A Single Shard

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. This novel is set in a small village in 12th-century Korea. Think about the differences between your daily life and what it might be like for someone from such a time and place. What are some features of the modern world that wouldn’t have been available then? How do you think this would affect the way you spend your time?

Teaching Suggestion: The book focuses heavily on the manual tasks associated with pottery-making; for example, chopping wood for the kiln fire requires hours of work. Likewise, clay must be cut from a riverbank and not bought at a store. The potter’s wheel is run on foot power. It may be useful for students to consider their daily routine in a world without electricity, running water, or labor-saving devices as they respond to the question.

• Britannica's “Daily Life and Social Customs” of South Korea gives some insight into the world inhabited by the novel’s characters.
• “Ancient Korea” on World History Encyclopedia describes living conditions during the time the novel takes place.