2. A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

3. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

4. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

5. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream:

6. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

7. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?

8. "That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path.

9. Every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.

10. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

11. Cracked Pot Questions KS1 Enrichment Cluster March 2006

12. What did the perfect pot think about the cracked pot? Did the cracked pot have a job? Could we say the pots are just different instead of perfect and flawed? 18 What happened to the cracked pot after paragraph 10? 23

13. Why is the pot so ashamed of its crack? 8 What was the water-bearer’s name? Why didn’t the other pot have a crack in it? How did the pot get a crack in it? 7

14. Did the cracked pot ever get fixed? Was the pot a boy or a girl? How did the pot get the crack in it? 1 Why did the pot get a crack in it?

15. Will the cracked pot be happy or not now? 3 Why was the pot cracked in the first place? 1 How did the pot get cracked? Why did the pot deliver half its load?

16. Does being perfect mean that you are bad? 16 Why did the cracked pot say sorry to the perfect pot? Why did the pot have a hole in it in the first place?