Primary Chinese | Four Explanation Methods (Tutor Guide)

Primary Chinese | Four Explanation Methods (Tutor Guide) | Four Methods, Four Keyword Cues

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Pupils guess when asked which explanation method is used, because they have no cue to check. This lesson gives each of four methods one keyword, so the name and its purpose come out on sight.

Objectives — Pupils will: (1) name the 4 methods (example, comparison, number, definition) and their keywords; (2) point to the sentence using a given method and say what it explains; (3) answer purpose questions with the frame “this method shows … so the reader can … more …”, avoiding empty words such as vivid; (4) complete 4 texts in 20 minutes (44% of the lesson).

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Purpose of explanation	What does an explanation text want readers to know?	One fact or principle
Comparison words	What kind of writing uses “more than” and “equal to”?	Comparison
Number sense	What do “thirty per cent” and “twice” do in a text?	Make it concrete and credible

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-4 min	Hook: guess the method	Read one sentence, ask which method is used	Name it and justify
4-8 min	Act 1: four methods, four cues	Board four methods and four keywords	Copy the cue table
8-12 min	Act 2: find the sentence	Point to one sentence per method	Circle four sentences
12-16 min	Act 3: the purpose frame	Model the frame for a purpose answer	Write one sentence with it
16-36 min	Four timed texts (20 min)	4 texts x 5 minutes, timed	Circle before answering
36-40 min	Check answers	Ask for method and purpose	Name both
40-45 min	Exit check	Three oral questions	Redo one sentence if stuck

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Four methods, four keywords

Board four lines: example (for example, such as), comparison (more than, equal to), number (thirty per cent, twice, percentage), definition (means, is called). One keyword each, so nothing is muddled.
Model one sentence per method: “Country parks cover about forty per cent of the land” is number; “such as Tai Mo Shan” is example; “three degrees cooler than the city” is comparison; “a country park means…” is definition.

Pupils do: copy the cue table and match each keyword while working.

Scene 2: Find the method sentence, circle short

Give one explanation paragraph. Pupils circle one sentence per method, or write “none” beside it. The rule is to circle only the method phrase, not the whole paragraph, because the answer quotes it.
Model a short circle: six characters around the example, nothing before or after.

Remind: the shorter the circle, the easier the purpose answer.

Scene 3: Fix the purpose frame

Purpose answers use one frame: “This method uses … to show …, so the reader understands … more …”. The second half may only be concrete, credible or clearly, never vivid.
Model: “Using numbers to show country parks cover forty per cent of the land helps the reader understand the share more concretely.”

Pupils say: why did you choose concrete rather than vivid? No reason means rewrite.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Name the method	Which method is “such as Tai Mo Shan”?	Match the keyword	Example
Circle the method sentence	Circle the sentence using numbers	Circle the number phrase only	Forty per cent circled
Answer the purpose	What does the number method do here?	Use the frame	Shows the share concretely
Spot the mismatch	Read an answer, check the method name	Keyword and name must match	Mismatch means rewrite

Sanity check (teach this): Count: 4 methods x 1 keyword = 4 cues. Demonstration 12 minutes (three acts of 4), practice 20 (44%), hook 4, checking 4, exit 5; total 45 minutes. 4 texts at 5 minutes each covers every method once per text.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Four sentences, four methods	Label one method per sentence	Keywords match names
Short circles	Circle only six to ten characters of the method phrase	No whole-paragraph circles
Rewrite the purpose	Replace “more vivid” with an accepted answer	Second half uses one of three words

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Wrong method name	Calling “such as” a comparison	“What follows such as: an example or a contrast?”
Purpose says vivid	Every purpose answer ends with vivid	“Explanation texts are not about vivid; say concrete or credible.”
Circling the paragraph	Quoting the whole paragraph	“Circle only the six characters of the method.”
Missing the method name	Writing only the purpose	“The first sentence must name the method.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 5 Chinese paper — Reading task: label two methods and write their purpose
Primary 6 Chinese paper — Reading task: find one sentence for each of the four methods
Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Name the four methods.	Example, comparison, number, definition	Missing one means reteach
Which method is “means”?	Definition	Wrong answer means recheck cues
Which three words may end a purpose answer?	Concrete, credible, clearly	Vivid loses the mark

09 Tutor FAQ

Are there other methods?

Start with these four; simile and classification can follow once these are secure, as too many at once causes confusion.

What if a pupil cannot find the sentence?

Search the keyword first: such as, more than, a number, means. The sentence appears once the keyword is found.

Must the frame be used every time?

In practice, yes; a stable frame prevents empty answers. Relax it once the habit holds.

Find a tutor — free Tutor Registration →

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.