My name is Julie Yankovich. I teach art to grades seven through twelve at Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School in Connellsville, Pa. I chose to read A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park.
A Single Shard is a book about an orphan named Tree-ear. The story takes place in the mid-to late twelfth century. He lives under a bridge, in a small pottery village called Ch’ulp’o, on the west coast of Korea. He lives with a disabled man named Crane-man, who has taken care of Tree-ear as long as he can remember. He lives with Crane-man because his parents died when he was young of a fever. At this time in Korean society, anybody that was orphaned or homeless would live with family, or if you had no family, the monks at the temple would take care of you. The monk’s temple was ripe with fever, so the villagers suggested that Tree-ear would live with Crane-man under the bridge until the outbreak ended. When the outbreak of fever ended in the temple on the mountainside, the monk came back to retrieve Tree-ear. Tree-ear clung to Crane-man and the monk left him there.
When Tree-ear foraged for food, he often watched the master potter Min work on his wheel. Tree-ear was a very curious boy who snuck into the potter’s studio. He picked up pieces of pottery to get a closer look. He dropped a pot after being startled. The potter caught Tree-ear and thought he was a thief. Tree-ear explained to Min that he just went inside the studio to admire Min’s work. Min was terribly angry. After some conversation, Min agreed to have Tree-ear work for him to pay back what was broken. Once his debt was paid, he begged for a job to work at Min’s studio. After a year and a half of working for Min, he journeyed to the palace with two of Min’s pottery pieces. Min had hoped to get a royal commission. Tree-ear encounters a major bump on the road to Songdo to meet Emissary Kim. This journey to the palace changes Tree-ear’s life.
I would recommend introducing this book in an art class for grades seven, eight or nine. The book could be assigned over a long break for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter as it is an easy read. The book is full of life lessons, almost every situation that Tree-ear encountered he learned something. Students could write about sections of the book that spoke about patience, honesty, or hope. They could compare things that require patience, honesty, and hope in their own life.
During class time, students could research traditional Japanese flowers like those created on Min and Kang’s pottery. Students could make a pinch pot or even create a coil pot. The students will create four sketches of their best ideas. The teacher and the student will go over their ideas together to choose the best one. Students will then carve the flowers into their pot. Once the pot has been in the kiln, they can glaze it using colors found in nature.

Jeremy Mangan
Book Review
January 10, 2016

A Single Shard

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park is a novel about a boy named Tree-ear, who is an orphan and lives under a bridge with a homeless, disabled man named Crane-man. Throughout the book we come to learn that Tree-ear is fascinated with the potters in his village. He is especially fond of one potter named Min, and often watches him work. One day Tree-ear goes into Min's yard to look at the work that he has drying in the sun. While Tree-ear is looking at the work, Min comes out and startles Tree-ear and sadly, he drops and breaks a box. To pay for the broken box, Tree-ear offers to work for Min for nine days. While working for Min, Tree-ear’s nine-day punishment gradually turns into an eighteen month internship. This internship changes both Tree-ear and Min's life when the king’s court commissions Min’s work.
After reading this book, I would have to say that this would be an excellent read for my fourth grade students. This novel not only transports its reader into the world of 12-century Korea but also tells the coming of age story of a young man on a mission to grow into something better that he feels he is. This text could be implemented as a read aloud, a book club book or as a cross-curricular text studied in both readers workshop and art class.