Lesson 17: A Single Shard, Chapter 8

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Use the Turn and Talk routine to discuss the following prompts about the second half of Chapter 8.

• Ask: What was Min’s response when Tree-ear asked if Min would teach him how to make a pot? What was the reason for this response? Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

  • Min said he would never teach Tree-ear to make a pot. He said that the trade of pottery passes from father to son, that his son was no longer here, and that Tree-ear was not his son.

• Ask: What does Min’s response tell us about his character?

  • Min’s response tells us that he is still grieving and very sad about the loss of his son. His grief influences the way he treats others.

• Ask: How might Min have reacted differently to Tree-ear’s request? What are some ways you handle difficult feelings in your own life?

  • Min could have used kinder language to explain his thoughts and feelings to Tree-ear. When I’m struggling with difficult feelings, I speak to people I trust, like a friend or family member.

Invite two or three pairs to share their responses with the class.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In today’s lesson, you’ll continue discussing the significance of the theme of mentorship in A Single Shard, including how Min, Crane-man, and Ajima help prepare Tree-ear for his journey to Songdo.

Using Context Clues

Target Word: ajima

Say these Directions: We are going to practice using syllabication to decode a word from the text.

Introduce the Word:

• Say: Ajima is an important word because it relates to significant events in A Single Shard. Think about some words that you use to refer to your relatives. For example, what are some names you use for your grandmother or uncle?

Allow time for students to share their names for family members..

• Say: Now let’s look at a special family word that we will encounter in the text, ajima.

Syllable Segmentation:

• Teacher Modeling:

  • Say: Let’s break the word down into its syllables. I’ll clap as I see each syllable: a-ji-ma.

• Visual Representation: Write the word on the board, separating the syllables with hyphens: a-ji-ma.

Decoding Each Syllable:

• Say: The first syllable is a. Its vowel sound is a schwa, which makes an uh sound, like the A in the word America.

• Say: The second syllable is ji. Its vowel sound is a long u, like in the word few.

• Say: The third syllable is ma. Its vowel sound is also a schwa, again like the A in the word America.

Blending the Syllables:

• Teacher Modeling:

  • Say: Now, let’s blend the syllables together: a-ji-ma. Ajima!

• Choral Reading:

  • Say: Let’s say the word together: ajima!

Defining the Word:

• Context Clues:

  • Ask: In Chapter 8, you read that Min’s wife asked Tree-ear to call her Ajima. What do you think ajima means?

• Formal Definition:

  • Say: Ajima is a Korean term of affection used to address older female relatives, similar to auntie.

• Etymology:

  • Say: Ajima is a Korean word that was first used in the early 1100s CE, the same century that Tree-ear lived.

Connecting to the Topic:

• Say: As a condition of Tree-ear going to Songdo, Ajima insists that he call her Ajima, a term of affection for a family member.

Practice:

• Say: Now, let’s practice using the word. Take a moment to write a sentence that includes the word ajima. Include context clues to provide hints about the word’s meaning.

Invite students to discuss, write, and share their sentences.

Have students add ajima to their Unit Vocabulary graphic organizers.

Tell students that this vocabulary will be further analyzed in this lesson’s text analysis work. Allow students to share their work.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Learning vocabulary such as ajima helps us better understand the events of the novel. Today, as we discuss Chapter 8, pay attention to how this vocabulary word creates meaning and helps readers to connect to Tree-ear’s experiences.

Part A: Identifying Formal and Informal Language (RL.6.4) (15 minutes)

Teach: Formal and Informal Language

Say these Directions: Today we will explore the differences between formal and informal language and how each influences meaning and tone. We will also consider why authors choose either formal or informal language in their writing.

• Say: When people speak and write, they use formal or informal language depending on the setting and their purpose. Formal language follows the rules of English, including correct grammar. People writing or speaking in formal language do not use contractions and slang. They use words with more serious connotations and may also use longer, more complex sentences.

• Ask: When would a person use formal language when speaking or writing?

  • when writing a paper for school, when writing or speaking in a professional setting, when addressing an authority figure

• Say: Informal language is much more casual and reflects the way you write and speak most of the time. Informal language may use nonstandard English, meaning it may not follow the grammatical or punctuation rules of the language. People writing or speaking in informal language may use slang, words with less serious connotations, contractions, and shorter, simpler sentences.

Model for students examples of informal language.

• Ask: When would a person use informal language when speaking or writing?

  • when communicating with a friend, peer, or family member

Practice: Display the examples of formal and informal language.

Exercise is important for maintaining a healthy body and mind. Regular physical activity can improve strength, increase energy, and reduce stress. For these reasons, people should try to include some form of exercise in their daily routine.

Exercise is awesome! When I work out, I feel so good—like I can do anything, no joke. It seriously pumps me up and makes me feel way less stressed. For real, everyone should get moving—it’s awesome for your body, your brain, and just your whole vibe.

• Ask: Which paragraph uses formal language? Which uses informal language? How can you tell?

  • The second sentence uses informal language because it has a contraction and uses slang. The first sentence uses formal language because it doesn’t have any contractions, and uses more serious words.

Connect formal and informal language to word choice and meaning in a text.

• Say: In a literary text, writers may use both formal and informal dialogue and narration in different settings or contexts. For example, in A Single Shard, the author uses formal language in most of the narration but she often uses informal language for the character’s dialogue.

Think-Pair-Share

Say These Directions: Use the Think-Pair-Share routine to respond to the prompts about each excerpt from Chapter 8.

Next, explain that students will reference excerpts from pp. 89, 91, and 92 to complete the activity. Let students know that this activity will take about seven minutes.

Share this excerpt from p. 89:

“The royal emissary honors me with his words, and I wish to disappoint no one. But I am an old man now. . . . I thank the emissary for his consideration and beg his understanding for my failure.”

• Ask: Does this excerpt use formal or informal language? How do you know?

  • It uses formal language. Min uses complex sentences. His word choice is formal, and he does not use any slang or contractions.

• Ask: Why do you think the author made this choice? What does it help you understand?

  • The author made this choice because the scene is serious and because Min is showing great respect to the emissary. It helps me understand how a person would have addressed a royal emissary in Korea at this time.

Share this excerpt from p. 91:

“It is too bad that your thoughts are not on a string. If they were, I would have given them a good yank by now—to see what I could see.”

• Ask: Does this excerpt use formal or informal language? How do you know?

  • This excerpt uses informal language. Crane-man uses informal words and phrases such as yank and “to see what I could see.” It sounds like how someone would talk in real life.

• Ask: Why do you think the author made this choice? What does it help you understand?

  • The author made this choice to show how close Crane-man and Tree-ear are. It helps me understand that they are friends who can speak informally to each other.

Share this excerpt from p. 92:

“Robbers, wild animals, rockslides. . . . What had he been thinking? But, then, what else was he to do—tell Min he had changed his mind?”

• Ask: Does this excerpt use formal or informal language? How do you know?

  • It uses informal language. The sentences are simple, and they do not follow the formal rules of English.

• Ask: Why do you think the author made this choice? What does it help you understand?

  • The author chose informal language to help readers better understand how Tree-ear is thinking and feeling. Tree-ear does not think using formal language, so the author uses narration that reflects the character in this moment.

Think-Pair-Share Question:

• Ask: How does the use of formal and informal language contribute to your understanding of the text?

Part B: Discussing Mentorship (RL.6.2) (15 minutes)

Ask students what they have learned about the theme of mentorship so far in the texts.

• Say: Throughout A Single Shard, you’ve read about the different people who have provided mentorship to Tree-ear—namely, Crane-man, Min, and Ajima. Tree-ear learns something different from each person. Their collective wisdom and knowledge are helping Tree-ear learn new skills, overcome his fears, and better understand his place in the world.

Say These Directions: Work with a partner to complete a 3 Column Chart graphic organizer to describe the ways the three mentors impact Tree-ear in Chapter 8. Use evidence from the text to support your responses.

Remind students of what they discussed in Lesson 3 about the qualities of efficient and inefficient mentors.

• Say: In Chapter 8, Min exhibits the behavior of an inefficient mentor. As you complete the 3 Column Chart, record how Min’s actions impact Tree-ear on his journey to learn a difficult skill.

If time allows, use the 3-Column Chart to model for students how one character impacts Tree-ear’s learning.

[sample response]

Class Discussion

After students complete the 3-Column Chart graphic organizer, lead a brief discussion using the following prompt:

• Ask: How do Tree-ear’s interactions with Ajima, Crane-man, and Min in Chapter 8 show the types of support learners need as they develop a skill? What does Tree-ear learn from each mentor? Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

  • Tree-ear’s interactions with Ajima, Crane-man, and Min show that learners need both direct instruction and emotional support. Both Ajima and Crane-man give Tree-ear confidence and the willingness to try hard things, which are important characteristics for learners. From Ajima, Tree-ear learns that he is valued and trusted. From Crane-man, he learns how to overcome his fears to try something new. While Min will not teach Tree-ear to make a pot, he has taught him different skills through direct instruction that have helped him learn parts of the craft.

Check for Understanding

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Review the structure of an effective writing prompt response using the RACE strategy. An effective response should include a restatement of the prompt, an answer that includes a connection to the text, and cited evidence to support the response, and an explanation that connects it all.

Say These Directions: Respond to the prompts using the RACE strategy:

• Say: A limitation is something that is like an obstacle or challenge that can slow you down or make learning and life a little trickier.

  • What are some of the limitations faced by Tree-ear?

  • What limits have you faced in your life because of things you couldn’t control?

Provide students with a copy of the brief article “The Youngsters Keeping Traditional Trades Alive.” Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompts:

Read “The Youngsters Keeping Traditional Trades Alive.”

• Find two quotes from the text that show two different stages of learning.

• Come up with one question about Tree-ear’s learning process so far, thinking about the stages he has been through and what he still must learn. Explain how this relates to the theme of mentorship.