Programming Idea:  Selection for a J/YA book discussion

Possible Discussion Questions:

Discuss about the Master’s passion for pottery, and his quest for perfection.  What do you have that kind of passion for?  Is it always an art form (writing, drawing, composing)?  If you do not have something that you feel that kind of passion for, can you think of something that would be similar?

Discuss the situation with the Master’s dead son, and the ending of the book.  How hard do you think it was for the Master & his wife to accept Tree-Ear as a son?  Do you think that the Master’s harshness towards Tree-Ear during the majority of the novel is a result of that loss, or the fact that Tree-Ear is similar in age and temperament to the dead son?  Do you think that if Tree-Ear’s guardian had not died, the Master & his wife would have adopted him?  How strange do you think it is that they renamed Tree-Ear, and he now has a similar name to the dead son?

Related books:  Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, and Monkey Island by Paula Fox.

 To extend the novel, I would have students work individually or in teams to research more about celadon pottery which plays such an important role in the text. Linda Sue Park shares in the author’s note how much research it took to write the novel. “Every piece described in the book actually exists in a museum or private collection somewhere in the world” (149). Linda Sue Park’s own web page  would be an excellent place to have the students begin. One of the pages of her site, Behind the Scenes of A Single Shard, shows real pictures of the celadon pottery that inspired the novel including ‘The Thousand Crane’ vase. In addition to Park’s own sites, the students could search the internet to see what other information is available.

Alternatively, you could use the novel as an opportunity to discuss how important research is in various types of writing. The need for research goes beyond “research papers” and extends to fiction and other types of creative writing as well. You could discuss the role of research in writing, how to research, how to evaluate research, how to use research, etc.
by Rebecca Michelle Laney

For a fourth grade class, I would have students research Celadon pottery by using two websites:
www.ware4u.com/pottery/celadon/celadon.htm
www.slu.edu/organizations/ksa/korean_pottery.htm 
These sites are both appropriate for fourth graders, and provide some good background information on Korea and this type of pottery. 

Focusing on character development, I would have students create a timeline of how Tree Ear developed over the course of the story. Starting as a simple homeless child to becoming a potter himself.
by Dorothy Duffy