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 is a choose your own check-in episode. That means you can use this episode to think through any book that you might be reading right now. You don't need a specific novel, you just need any book and your brain. So go ahead, pause me if you need to and grab whatever book you're reading right now. Got it? Awesome. Let's check in. Today we're going to try something that can help you to become a more thoughtful reader. Before we even start reading, we're going to pick a purpose. Your purpose is simply what you're going to pay extra attention to while you read. Think about this. Imagine I said, look around the room. What would you notice? Maybe you'd notice a chair, or a pencil, a poster, a backpack, even a window. You could notice all kinds of things. But what if I said, look around the room and find everything that's blue? I bet something would change. Suddenly, your brain knows exactly what to look for. You might notice a blue notebook that you didn't notice before, or someone's blue shirt, or a tiny piece of blue on a poster across the room. The blue things were there the whole time, but because you knew what you were looking for, you were more likely to notice them. Reading can work the same way. When we open a book and we just start reading, our brains are thinking about lots of things. But before you read, you can give your brain a job. You can decide, what am I going to look for today? And that is your purpose for reading. There are lots of purposes that you can choose from. I'm going to walk you through nine different purposes that you might want to choose from today. Think of these nine options like a menu. You do not need to choose them all. Just pick one that sounds interesting to you and give that one a try. Then, the next time you read, you can come back to the menu and try something different. Are you ready? Here we go. First up, character detective. Pay attention to your characters. What traits do they show? How are they feeling or changing? Next, problem hunter. Look for the problem that your characters are facing and how they're responding. Or you could be a connection maker. Notice something that connects to your own life, another book, or even the world. How about an inference investigator? You can look for clues that help you to figure out something that the author doesn't directly tell you. You could also try out WordWatcher. Be on the lookout for unfamiliar or even interesting words that the author uses. Next is Theme Tracker. Think about a lesson or a message that is developing throughout the storyline. Or try Prediction Maker. Look for clues about what might happen next and make a prediction. Then there's comparison catcher. Notice the similarities and differences between characters, settings, events, or even other books that you've read. And finally, Important Moment Spotter. Find a moment in the story that feels especially important and ask yourself, why does this part matter? That is your reading menu. Now think about the book that you're reading right now. Which of those nine purposes sounded interesting to you? Which one do you want to give a try? There's no right choice. You're simply choosing one thing for your brain to pay a little bit of extra attention to while you're reading today. And if you'd like a fun way to try out all nine purposes, I created a pick your own purpose bingo board. Each square matches one of the purposes that we just talked about. Before you read, choose a square and make that your purpose. Then, after you read, if you found what you're looking for, you can mark it off. The next time you read, choose a different square. See if you can get three in a row or challenge yourself to eventually fill the whole board. You can find the Pick Your Purpose bingo board in the show notes for this episode. It's your turn. Grab your book, and before you start reading today, ask yourself, what is my purpose for reading today? You can choose one from our reading menu and say this to yourself. Today, while I'm reading, I'm going to be looking for. And then start reading. And remember, you might notice lots of other things while you're reading. That's okay. That's even great. Your purpose just gives your brain one thing to pay extra attention to. So when you're finished, you can ask yourself, what did I find? What did you notice because you were looking for it? You can pause the episode here if you'd like to try this out now. If you're reading or thinking with someone today, tell them which purpose you chose and what you found. And here's a challenge. The next time you pick up your book, choose a different purpose. You might be surprised by how changing what you're looking for can change what you notice. Thank you so much for checking in with me today. Remember, when you know what you're looking for, you're more likely to find it. So before you start your next chapter, pick your purpose and give your brain a job. I'll see you back here soon for another chapter check-in. That's it for today's chapter check-in. If you'd like additional support, check out the link to our companion pack in the show notes below. If you're enjoying Kids Chapter Check-ins, make sure to follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. New chapter check ins are released weekly. I'll see you back here soon. Until then, keep reading, keep thinking, and be sure to share this episode with a friend because books are better together.