Lesson 4: A Single Shard, Chapter 1

Turn and Talk

Facilitate a turn and talk discussion for students to preview the cover, dedication, acknowledgements, and Chapter 1 of A Single Shard to build anticipation and activate prior knowledge.

• Say: Take out the novel, A Single Shard. Preview the cover, dedication, acknowledgements, and the pages of Chapter 1.

Instruct students to turn and talk with a partner about the following questions to prepare them to read the first chapter of the novel.

Say these Directions: Use the Turn and Talk routine to discuss the following questions with a partner:

• Based on the information on the cover, dedication, acknowledgements, and Chapter 1, what do you think this novel might be about?

• What prior knowledge do you have about this topic, place, or time period?

  • Student responses will vary based on their background knowledge; some students might discuss aspects of Korean culture and history, including the art of making celadon pottery.

Connection to Today’s Learning: 

• Say: Today, you’ll read Chapter 1 of A Single Shard. You will identify themes, describe characters and their responses, using details from the story to support your ideas.

Using Context Clues

Target Words: jiggeh, kiln, gourd, eaves

Introduce the target words, jiggeh, kiln, gourd, and eaves. Explain that each word connects to important themes and ideas in Chapter 1 of A Single Shard.

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words jiggeh, kiln, gourd and eaves today. These words show up in Chapter 1 of A Single Shard and they all connect to aspects of traditional Korean daily life.

Introduce and review each part of the Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer.

Introduce the Word: Present the word jiggeh to students and pronounce it.

• Say: The first word is jiggeh. It is pronounced JEE-geh.

• Ask: Have you seen this word before? Where?

Say these Directions: Use the Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer to track the Target Words you learn throughout Unit 2. Write the Target Words in the first column of the Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer.

Identify Context Clues:

• Say: Context clues are words or phrases in a text that help readers determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Review the sentence from Chapter 1 of A Single Shard:

Read the sentence aloud.

"Ahead of him a man carried a heavy load on a jiggeh, an open-framed backpack made of branches."

• Ask: What words and phrases in this sentence provide context clues about the meaning of jiggeh? (Sample response: "carried a heavy load," "an open-framed backpack made of branches")

• Say: Use these context clues to make a prediction about the meaning of jiggeh and write it in the second column of the Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer.

Determine Meaning: Invite students to share their predicted definitions of jiggeh with a partner. Affirm correct predictions and state the dictionary’s definition of jiggeh.

• Say: Share and compare your definition prediction with a partner.

• Say: The context clues in the sentence tell us that a jiggeh is used to carry a heavy load and that it is a type of backpack made of branches. The dictionary definition says that a jiggeh is a traditional Korean backpack made from twigs, branches, and other materials.

• Say: Write the definition for jiggeh in the Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer. Next, draw a picture of a jiggeh and write an original sentence using the word.

Have students work with a partner to repeat this process using the words kiln, gourd, and eaves. If time allows, consider reviewing the additional vocabulary words from the chapter. When students are done, invite them to share with the class their process, the definition of each word and the verified meanings.

Connection to Today’s Learning: 

• Say: Understanding vocabulary such as jiggeh, kiln, gourd, and eaves helps us learn about the experiences of the main characters in the story. Today, as we read Chapter 1, pay attention to the way Tree-ear and his friend, Crane-man, interact with these items and what this tells us about their daily lives.

Part A: Describe Characters and Make Connections to Themes (RL.6.2, RL.6.3) (15 minutes)

Have students take out their copies of A Single Shard and open to Chapter 1. Prompt students to follow along in their own books as you read the text aloud.

• Say: As I read Chapter 1 aloud, follow along in your own books.

Describe Characters

Say these Directions: As you encounter each new character in the text, pause to fill out the Character Traits and Theme graphic organizer. In the first column, write the character’s name. In the second column, list the character traits and actions you observe, along with text evidence that supports each trait.

After reading Chapter 1 aloud, invite a few students to share their initial ideas about the three main characters.

• Say: A theme is the main message or lesson an author wants you to learn from a story. An author conveys themes through details about characters, events as well as how characters respond to these events.

• Ask: What details did you notice about the characters Tree-ear, Crane-man, and Min so far? What themes or ideas are conveyed through these details?

Prompt students to add their theme ideas to the third column of the Character Traits and Theme graphic organizer. Encourage students to make connections to the character traits they identified.

Say: Review the character traits you recorded in the Character Traits and Theme graphic organizer. Think about how the character traits connect to a theme or central idea in Chapter 1. Describe your Theme Connections to the third column in the organizer.

Summarize

Have students engage in a Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check to summarize Chapter 1. Ask students to include at least three main events from the chapter in their summary. Remind students to confirm that their partner’s summary is accurate, sequential, and does not include personal opinions or judgments.

Say these Directions: Use the Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check to retell or paraphrase Chapter 1 of A Single Shard. Be sure your summary includes at least three key events from the chapter in the order they appear in the story. Include specific details from the text to support your ideas.

• Student responses will vary but may include: Tree-ear returns home with rice and explains his moral choice to warn the farmer. This connects to the theme that honesty is important. Crane-man and Tree-ear discuss honesty, dignity, and honorable work, and Tree-ear’s past is revealed. Tree-ear watches Min the potter and becomes fascinated by his craftsmanship. This connects to the idea that you can learn a lot by watching.

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.

Part B: Describe How Characters Respond to Events (RL.6.2, RL.6.3) (15 minutes)  

Describe Events and Responses

Say these Directions: Review the events in the chapter and notice how the characters respond to them. This will help you to better understand the themes of this chapter. Identify the events of the plot you shared in your Retell & Paraphrase Partner Check partnerships. Record each event in the first column of the graphic organizer and the character’s response in the second.

Prompt students to access the 3-column chart and to write the titles “Event”, “Response” and “Analysis” above each column. Conduct a think-aloud to model analysis of the first event.

• Ask: What is an important event at the beginning of the chapter?

• Say: One of the first events in this chapter is when Tree-ear sees rice falling from the farmer’s jeggeh. Write “Tree-ear sees rice falling out of a farmer’s jeggeh” in the first column.

• Ask: What is the character’s response to this event?

• Say: Tree-ear wonders if he should tell the farmer, since more fallen rice means more food for him and Crane-man. Write “Tree-ear decides to tell the farmer about the rice” in the Response column.

• Ask: What does this response tell us about the character of Tree-ear? Turn and talk with a partner.

• Say: When linking details from the text and ideas, it’s helpful to use phrases such as this reveals, or this example shows. By telling the farmer about the falling rice, Tree-ear shows that he is honest and is thinking about right and wrong. Write “This response reveals that Tree-ear is reflecting on what is right and wrong” in the Analysis column.

• Say: Now, work with a partner to complete columns two and three for the second event of the chapter. Be sure to use connecting words and phrases to link evidence with ideas.

Invite a few pairs to share their responses with the whole group. Describe a third event that occurs in the chapter. (e.g. Tree-ear secretly watches Min make pottery.)

• Ask: How does Tree-ear respond as he watches Min make pottery?

  • Tree-ear is amazed by how Min shapes the clay and is fascinated by his craftsmanship.

• Ask: What does this response tell us about the character of Tree-ear? Turn and talk with a partner.

  • This response indicates that Tree-ear is learning to value creativity and hard work, rather than focusing only on food and survival..

Invite several students to respond and write their ideas on the displayed organizer in column 2.

Briefly explain the concept of central idea or theme in relation to the connections between chapters across a novel.

• Say: Authors combine elements such as characters, plot, conflict, setting, and literary devices to communicate meaning through their writing. A chapter’s theme or central idea is the key message or insight revealed through its events and the characters’ reactions. It shows what the chapter is really about beyond the plot. As these ideas develop from chapter to chapter, they build toward the larger themes of the entire text.

• Ask: Based on what we have read in Chapter 1, what might be one of the themes or central ideas in this chapter? Identify textual evidence that supports your response.

  • A central idea or theme of Chapter 1 is that Tree-ear learns through his relationship with Crane-man that it is important to be honest, work hard, and have dignity, and he begins to admire the patience and skill of the potter Min. In the text, Crane-man acts as an important guide for Tree-ear. Tree-ear looks to and follows Crane-man’s advice, even when it may be difficult to do so. Tree-ear and Crane-man also work together for their survival. Tree-ear’s interest in Min’s work might suggest that Tree-ear would like to have Min as a mentor.

• Ask: What details in Chapter 1 show how Tree-ear begins learning by observing the world around him? How do his actions and habits demonstrate the early stages of learning something difficult?

  • Tree-ear carefully watches people in the village as he scavenges for food. He secretly watches Min as he throws pots on his wheel outside. He begins to learn Min’s processes and routines.

• Ask: How can observation help spark a person’s interest in something? Describe a time that you became interested in something after observing?

  • Observation helps you better understand a task; this understanding can help you become more interested as you learn more about how and what to do. Responses will vary.

Transition students into the Lesson Look Back by providing them with the 3-Column Chart graphic organizer.

3-2-1 Summary

Say these Directions: For Chapter 1 of A Single Shard, use the 3 chart column graphic organizer to record:

• 3 important words or phrases

• 2 key details or ideas

• 1 sentence explaining what Chapter 1 is mostly about (gist statement)

Say: Be sure to use specific evidence from the text in your responses.

Read Chapter 2 of A Single Shard. Annotate at least two descriptions of pottery described in the chapter. Then, respond to the following prompt in your Reflection Journal:

• What did you learn about pottery that you did not know before?

As you read, look for the Target Vocabulary words glazed, fired, and derision. Record these words, any context clues you see, and a prediction about what each means in your Unit Vocabulary graphic organizer.