Primary Chinese: Narrative Writing — Tutor Lesson Plan (four-part structure, detail)

2026-10-27

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary Chinese

Two failures dominate: a list of events, and vague feelings. Two tools fix them: a four-part plan, and action instead of adjectives.

Objectives — the student can plan four paragraphs, write character through action and dialogue rather than adjectives, and close by returning to the opening.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Paragraphing	Write a paragraph with a topic sentence	Topic sentence first
Description	Write two actions for a character	Concrete actions
Time order	Write three sentences with first, then, finally	Clear order

02 Lesson flow (50 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-8 min	Structure	Take a model text apart	Write a four-line plan
8-18 min	Detail	Turn “very nervous” into actions	Rewrite three sentences
18-30 min	Body paragraph	Model 80 words	Write one paragraph
30-40 min	Ending	Model an echo of the opening	Write two closing lines
40-46 min	Peer review	Hand out a checklist	Name one strength and one problem
46-50 min	Exit check	Collect plan and paragraph	Finish alone

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Four parts, four jobs

Open with time, place, people and the event. Develop it. Turn it with a problem or change. Close with the result and one feeling.
Each part has a job, so the piece stops being a list.

Student writes four lines, one per paragraph.

Scene 2: Actions beat adjectives

Do not write “he was very nervous”.
Write: he gripped the pen until his knuckles went white and wrote his own name three times.
Actions carry feeling; adjectives do not.

Student rewrites “she was happy” as an action.

Scene 3: End where you began

Do not finish with a paragraph of moralising.
Return to the object or line from the opening, and the piece gains shape.

Note: one sentence of reflection is enough.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Plan	Four-line plan for a title	One line per part	By task
Detail	Turn an adjective into actions	Action and dialogue	By sentence
Body paragraph	Write 80 words	Event, detail, one feeling	By task
Ending	Write two closing lines	Echo the opening	By task

Sanity check (teach this): Every paragraph must move the event forward; a paragraph with only feelings is empty.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Rewrite “he was terrified” as actions	Specific actions	Concrete and visible
Plan a piece titled “An Accident”	Four lines	Each part has an event
Write one line that echoes the opening	By task	Returns to the opening

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
List of events	“then … then … then”	Each paragraph needs a turn or a detail.
Adjective pile-up	“very very happy”	Show it through action.
Half the piece is reflection	two paragraphs of moralising	One or two sentences.
Off topic	writes about a favourite game	Every paragraph answers the title.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary 5 Chinese paper — Part A model text plus Part C, question 10

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
What do the four paragraphs do?	Open, develop, turn, close	All right: move to description
How to show “nervous” better?	Through actions	One wrong: re-teach detail
What should the ending do?	Echo the opening	Two wrong: repeat scene 1

09 Tutor FAQ

Plan first?

Yes; four lines save a lot of drifting.

Not enough words?

Add detail, not reflection: an action, a line of dialogue, a sense.

Use idioms?

One or two; a wrong one costs more than it adds.

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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.