Primary Chinese | Comparing three poems on one theme lesson plan (for tutors)

Primary Chinese | Comparing three poems on one theme lesson plan (for tutors) | one table, three moon poems

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Read one at a time, students understand all three; ask which is loneliest and nobody answers. This lesson puts the three poems into one three-column table: scene, figure, feeling.

Objectives — Students can: (1) state that the three poems hold 68 characters in 12 lines (2 five-character, 1 seven-character); (2) fill a three-column table with scene, figure and feeling for each poem; (3) name the shared image and say how each poem handles it differently; (4) summarise the similarity and difference in one sentence with a quotation inside the 21-minute drill (47% of the lesson).

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Three-step reading	Title, scene shots, feeling line	From practice-1
Pivot words in seven-character poems	What do que, hu, wei do in line three	From practice-2
Comparing two poems	How many things must a comparison cover	From practice-3

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-4 min	Theme opener	Read three titles and find the shared word	Students circle the moon
4-11 min	Script 1: theme matching	One image, three treatments	Copy one line from each poem
11-18 min	Script 2: three-column table	Scene, figure, feeling	Nine cells filled
18-39 min	Three rounds	3 rounds x 7 minutes	21 minutes, each round a different lead poem
39-40 min	Table check	Compare the nine cells	Fix a wrong cell on the spot
40-45 min	Exit check	Three oral questions	Refill one cell on the spot

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Theme matching: one moon, three cameras

All three poems write the moon, but one shines at the foot of a bed, one sets among crows, one rises over a willow. Same image, different hour and position, so the feeling differs.
First task: copy the line containing the moon from each poem onto one row, look at position, then talk about feeling.

Students do: line up three lines and circle the verb in each (shine, set, rise).

Scene 2: Three-column table: scene, figure, feeling

Three columns, one cell per poem, nine cells in all. Scene takes visible nouns, figure takes whether a person appears and whether it is the poet, feeling takes one emotion word plus evidence.
If the figure cell cannot be filled, the poem probably has no person at all, only scenery, and that itself is the answer.

Reminder: cells take nouns and short phrases only, never full sentences, which forces distillation.

Scene 3: One-sentence summary: half similarity, half difference

Comparison answers lose marks for giving only similarity or only difference. Demand one sentence with both: “All three write the moon, but only one gives a person an action.”
Then demand one quotation. A summary without a quotation counts as unfinished.

Students say: what comes after your “but”? If nothing, change the lead poem.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Fill	Nine-cell comparison table	Scene, then figure, then feeling	No full sentences in cells
Find shared	Shared image across three poems	Circle nouns, then compare	Name three treatments
Compare feeling	Which poem is loneliest, with proof	Find feeling words first	A quotation is required
Write summary	One sentence with “all” and “but”	Similarity first, difference second	No quotation, no marks

Sanity check (teach this): Arithmetic: 2 five-character poems x 20 = 40 characters, 1 seven-character poem x 28 = 28, giving 68 characters in 12 lines. The table holds 3 poems x 3 columns = 9 cells. Demo 14 minutes plus drill 21 minutes is 47%, with 4 minutes opening and 5 minutes exit, leaving 1 minute to check the table. 3 rounds of 7 minutes let each poem lead once.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Fill the nine-cell table for three moon poems	Three scenes, three figures, three feelings	Figure cell mistaken for the poet
List the moon verbs in the three poems	Shine, set, rise	Nouns only, no verbs
Write one sentence with “all” and “but”	All write the moon, but only one has a person	Quotation present

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Translating each poem	Three translations called a comparison	“Translation is preparation; comparison puts them side by side.”
Similarity only	Stopping at “all three write the moon”	“What is different? If you cannot say, you have not read it.”
Long sentences in cells	Half a line per cell	“One cell, one phrase; a long sentence means no distillation.”
Summary without evidence	Writing “all three are lonely”	“Which line makes you feel that?”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

P5 Chinese paper — Reading task: fill a six-cell table for two same-theme poems
P6 Chinese paper — Short task: one “all… but…” sentence with a quotation
Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
How many columns and cells?	Three columns: scene, figure, feeling; nine cells	Refill one cell
Which two words must a comparison sentence carry?	“All” and “but”	Rewrite the sentence
What must a summary include?	One quotation from the poems	No quotation, not finished

09 Tutor FAQ

Must these three poems be used?

Any three on one theme work, but keep two five-character and one seven-character to hold the difficulty.

What if students have not memorised them?

Give three poem cards in class; comparison needs sight, not memory.

When is comparison best taught?

After both five-character and seven-character reading, that is after practice-1 and practice-2.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.