the simple reason that there is only one you and you are perfect just the way you are.

    Now, sometimes that can be a lot easier said than done, especially when you are going through your teen years. With your body already changing so much during this time, it can be hard not to fall into the trap of believing the way you look isn’t good enough. Magazines, social media, and Hollywood movies can sometimes make you feel like if you don’t look exactly like the people we see in media, then you must not be beautiful or handsome. But this is simply not true! Beauty comes in all different shapes, sizes, and colours. All of those different details about yourself are the brush strokes to a masterpiece, they are what make you, you!

    So, what can you do if you ever start to forget why you should love the way you look? Here are a few simple tricks to remind you in case you ever forget:

    • Remember the world is an art gallery, and you are a one of a kind masterpiece! You are supposed to look like you, not like anyone else!
    • Think of all of the different characteristics of your appearance, and know that each of those makes you special.
    • Smile! The only thing that makes you even more perfect is when your beautiful grin goes from ear to ear!

    4) Let other people know they should love the way they look, too! Although it might feel like it at times, you are not the only person who might forget to love the way you look. Telling someone else they are perfect just the way they are might completely make their day!

    While there may be plenty of influences throughout your life that might try to make you feel like you need to change your appearance, remember we are all made to be different. You are one of a kind, and you are absolutely perfect just the way you are.

  • The Many Different Types of Poetry

    The Many Different Types of Poetry

    There are so many different forms of poetry, with their different ways of expression and style limitations. Poetry is a fantastic way to open up and let the creative juices flow, to release emotions and thoughts and to train yourself to become better at writing and expression. It is a great idea to write down thoughts and lines throughout the day—whenever they come to you—and then use a poetic method to turn your thoughts into a completed piece of work. Now poetry is meant to be fun and enjoyable and if you don’t want constrictions and rules you don’t have to use them. But some styles and rules of poetry are so easy and fun to use you will get great results. Here are a few basics; classics but goodies, these poetry styles are perfect for the beginner poet:

    Ballad

    A poem that tells a story, a ballad is a rhyming poem that usually lends itself best to a love story. Originally ballads were folk songs, and you can see a lot of their influence in today’s music. This is a long-form poem, so take your time with these and think about characters and feelings and rhyming words.

    Freeverse

    Don’t want to be limited to meter and rhyming? Do you just want to go with the flow and spit out words? Free verse has no limitations and is open to any length. It’s nice to have some inner rhymes and alliteration etc. to add poetic merit to the poem, but have fun with this one and create a poem on your own terms.

    Couplet

    Look up poet Robert Frost because he was a master at this one. A couplet is short and sweet, using two rhyming lines in one verse. These lines will be the same in length and meter and need to form a complete thought. This is a great one to do on the go. For example, next time you are on the bus come up with two lines that rhyme and tell the reader a fact or thought, and you’ve got a couplet!

    Haiku

    Everyone writes a haiku at one point or another. It is a major form of Japanese poetry and is three lines in length and seventeen syllables in total. The first line needs to be five syllables, the second needs to be seven, and the third must be five again.  Haikus can talk about anything and everything but always look the same in length.

    Lyric

    Lyric poems can be many different lengths and rhythms, but they are usually song-like in sound and emotional and romantic in theme. Often the vibe of a lyric poem will be dramatic and narrative-heavy so feel free to tell a descriptive story with this type of poem.