Primary Chinese | Explanatory Data Integration Lesson (for tutors)

Primary Chinese | Explanatory Data Integration Lesson (for tutors) | Three data types, one inference

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Pupils copy the number and stop, so an inference answer is just a lifted sentence. They have never learned that data only means something once it is compared. This lesson sorts six data points into three types and drills one inference per type.

Objectives — Pupils will be able to: (1) find numbers, comparisons and examples in a text, at least 2 of each; (2) write an inference that adds a comparison instead of repeating the source; (3) quote the shortest data phrase when answering “What can be seen from the text”; (4) finish 2 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
Numbers	What type of data is “forty per cent”?	A number
Comparison words	What are “more than” and “fewer than”?	Comparison markers
Example markers	What follows “for example”?	An example

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Hook: source vs inference	Two sentences, which one required thinking	Name the difference
5-10 min	Act 1: numbers	A number needs a baseline	Write “four in ten”
10-15 min	Act 2: comparison	Find both sides of the comparison	Write “A has more than B”
15-20 min	Act 3: examples	Say what the example proves	Write “proves it is common”
20-38 min	Two texts (18 min)	2 texts x 9 min, timed each	Three inferences each
38-42 min	Answer check	Which data point did each answer use	Point to the data
42-45 min	Exit check	Three questions orally	Add one inference if stuck

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Split copying from inferring

Write two sentences side by side. Left: “Country parks cover forty per cent of the land.” Right: “Four in ten sports fields are country park, more than urban parks.” Ask which one only moved the source and which added a comparison. The answer is obvious, yet pupils write the left one in exams.
New rule from here: after quoting the data, add a half-sentence starting with “that is”, or the answer does not count.

Note: that half-sentence is the whole lesson; drill nothing else.

Scene 2: Make numbers concrete

Convert “forty per cent” into “four in ten” and “one and a half tenths” into “fifteen in a hundred”. Each step asks: which whole is this number talking about, and how big is that whole?
Then model the common error of writing “four times” for “forty per cent” and ask the pupil to explain the difference. If they cannot, draw ten squares and shade four.

Ask: what is the whole for this number? No whole, no answer.

Scene 3: One sentence for comparison, one for example

Comparison: circle both subjects, circle the comparison word, write “A has more than B” plus the gap. Example: circle “for example”, then ask what feature it proves; the answer is one word.
Model: “for example, Tai Mo Shan and Shing Mun have picnic sites” leads to “proves picnic sites are common”. Ask where the word common came from.

Note: the example is evidence; the answer states the feature, never the example itself.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Find data	Which data types are used?	Scan numbers, comparisons, examples	All three appear
Write inference	Write one inference from the data	Quote then add “that is”	Four in ten
Comparison question	Which facility is more common?	Circle both sides and the marker	Picnic sites
Judge copying	Is this answer just the source?	Look for a comparison	Rewrite if none

Sanity check (teach this): Check: 3 data types x 2 points = 6 data points; teaching 15 min (three acts of 5), practice 18 min (40%), hook 5, answer check 4, exit 3, total 45 min; 2 texts at 9 min each covers all six points twice.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Sort six points	Mark and label six data points	Two per type
Make numbers concrete	Rewrite three percentages as “x in ten”	Whole stated each time
Inference lines	Three “that is” sentences per text	Adds a comparison or gap

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Only copying	Answer matches the source word for word	“Same as the text means no inference; add the that-is half.”
Percent as multiple	Writing “four times” for forty per cent	“Forty per cent is a share; draw ten squares.”
Comparison with one side	Writing “much more” with nothing to compare	“More than what? Both sides must appear.”
Example as the answer	Answer reads “for example, Tai Mo Shan”	“The example is evidence; name the feature.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 5 Chinese paper — Reading: two points per type plus inferences
Primary 6 Chinese paper — Reading: rewrite percentages as “x in ten”
Primary Chinese chapter index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Name the three data types.	Numbers, comparisons, examples	Redo if one is missing
Which phrase must follow a quote?	“That is” or “in other words”	Uncounted without it
Forty per cent is how many in ten?	Four	Draw squares if wrong

09 Tutor FAQ

Must the phrase be exactly “that is”?

In practice yes; once stable, “in other words” is fine. A stable frame beats variety.

What if the text has no numbers?

Infer from a comparison or an example; the frame does not change.

Can pupils add their own opinion?

No. An inference must come from the text only; opinions lose marks.

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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.