Primary Chinese | Classical dialogue and tone lesson plan (for tutors)

Primary Chinese | Classical dialogue and tone lesson plan (for tutors) | read attitude from three exchanges

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Students read what is said but not how it is said, so they cannot name a character. This lesson does three things: mark the exchanges, circle the tone words, name the attitude.

Objectives — Students can: (1) mark the 3 exchanges in a 8-sentence, 96-character passage; (2) circle the tone word in each exchange and say how the voices differ; (3) name each speaker attitude with one adjective and quote one line as evidence; (4) finish 2 passages inside the 16-minute drill, which is 36% of the lesson.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Sentence marking and verbs	Where does the saying verb sit in the line?	Previous chapter: three-step marking
Core classical words	How does a reply verb differ from a plain saying verb?	One answers, one initiates
Character description	How is attitude shown in writing?	Through tone and action

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-4 min	Contrast opener	Read a neutral line and an angry line	Students say which speaker is angry
4-10 min	Script 1: mark exchanges	Every saying verb starts a new line	3 exchanges marked
10-16 min	Script 2: tone words	Circle the saying verb and its tone word	At least one per exchange
16-22 min	Script 3: attitude	One adjective plus one quoted line	Quote required
22-38 min	Two passages	2 passages x 8 minutes	16 minutes in total
38-40 min	Paired reading	One reads, one names the attitude	Unnamed attitude means reread
40-45 min	Exit check	Three oral questions	Redo one passage on the spot

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Marking exchanges: one saying verb, one line

Classical Chinese has no quotation marks, but the saying verb is the switch. Every time it appears, draw a slash before it, start a new line and write who speaks.
A reply verb means the speaker answers the line before, so it never opens a passage. A silence word is not speech, but it still gets its own line, because silence is a reaction.

Students do: only split lines and label speakers first; no translation until the split is right.

Scene 2: Tone words: the same saying verb, three voices

A plain saying verb is neutral; with an angry tone word it is a scolding; with a smile it is relaxed. A reply verb means the speaker was asked first.
The tone word is the voice of the character. If a line has no tone word, read the line before: if the speaker was just scolded, the line is muttered.

Reminder: tone words sit right next to the saying verb, so look one character left and right.

Scene 3: Attitude: one adjective, one quoted line

Ask for one adjective per exchange (impatient, respectful, resentful, afraid) and one quoted line as evidence. An adjective alone is a guess.
A wrong attitude is fine as long as the quote is there; quoting shows the student actually read the line.

Students say: which character told you the speaker was impatient? No character means a guess.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Mark	Split the passage into exchanges and label speakers	New line at every saying verb	Three exchanges, correct speakers
Circle	Circle the tone word in each exchange	Find the saying verb, then look beside it	One per exchange
Name	Name the attitude and quote a line	Quote first, then label	No quote, no credit
Add tone	Change a neutral saying verb into a fitting tone word	Read the mood before the line	Justify the choice

Sanity check (teach this): Arithmetic: 8 sentences x about 12 characters = 96 characters with 3 exchanges, so roughly one exchange every 2.7 sentences. Demo 18 minutes plus drill 16 minutes is 36%, with 4 minutes opening and 5 minutes exit, leaving 2 minutes for paired reading. Each passage gets 8 minutes, enough for three line splits and one quotation.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Split a passage by saying verbs	Three exchanges, three speakers	Check the silent line is not skipped
Circle three tone words	Neutral, reply, angry	Unmarked exchange means unread
Name an attitude with a quote	Adjective plus one line	Quote present

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Reading it as one block	Running through the whole passage	“One saying verb, one line. Split first.”
Skipping the silent line	Ignoring the line with no speech	“Silence is still a reaction, give it a line.”
Naming attitude without evidence	Saying he is angry and stopping	“Which character made him angry?”
Treating a reply as initiative	Assuming the second speaker started	“A reply means someone asked first.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

P5 Chinese paper — Reading: split a dialogue passage and circle tone words
P6 Chinese paper — Short answer: name an attitude with one quoted line
Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What do you do at every saying verb?	Start a new line and label the speaker	Missing one means redo
Does a silent line count as an exchange?	Yes, it is a reaction and gets a line	Skipping it is wrong
What must an attitude answer include?	One quoted line as evidence	No quote, no credit

09 Tutor FAQ

What if students cannot tell who speaks?

Label speakers A and B in turn instead of using names; less copying, fewer errors.

Do they need to memorise tone words?

No, five common ones are enough: plain, reply, angry, smiling, silent.

How do you teach the silent line?

Act it out: the teacher asks, the student looks down and says nothing. That is the silent line.

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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.