Lesson 29: A Single Shard, Chapter 13

Students discuss the object Min returns to Tree-ear and what this tells them about Tree-ear’s progress.

Have students take out their Journal responses.

• As students read the first half of Chapter 13, they were asked to focus on the interaction between Tree-ear and Min on p. 143 and answer the following prompt:

  • What object does Min return to Tree-ear, and what does he say about it? What might this tell you about Tree-ear’s progress on the stages of learning?

Say these Directions: What were some responses to the homework prompt that you added to your Journal?

• Min returns the clay monkey that Tree-ear gave to Crane-man as a gift before his journey to Songdo. As Tree-ear walks away with Ajima, Min calls to him, “It is fine work, Tree-ear.” This tells me that Tree-ear has made it through the stages of learning with the skill of molding clay. He has mastered the skill and is now creating beautiful objects worthy of Min’s praise.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Throughout A Single Shard, we have read about and discussed the different stages of learning that Tree-ear has gone through while working for Min. As you finish Chapter 13 today, think about the role the stages of learning will play in Tree-ear’s life moving forward.

Fluency Practice

Introduce the Activity: Have students turn to p. 144 in A Single Shard. Tell them they will be practicing fluency—the ability to speak naturally and easily—by reading an excerpt from the text using prosody. Students should read from the section that describes Tree-ear throwing rocks in the river.

• Say: When we read with prosody, we read with expression. We change our voice to show the meaning and emotion in a text. We can read with prosody by breaking sentences into phrase groups, or smaller, meaningful “chunks” of text that make up a sentence.

Display the following sentence:

“The next morning Tree-ear rose long before the temple bell.”

• Say: We can break this sentence into three phrase groups, or meaningful chunks.

  • The next morning

  • Tree-ear rose

  • long before the temple bell.

• Say: Each phrase group gives the reader a different piece of information.

• Ask: What does each phrase group tell the reader?

  • The first phrase group tells readers when the action happened. The second phrase group tells what the action is. The third phrase group gives more details about when the action happened.

Model Fluent Reading: First, read the sample sentence aloud without phrase groups, making a point to rush from one part of the sentence to the next. Then model reading the sample sentence aloud using phrase groups.

Say these Directions: Let’s try another sentence.

“He left the silent house and walked to the stream, where he stood staring at the motion of the current.”

• Ask: What did you notice about the first time I read the sentence?

  • It was rushed. The ideas were squished together. It was difficult to understand or follow.

• Ask: When I read the sentence the second time, what did I do to make sure my reading was fluent?

  • You read with prosody by breaking the sentence into phrase groups.

Class Echo-Read: Read the first paragraph of the section on p. 144 aloud. This time, have students read aloud with you.

• Ask: Did you read the paragraph with prosody? Why or why not?

Partner Read: Place students in pairs. Have the first partner read the next paragraph aloud (“Tree-ear threw . . .”) while the second partner listens. Then prompt them to switch roles, having the second partner read the same section aloud while the first partner listens. Remind them to focus on reading with prosody.

• Ask: Did you experience any challenges reading with prosody? Why or why not?

• Ask: How can we improve our ability to read with prosody?

  • by breaking sentences into phrase groups

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you will finish reading Chapter 13 of A Single Shard with a partner. As you partner read, focus on using prosody to read fluently.

Part A: Partner Read Chapter 13 (RL.6.2, RL.6.4) (20 minutes)

Have students partner read the remainder of Chapter 13 (pp. 144–148). As students read the text, prompt them to add details to the “creating” stage of their Stages of Learning graphic organizers.

Say these Directions: Read the rest of Chapter 13 (pp. 144-148). Add details to the “creating” stage of your Stages of Learning graphic organizer.

• Ask: What stage of learning is described in Chapter 13?

  • Min tells Tree-ear to cut down thick logs to use for a pottery wheel. Now that Tree-ear has mastered earlier stages of learning to make pottery, he will have a chance to learn to throw pottery and create his own works of art.

Briefly revisit the concept of a plot diagram (or story arc) with students. Present a simple story arc on the board or projector for students to see. Remind students that in Lesson 6, they read about the five main parts of a plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

• Ask: What part of the plot does Chapter 13 represent? How can you tell?

  • Chapter 13 is the resolution. It is the last part of the story. Although Tree-ear has lost his friend Crane-man, his story comes to a hopeful and satisfying conclusion.

After partners finish reading the text, prompt them to work together to add the target vocabulary words solemn (pp. 142, 145), threshold (p. 143), and sought (p. 145) to their Unit Vocabulary graphic organizers. Invite two or three pairs to share what they added to their graphic organizers with the class. Help students refine the definition of each word as needed.

Part B: Discussing the Significance of Naming (RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, L.6.5) (10 minutes)

Student volunteers read a section of the text aloud before a whole-class discussion.

Invite volunteers to read this section aloud. Lead a whole-class discussion using the prompts below.

Whole-Class Discussion

Say these Directions: Open your books to the passage where Ajima gives Tree-ear a name (pp. 146–147) and listen as it is read aloud. Think about the prompts below and be ready to participate in the class discussion.

• Ask: How does naming affect our understanding of someone or something?

  • Naming affects our understanding by showing belonging. For example, someone having the same last name as their relatives shows belonging to that family. In biology, scientists name organisms based on their shared characteristics with other like organisms.

• Ask: What does the name Tree-ear mean?

  • Chapter 1 explains that the name Tree-ear refers to a type of mushroom that grows on dead or fallen trees. The text explains that it “emerges from the rotten wood without benefit of parent seed,” which Crane-man says makes it a good name for an orphan.

• Ask: What is significant about Tree-ear’s new name, Hyung-pil?

  • The first syllable, Hyung, is shared with Min and Ajima’s son. In Korean, hyung can mean “older brother,” so giving Tree-ear this name suggests closeness, respect, and belonging.

• Ask: What, if anything, changes when Tree-ear’s name changes?

  • At the beginning of the novel, the author explains that Tree-ear was named for a mushroom that grows on trees “without benefit of parent seed” (p. 7). This name showed that he was an orphan, and orphans in Ch’ulp’o were considered bad luck. By changing Tree-ear’s name, Ajima changes his status from orphan to a member of their family. She is showing him that he is loved and important and that he belongs with her and Min.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following Quick Write prompt with three to five sentences:

• What does Tree-ear’s new name symbolize about him and his growth and reveal about the value and importance of craft?

  • Tree-ear’s new name, Hyung-pil, symbolizes how he has grown from a lonely orphan into a respected apprentice and member of Min’s family. Earlier in the novel, his name, Tree-ear, connected him to surviving alone, like a mushroom growing from fallen wood. Being renamed shows that he now belongs somewhere and has earned trust through his hard work, perseverance, and honesty. The new name marks a shift in his identity from someone who only watched pottery to someone who is truly becoming a potter. It also reveals the value and importance of craft in the novel. The name is given only after Tree-ear proves his dedication to learning pottery and honoring Min’s work, showing that craft is not just about making objects but also about shaping character. Through discipline, patience, and guidance from mentors, Tree-ear has grown both as a person and as an artist. His new name shows that mastering a craft brings not only skill but also belonging, responsibility, and a meaningful place in a community.

In the next lesson, students will participate in an academic discussion. Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

Reflect on the question below. Review notes, annotations, and discussions from across Unit 2. Then write your initial thoughts in your Journal about how you will respond to this question:

• Across the entire novel, what does Tree-ear’s apprenticeship show about the importance of artists and craftspeople? What moments best illustrate this?