Year 4 English: Rhythm and strong beats
Part of the Year 4 English reading poetry and plays aloud chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Rhythm and strong beats
Rhythm is the pattern of strong and weak parts in a line. A strong beat is a part that is said more firmly, like the tick of a clock. In this book, the strong beats of a poem are shown in bold. Count the bold words to find the beats in a line.
Most lines in The Night Tram have four strong beats, so the rhythm is steady. One line has only three, so it breaks the pattern.
Poem: The Night Tram
The night tram rattles down the hill,
its windows glow and all is still.
A sleepy boy sits near the door,
and counts the lamps across the floor.
At last the tram comes to the stop,
its doors slide open with a pop.
A girl climbs on, her cheeks alight,
She sits down near him, warm and bright.
Key ideas
- A strong beat is shown by a bold word in the poem.
- Count the strong beats, not the words and not the syllables.
- A steady rhythm has the same number of strong beats in each line.
- A line with fewer beats breaks the pattern, and the reader notices it.
Method. Find the bold words and count them.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.night, rattles, down, hill
- Check the words that are not bold. The, tram and the are not bold, so they are not strong beats.The, tram, the are not counted
- Count the strong beats. Four bold words make four strong beats.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four strong beats make a steady line. ✓
Method. Find the bold words, then count them.
- Find the bold words. The bold words are doors, slide, open and pop.doors, slide, open, pop
- Count them. Each bold word is one strong beat.1, 2, 3, 4
- Check the rhythm. Four beats match the other lines of the stanza.4 beats
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Line 6 has four strong beats, like the rest of stanza 2. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in each line of the stanza.
- Count line 5. At last the tram comes to the stop has three bold words.last, tram, stop = 3
- Count line 6. Its doors slide open with a pop has four bold words.4
- Compare the lines. Lines 6, 7 and 8 each have four bold words, so line 5 is the one that breaks the pattern.line 5 has 3
- Write the answer. line 5
Check. Line 5 is the only line with three beats in stanza 2. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: count the strong beats, not the words. "At last the tram comes to the stop" has eight words, but only three strong beats, so the number of words is not the same as the number of beats.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. As you read a line together, let your child tap a finger on the table for each bold word. The bold words show the pattern used in this book; there is no single correct way to read a poem with expression.
Exercise 9B Practice: counting strong beats
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.windows, glow, all, still
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.counts, lamps, across, floor
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.At last, tram, stop
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.3 bold words
- Write the answer. 3
Check. The line has 3 strong beats. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.sits, near, warm, bright
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Find the word that is not in bold.
- Check climbs and cheeks. Climbs and cheeks are both bold in line 7.climbs: bold, cheeks: bold
- Check on. On is not in bold, so it is not a strong beat.on: not bold
- Write the answer. on
Check. Only on is not bold in line 7. ✓
Watch out. Look for the bold words first, then compare.
Method. Count the bold words in each line of stanza 1.
- Count each line. Line 1 has four bold words, and so do lines 2, 3 and 4.4, 4, 4, 4
- Decide true or false. Every line has four beats, so the statement is true.all four lines = 4
- Write the answer. True
Check. Stanza 1 is steady. ✓
Method. Add the beats of the four lines.
- Count the beats in each line. Each line of stanza 1 has four strong beats.4 + 4 + 4 + 4
- Add them. Four lines of four beats make sixteen beats.16
- Write the answer. 16
Check. 4 x 4 = 16. ✓
Method. Count the syllables, one for each sound of the vowel.
- Split the words. Each word here is one syllable.At / last / the / tram / comes / to / the / stop
- Count them. There are eight one-syllable words.8 syllables
- Write the answer. 8
Check. Eight words, each with one syllable, make eight syllables. ✓
Watch out. Syllables are not the same as strong beats. This line has eight syllables but only three strong beats.
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.sleepy, boy, near, door
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.girl, climbs, cheeks, alight
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Count the bold words in the line.
- Find the bold words. Each bold word is one strong beat.doors, slide, open, pop
- Count the bold words. Count one for each bold word, and do not count the words that are not bold.4 bold words
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The line has 4 strong beats. ✓
Method. Use the short rhythm of the line.
- Look at the beats. Line 5 has three strong beats, not four.last, tram, stop
- Choose a delivery. A quick pace or a short pause makes the line feel shorter.read it briskly, then pause after stop
- Write the answer. read it briskly, then pause after stop
Check. The pace or pause matches the short line. ✓
Method. Think about what changes when the rhythm changes.
- Compare the lines. Four beats in each line make a steady rhythm; three beats make a break in it.a break in the rhythm
- Explain the effect. The reader feels the tram slow down at the stop, because the line is shorter.a sudden stop
- Write the answer. the shorter line feels sudden, as if the tram has stopped
Check. A change of rhythm changes the effect. ✓