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, readers. Today we're checking in on the One and Only Ivan by Catherine Applegate. This is episode four of the One and Only Ivan series. Remember, these episodes are broken down by page numbers. Before we begin today's episode, make sure that you've read pages 161 through 213, which begins with the chapter called A Bad Dream and ends with the chapter called Puzzle Pieces. If you're not quite there yet, you can pause the episode, read those pages, and come right back. It might be helpful to have your book and some paper handy for this episode. Take a moment to gather your materials if you need to. Ready? Let's check in. In this section of the story, Ivan is determined to keep his promise that he made to Stella. He knows that Ruby is really struggling at the Big Top Mall, and he wants to help her find a better home. To make a difference, Ivan comes up with a clever plan. He begins to create some special drawings, and he hopes that someone will understand his message and be able to help Ruby. Let's pause for a vocabulary check-in. Today we are exploring the word impact. The word impact is not given to us in the text, but it's an important word that relates to our reading focus of the day. Impact is a verb that means to have an effect on something or to cause it to change. It reminds me a lot of cause and effect. If you fall down the stairs, there's likely something that caused it. Maybe someone spilled water on the floor and you didn't see it. In that case, the water impacted your ability to walk down the stairs safely. It caused it to change. Now let's take a moment to check your understanding. You'll hear three questions about the word impact. Listen to each one and answer yes or no. You can answer out loud or in your head. Are you ready? Can rainy weather impact your outdoor plans? Can a friend impact your day in a positive way? If you practice the piano every day, will that impact your ability to play it well? If you said yes, yes, yes, great thinking. It's time for our reading focus. Today we'll focus on the setting of the story and on the impact that the setting has on what happens in the story. Setting refers to the time and place. Oftentimes there are several settings in one story. But can I let you in on a little secret? The truth is that setting is really about so much more than just time and place. A setting can impact how characters feel, the choices they make, and the problems that they face. In the one and only Ivan, the Big Top Mall is the primary setting. And even though that setting hasn't changed much, the characters' feelings towards that setting have definitely changed. In the beginning, Ivan seemed pretty happy to be living at the mall. But now, after Stella's death and seeing the way that Ruby is being treated, he begins to see them all pretty differently. As readers, we can ask ourselves: how is the setting impacting Ivan? And how is it impacting Ruby? Take a moment to pause your podcast if you need to and jot down your thoughts to those questions. Or you can share out your thinking with someone nearby. Let's continue to think about how Ivan's feelings about the big top mall have changed throughout the story. I want you to draw two different pictures. In the first picture, draw how Ivan saw the big top mall at the beginning of the story. Then, for your second picture, draw how he views the mall now. Think about the feelings that Ivan has expressed about his home in the different parts of the story. Use those feelings to help guide your drawings. It's time to talk about it. All of this talk about setting has me curious about the impacts of settings in your own life. Take a moment to close your eyes and picture where you go to school. Maybe you're picturing your school building, maybe you're picturing your classroom, or maybe you're picturing a part of your house if you're homeschooled. Let's think about the impact that your school has on your life. Tell someone nearby how you might be different if you went to a different school. Before we end today's check-in, here's something to think about as you keep reading. Pay attention to the places that Ivan thinks about or visits in the story. How might these settings impact what he does next? Keep this question in mind as you read the next section of the story. Thank you so much for checking in with me today. I'll see you back here soon for episode 5, where we check in on pages 214 through 265. That's chapters finally through not famous. 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.