Learning Objectives  To be able to count syllables.  To be able to identify rhyming couplets.  To write a spell.

Success Criteria  I must be able to count the number of syllables in a line of poetry.  I should be a be able to identify rhyming couplets.  I could write a spell which has 7 or 8 syllables on each line.

The Big Questions  What is a syllable?  What is a rhyming couplet and how can we recognise them?

Starter  Write the word Macbeth into your books.  Put your hand up if you know how many syllables there are in the word Macbeth.  Your teacher will now point out the syllables and mark where the word can be broken down into syllables.  Now work out how many syllables there are in your name. Tip: some people find it easier to clap out the syllables.

Task One Your teacher will now give you a copy of a witches’ spell from the play ‘Macbeth’. This spell has been written with a set amount of syllables in each line.  Your task is to work out how many syllables there are to each line. You will need to mark out the break between each syllable i.e. Mac / beth.

Task One Continued The spell you have been looking at uses rhyming couplets. Each word at the end of a pair of lines rhyme. Example: Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake In the cauldron boil and bake  Your task now is to identify the rhyming couplets, underline each pair.

Task Two As you have just seen William Shakespeare uses a set amount of syllables and rhyming couplets when writing this spell for the witches.  Your task is to write a spell that is four lines long.  Each line has to have 7 or 8 syllables.  Each pair of lines has to end with a rhyming couplet.

Plenary  In pairs check each others spells: 1. count the syllables 1. count the syllables 2. make sure it contains rhyming couplets. 2. make sure it contains rhyming couplets.  Your teacher will now ask for volunteers to read out their spells.