Welcome to Kids Chapter Check-Ins, a space where we pause, think, talk, and write about great books together. Books are better together. So grab your book and let's check in. Welcome back. Today we're checking in on Frindle by Andrew Clements. This is episode 4 of our Frindle series. Before we get started, make sure that you've read chapters 10 through 12. If you need more time, just pause your episode, read, and come right back. When you're ready, let's check in. In chapters 10 through 12 of Frindle, the word Frindle is really starting to spread far beyond next school. Even though Mrs. Granger put strict rules in place, students keep finding ways to use this word outside of class. Soon, Frindle is becoming so popular that it shows up in newspapers and on TV. Even the adults all over town are really starting to pay attention. In these chapters, we start to see how this single word or idea can travel fast and cause lots of problems, lots of surprises, and some pretty big reactions. And really, these chapters are helping us to see that maybe this story isn't even just about a word anymore. Let's pause for a quick vocabulary check-in. In these chapters, we hear the word tradition. Tradition means something that has been done the same way for a long time. For example, some families have a tradition of eating the same meal on holidays. Or you might have a tradition of picking out a new pair of sneakers before the first day of school. Sometimes famous athletes have a tradition of a special dance when they score a touchdown or make a basket. Let's check our understanding. You'll hear three questions about the word tradition. Listen to each one and answer yes or no. You can answer out loud or in your head. Is a brand new idea a tradition? Is a rule that's been followed for years a tradition? Is a random choice made once a tradition? If you said no, yes, no, great thinking. It's your turn. Pause your episode here to think or chat about traditions that you have in your life. It's time for our reading focus. Today's reading skill is theme. Theme is the big idea or message that the author wants you to think about. Sometimes identifying theme can be kind of tricky because the author doesn't usually give us the answer directly. To find the theme, you have to put the clues together, almost like you're putting together a puzzle. One question that can be really helpful when determining the theme is to ask yourself, what am I learning about in my own life through these characters in this story? Some common themes could be things like friends help you through hard times, hard work pays off, or even trust your gut. The story might be about kids, school, or words, but the theme is what the story is really saying underneath all of that. Think about what's happening right now in the book Frindle. What's a big idea that you notice showing up again and again? Is this story making you think about rules? Is it making you think about creativity, power, standing up for yourself? Once you can think of a word, you can turn that word into a statement by using what I like to call the magic question. You're going to take your word, for example, maybe your word is friendship, and then you're going to ask yourself, what about that word am I learning in this story? So if my word was friendship, I might ask myself, what about friendship is the author trying to teach me? With that idea, you can take your idea from a word like friendship into a theme of friends help you through hard times. It's okay if you can't name the theme perfectly, just start to notice what the story keeps coming back to. Now let's turn your idea into writing. Think of a possible theme for the story and then think of some evidence that supports your thinking. Here's a little reading secret. If you have an idea of a theme, but you can't find any evidence to prove it, that is probably not the best theme of the story. So as you get your idea for your theme, if you're not able to prove it with evidence, you're going to want to think of a new theme. When you're ready to write, your sentence might sound something like this. In my opinion, I think the theme is blank, because in the story, the characters are blank. When it comes to skills like theme, there are so many possible answers. It's not about being perfectly right. It's just about noticing and being able to explain your thinking. How would you feel if you were Nick and you were getting all sorts of attention for inventing the word frindle? Would you enjoy it? Or would it make you want to put an end to the word? You can pause your podcast here and share your thoughts with someone nearby. When you're ready, just push play. As you continue to read, here's something to think about. Do you think that people will eventually stop using the word frindle? Or is this going to last forever? Keep this question in mind as you read the next couple of chapters. Thank you so much for checking in with me today. I will see you back here very soon as we continue to talk about frindle. Thanks for checking in with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow along so you don't miss our next check in. And remember, keep reading, keep thinking, and keep talking because books are better together.