A Single Shard

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Describe the Art of Celadon Pottery”

In this activity, students use two photographs of celadon pottery to write descriptions using language that conveys visual imagery; students then compare their descriptions to the way the characters communicate celadon pottery’s value as an art form.

Find two images of celadon pottery from different historical time periods (for example, find one piece of pottery from the Han dynasty and another from the Goryeo dynasty).

• Write a description of each celadon piece, explaining its uniqueness.
• Include descriptive statements that also compare the two pieces of pottery.
• Note the differences in technique, color, and texture between the two.

Next, reflect on the ways in which Tree-ear and Emissary Kim describe the characteristics of celadon in the text.

• In a separate paragraph that accompanies your descriptions, discuss the ways in which Tree-ear and Emissary Kim describe the characteristics of celadon and what makes it a true art form.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might investigate museum sites and scholarly sites on Korean culture for celadon images. Alternatively, they might use the links provided below. For closure to the activity, students might select from their pieces of writing the most vividly descriptive sentence to share while you or a class member create a word cloud of visual imagery words. Include words and phrases that Tree-Ear and Emissary Kim use to describe the pottery as well.

These links include photographs of pottery samples.

• Example 1: Cranes and Clouds Vase
• Example 2: Proto-Celadon Jar

Differentiation Suggestion: English language learners and/or learners who might struggle with the scope of the written project may benefit from working in pairs to brainstorm points of comparison instead of paragraph writing. Students who might benefit from more creative freedom or by incorporating artistic skills might design and sketch their own pieces of celadon pottery based on the text’s descriptions and online images, then provide written descriptions of their own celadon creations.