Syllables
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9. mouse 58 (56) 85 (85)
Approach:  Station
ACCESS
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Identifying syllables  
Resources:
Work book
FRAME 200Kb
Questions/instructions:  

Syllables are parts of words.

Dog has one syllable: dog
1
2
3
4
5
  
Monkey has two syllables: monkey
1
2
3
4
5
  
Elephant has three syllables: elephant
1
2
3
4
5
  

Here are some words. For each word, work out the number of syllables it has, then tick the number.
 
% responses
2008 ('04)
y4
y8
1. goat
1
2
3
4
5
  
72 (70)
90 (89)
2. dollars
1
2
3
4
5
  
81 (78)
93 (92)
3. unidentified
1
2
3
4
5
48 (33)
74 (72)
4. friend
1
2
3
4
5
  
39 (37)
65 (68)
5. different
1
2
3
4
5
  
45 (45)
75 (73)
6. unhappiness
1
2
  
3
4
5
  
63 (60)
85 (84)
7. luckily
1
2
3
4
5
  
54 (49)
81 (79)
8. kennel
1
2
3
4
5
  
75 (75)
95 (95)
9. mouse
1
2
3
4
5
  
58 (56)
85 (85)
10. disability
1
2
3
4
5
55 (48)
80 (80)
11. brought
1
2
3
4
5
  
41 (37)
69 (70)
12. orange
1
2
3
4
5
  
71 (69)
89 (88)
13. previous
1
2
3
4
5
  
68 (59)
89 (88)
14. shake
1
2
3
4
5
  
58 (55)
83 (82)
15. disappearing
1
2
  
3
4
5
  
65 (58)
84 (84)
16. family
1
2
  
3
4
5
  
62 (59)
78 (76)
17. intermediate
1
2
3
4
5
64 (51)
85 (86)
18. doing
1
2
3
4
5
  
78 (78)
93 (94)
19. followed
1
2
3
4
5
  
58 (61)
80 (82)
20. television
1
2
3
4
5
  
68 (62)
87 (83)
21. rugby
1
2
3
4
5
  
76 (76)
95 (95)
22. everywhere
1
2
3
4
5
  
55 (51)
63 (59)
23. hospitality
1
2
3
4
5
52 (40)
79 (78)
24. protractor
1
2
3
4
5
  
70 (64)
93 (93)
25. movies
1
2
3
4
5
  
74 (73)
94 (91)

Total score:
24–25
8 (8)
37 (39)
21–23
17 (16)
29 (25)
18–20
19 (16)
16 (17)
13–17
20 (22)
9 (7)
0–12
36 (38)
9 (12)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
About two thirds of the year 8 students correctly identified the number of syllables in 80% or more of the words, a level achieved by just one quarter of the year 4 students. Both year 4 and year 8 students performed similarly in 2004 and 2008. Year 8 Pakeha, Mäori and Pasifika students performed similarly.