Hey readers, welcome! Today we're checking in on The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. This is episode two of the Lemonade War series. Before we begin, make sure that you've read chapters four through six. If not, you can pause the episode, read those chapters, and come right back. It might be helpful to have your book and some paper handy for this episode. If you're using the companion pack, now is a great time to grab it too. Take a moment to gather everything you need, and then we'll get started. Ready? Let's check in. In chapters four through six, the conflict in this story is really beginning to grow. Jesse and Evan are still not speaking, and they each decide to run a lemonade stand with their friends. The competition heats up when Evan lowers the price of his lemonade and ends up selling more than Jessie. This leads them to have an all-out bet to see who can sell the most lemonade by the end of the summer. The lemonade war officially begins. Let's pause for a vocabulary check-in. In today's reading, we hear the word tremble. Tremble is a verb and it means to shake because of a strong feeling like being scared or cold. Your body might tremble if you forget your coat in the winter. Or your hands might tremble before you throw out a pitch in a baseball game. Now let's take a moment to check your understanding. You'll hear three questions about the word tremble. Listen to each one and answer yes or no. You can answer out loud or in your head. Are you ready? Could your hands tremble before a piano recital? Can someone's legs tremble in fear? If you're standing perfectly still, are you trembling? If you said yes, yes, no, great thinking. It's time for our reading focus. Today we're going to explore the idea of cause and effect. When you hear the word because, you're often hearing a cause and effect relationship. Something happens because something else happened. The cause is why something happens, and the effect is what happens because of it. For example, you tripped on a trail of Legos because your little brother left them on the stairs. Or you have a stomachache because you ate the entire box of candy. You got a good grade on your test because you studied and prepared. There are so many examples of cause and effect in our story. For example, Jesse being moved up to fourth grade is what caused Evan to stop talking to her. Jesse moving up to fourth grade is the cause, and Evan not talking to her is the effect. Another example has to do with the lemonade stand. Evan lowered the price of his lemonade because he wanted more customers. And as a result, he sold more lemonade than Jesse. Now it's your turn. Think about these cause and effect relationships from the story. What caused Jessie to have a lemonade stand of her own? What caused Jessie to skip third grade? What happened because Jessie skipped third grade? What caused Mrs. Treske to come downstairs and check on the kids? You can pause the episode or even rewind and hear those questions again. Jot down your ideas and talk about them with someone nearby. Grab your companion pack or a piece of paper. If you're listening with someone else, invite them to be your thinking partner. Imagine that you are a business owner with your very own lemonade stand. It's time to make some very important business decisions. I'm going to give you a few business situations. Your job is to think about the cause and predict the effect. Ready? What could be the effect of lowering the price of your lemonade? What could happen if the weather report is calling for rain? What might happen to your lemonade sales if your sign is messy and difficult to read? What might happen if you run out of lemonade in the very first hour? What could happen if there are five other lemonade stands in your same neighborhood? You can pause the podcast here and think through each cause and its possible effect. Remember, there isn't always just one right answer, so feel free to be creative. It's time to talk about it. Do you think lowering the price of lemonade was a fair strategy? Why? Think about your answer in your head or talk it out with someone nearby. Before we end today's check-in, here's something to think about as you keep reading. What do you think that Jesse will do next to try to compete with Evan? Keep this question in mind as you read the next section of the story. Thanks for checking in with me today. I'll see you back here soon for episode three, where we check in on chapters 7 through 9 of the Lemonade War.