Primary Chinese | Explanatory Paragraph Functions Lesson (for tutors)

Primary Chinese | Explanatory Paragraph Functions Lesson (for tutors) | Six paragraphs, three functions

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Pupils copy one point per paragraph and freeze when asked what a paragraph does, because nobody has ever sorted paragraphs into types. This lesson splits a six-paragraph text into three functions, two paragraphs each.

Objectives — Pupils will be able to: (1) assign a paragraph to one of three functions (introduce the subject, explain it, sum it up); (2) state a function with the frame “This paragraph first says …, so the reader knows …”; (3) mark two paragraphs of each function in a six-paragraph text; (4) handle 3 texts independently in 18 minutes (40% of the lesson).

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Paragraph	How many sentences are in a paragraph?	Three to five, on one idea
Topic sentence	Where does it usually sit?	First or last sentence
Subject	What must the opening state?	The thing being explained

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Hook: compare two openings	One states the subject, one tells a story first	Say which is faster
6-10 min	Act 1: introducing paragraph	Mark the sentence naming the subject	Circle the subject noun
10-14 min	Act 2: explaining paragraph	Look for grouping or examples	Write one keyword
14-18 min	Act 3: summing-up paragraph	Look for therefore or in short	Circle the linking word
18-36 min	Three texts (18 min)	3 texts x 6 min, timed each	Label six paragraphs
36-40 min	Answer check	Two paragraphs answered with the frame	Say “so the reader knows”
40-45 min	Exit check	Three questions orally	Re-label one paragraph if stuck

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Separate what a paragraph says from what it does

Hand out two openings. Text A starts with “Country parks cover forty per cent of Hong Kong land”. Text B starts with a hiking trip and names the subject in the third sentence. Ask which is faster to understand; the answer is always A.
Name the point: every paragraph has one of three jobs – introduce, explain, sum up. A job is not a topic. Write the word job on the board and keep only these three labels for the next thirty minutes.

Note: do not open with definitions. Let the comparison produce the three labels.

Scene 2: Three recognition cues

Put three cue lines on the board: introduce = the subject noun appears for the first time; explain = there is grouping, an example or a number; sum up = there is therefore, in short or in total. Model one circled sentence per function in the two openings.
Circle the shortest part only: the noun in the opening, the grouping word in the middle, the linker at the end. A long circle becomes a copied paragraph in the answer.

Ask: which function does the phrase you circled belong to? If the pupil cannot say, return to the cues.

Scene 3: One answer frame

Function questions take one frame: “This paragraph first says …, so the reader knows …”. The first half is the content in under ten words; the second half is what the reader gains.
Model a weak answer (“This paragraph is important”) beside a strong one (“This paragraph first gives the area, so the reader knows parks cover forty per cent”). Ask the pupil to name the difference.

Note: the second half must contain the reader; without it the answer is just retelling.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Name the function	Which function is this paragraph?	Check noun, grouping word, linker	Explaining
State the function	What does this paragraph do?	Use the frame	Reader knows the area
Reorder paragraphs	Put four scrambled paragraphs back	Introduce first, sum up last	Order cannot flip
Spot the mismatch	Judge a written answer	Function label must fit content	Fix on the spot

Sanity check (teach this): Check: 6 paragraphs / 3 functions = 2 each; teaching 12 min (three acts of 4), practice 18 min (40%), hook 6, answer check 4, exit 5, total 45 min; 3 texts at 6 min each leaves time to label all six paragraphs.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Label six paragraphs	Write one function word per paragraph	Uses the three labels
Shortest circle	Circle one sentence per paragraph	No whole-paragraph circles
Frame drill	Write two function answers	Second half names the reader

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Mixing job with topic	Answering “this paragraph is about parks”	“I asked what it does, not what it says.”
Everything is explaining	All six labelled explaining	“Does the subject appear for the first time here?”
Answering “very important”	Empty function answer	“Important how? Say it until the reader learns something.”
Copying the paragraph	A three-line answer	“Ten words or fewer, otherwise you are copying.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 4 Chinese paper — Reading: label six paragraphs and write two functions
Primary 5 Chinese paper — Reading: reorder scrambled paragraphs
Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Name the three paragraph functions.	Introduce, explain, sum up	Redo if one is missing
Which function usually holds “therefore”?	The summing-up paragraph	Return to the cues if wrong
Which two words must end a function answer?	The reader	Deduct if missing

09 Tutor FAQ

Can one paragraph do two jobs?

Yes, but at primary level pupils pick the main one; stressing main keeps answers stable.

What if the text has only four paragraphs?

One introduces, one sums up, two explain; the functions do not change.

Should transition paragraphs be taught?

Add them in the second term of Primary 5; too many labels early causes confusion.

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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.