Primary Chinese | Four Kinds of Response in Group Discussion (for tutors)

Primary Chinese | Four Kinds of Response in Group Discussion (for tutors) | Agree, disagree, probe, sum up

2026-11-04

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

In discussion pupils deliver their own turn and then go quiet when someone else speaks, because they own no sentence for responding. This lesson gives four kinds of response, each with one opening line, enough to keep the discussion moving.

Objectives — Pupils can: (1) name the 4 kinds of response and what each is for; (2) use the opening line of each kind to pick up the previous speaker, at least twice per round; (3) say why “I disagree” needs a reason attached before it is fair; (4) complete 3 discussion rounds in 18 minutes with every pupil responding each round (40 per cent of the lesson).

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Position	What is the first sentence of a turn?	One clear position
Reason	What goes with a claim?	One example
Turns	What makes a discussion fair?	One turn plus one response each

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-6 min	Opening: four short speeches	Groups of four discuss for one minute with no responses	Spots where it breaks
6-9 min	Script 1: agree and add	Models “I agree, and I would add…”	Responds with the same opener
9-12 min	Script 2: disagree politely	Models “I see your point, but…”	Responds with a disagreement
12-15 min	Script 3: probe and sum up	Models “which part do you mean” and “to sum up”	Says one of each
15-18 min	Script 4: all four in a chain	Models four responses one after another	Counts the kinds used
18-36 min	Group rounds (18 min)	3 rounds at 6 minutes, new topic each	One response each per round
36-41 min	Observer feedback	One observer per group counts responses	Names who responded most
41-45 min	Exit check	Three oral questions	Adds one response on the spot

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Four people, four short speeches

Groups of four, topic “should the playground open at break”. Each pupil says one sentence and then stops. Record one minute, play it back, and ask whether that was a discussion. Most say no, it was four short talks.
Ask what is missing and they say “listening”. Listening alone is not enough: after listening there must be a sentence that picks up the previous speaker. That sentence is the response.

Say back: a discussion is not taking turns, it is picking up each other.

Scene 2: Four responses, four openers

Four boxes on the board. Agree and add: “I agree, and I would add…”. Disagree politely: “I see your point, but…”. Probe: “which part do you mean? Can you give an example?”. Sum up: “to sum up, we think…”.
After each box, a pupil uses the opener to respond to the tutor line just spoken. Nine minutes covers all four.

Say back: agree, disagree, probe, sum up.

Scene 3: Disagreeing without shutting the door

Model two versions. One: “You are wrong, the playground must open.” Two: “I see your worry about safety, but if we open only one half the risk is much lower.” Ask which keeps the discussion alive.
One rule: repeat the other person line before disagreeing. If you cannot repeat it, you were not listening.

Say back: repeat their line, then say your disagreement.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Agree and add	Pick up the last speaker with a new example	Say “I agree” then add content	I agree, and break is long enough
Disagree politely	Disagree while keeping the other view	Repeat their line, then “but”	I see your worry, but only half opens
Probe	Ask for an example when unclear	Ask “which part” or “can you give an example”	Which part do you mean?
Sum up	Close a round with shared ground	Use “to sum up” without new claims	To sum up, we think half should open

Sanity check (teach this): Check: 4 responses modelled at 3 minutes each is 12 minutes; 18 minutes of rounds (3 rounds at 6 minutes) is 40 per cent of the lesson; opening 6, feedback 5 and exit 4 minutes total 45. With four per group and 3 rounds there are 12 responses in the lesson.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Agree and add	Respond with one new example	Opener present, content new
Disagree politely	Disagree without shutting the door	Repeats the line before the but
Sum up	Sum up three views in one line	No new claim inside the summary

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Only own turn	Says their bit then looks down	When your sentence ends, pick up someone else, that is the discussion.
Disagreement as attack	“You are wrong, you know nothing.”	Repeat their line first, then say but.
Probe as interrogation	“What is your evidence?” in a hard voice	Ask “do you have an example” instead of “on what grounds”.
New claim in the summary	Adds a fresh reason while summing up	A summary only collects what was said.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

P5 Chinese paper — Speaking task: discuss in fours and respond
P6 Chinese paper — Speaking task: one round using all four responses
Primary Chinese index — All chapters

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What are the four kinds of response?	Agree and add, disagree politely, probe, sum up	Any missing kind means reteach
What comes before a disagreement?	A repeat of the other person line	Going straight to disagreement means reteach
May a summary add a new claim?	No	“Yes” means reteach

09 Tutor FAQ

Must groups be four?

Three or four both work. Threes respond more often per round, which suits classes new to turn taking.

What if a pupil refuses to respond?

Give sentence cards and accept half a line such as “I agree”; the opening is the hard part, content follows.

What does the observer do?

Only counts who responded and which kind was used. No grading, but the record shows pupils whether they joined in.

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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.