Chapter Graphic :Syllables
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Approach: Station Level: Year 4 and year 8
 
Focus: Identifying the number of syllables in words.
84k
Resources: None

Questions / instructions:
Syllables are parts of words.

girl has one syllable: girl
1
2
3
4
5
mother has two syllables: moth – er
1
2
3
4
5
barbecue has three syllables: bar – be – cue
1
2
3
4
5

Here some more words. For each word, work out
 the number of syllables it has, then tick the number.

 
% responses
     
% responses
y4
y8
y4
y8
1. make
1
2
3
4
5
1
76
94
   11. happiness
1
2
3
4
5
3
72
93
2. microwave
1
2
3
4
5
3
74
96
   12. juice
1
2
3
4
5
1
62
86
3. honey
1
2
3
4
5
2
80
95
   13. helicopter
1
2
3
4
5
4
65
86
4. Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
3
84
98
   14. Indian
1
2
3
4
5
3
64
87
5. people
1
2
3
4
5
2
78
97
   15. unfortunately
1
2
3
4
5
5
55
87
6. experiment
1
2
3
4
5
4
63
88
   16. bicycle
1
2
3
4
5
3
74
90
7. mountain
1
2
3
4
5
2
74
95
   17. January
1
2
3
4
5
4
49
67
8. school
1
2
3
4
5
1
61
85
   18. refrigerator
1
2
3
4
5
5
54
80
9. tamariki
1
2
3
4
5
4
45
74
   19. enormous
1
2
3
4
5
3
72
91
10. kiwi
1
2
3
4
5
2
76
94
   20. imagination
1
2
3
4
5
5
57
80
Total score:
19 – 20
18
60
 
17 – 18
21
16
13 – 16
23
15
9 – 12
15
5
5 – 8
15
4
0 – 4
8
0
Commentary:
On average, 21 percent more year 8 than year 4 students gave the correct answer for each word. Year 8 students scored very highly, with 60 percent gaining a total score of 19 or 20. "January" was the most challenging word, with the third syllable not commonly pronounced.
 
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