Thinking About Your Thinking

Metacognitive Reading Worksheet

Convenience Store Woman — Section Five: The Wrong Music

NAME

DATE

A DAY

B DAY

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BEFORE READING: Preparing My Mind

1. In Section Four, Keiko put on the “costume.” She thought it would buy her peace — that everyone would leave her alone, and her life at the store would stay untouched. What do you think the costume might actually cost her?

2. Think of something that’s really important to you — a place you belong, a routine, a group, a feeling of being yourself. What would it feel like if something from outside slowly started changing it?

DURING READING: Monitoring My Understanding

Comprehension Check-In: Rate your understanding of each part as you read (1 = confused, 5 = clear).

What’s happening	1	2	3	4	5
At Miho’s party, Keiko mentions Shiraha — and her friends celebrate her “new life”	1	2	3	4	5
The store changes — the manager and colleagues stop treating Keiko like a store worker	1	2	3	4	5
The sister arrives unannounced — she breaks down when she sees the bathtub situation	1	2	3	4	5
Shiraha lies to the sister — she immediately transforms and starts lecturing him	1	2	3	4	5
Keiko finally uses her own shower — the store’s sounds drain away and are replaced by silence	1	2	3	4	5

Double-Entry Journal: Copy a line that stopped you — then say why it caught your attention.

Passage from the text (with page number)	Why did this stop me?

The Costume’s Costs: Track what Keiko planned vs. what actually happened.

What Keiko hoped the costume would do	What actually happened	What did she lose?
Her friends would stop interrogating her choices
The store would stay untouched — her space, on her terms
Her family would be satisfied and stop worrying

AFTER READING: Reflecting on My Understanding

3. Keiko says her friends were celebrating “characters who had the same names as us but had nothing to do with me or Shiraha.” What does she mean? Why does being celebrated feel strange rather than good?

4. Keiko says her manager “downgraded” her from store worker to “female of the human species.” For her, this feels like a demotion. Why? What does it say about how she thinks of herself?

5. Keiko’s sister breaks down crying and says: “How much longer must I put up with this?” Keiko asks her to “instruct me in specific terms.” Neither of them is being cruel. So what’s actually going wrong between them?

6. The section ends with Keiko standing in her silent bathroom. She hears “music she’d never heard before” — and then the floor creaks under Shiraha’s weight. What do you think this ending is asking you to feel?

7. Connecting to You: Has anyone ever celebrated a version of you that wasn’t actually you — got excited about something you did or achieved in a way that felt like they were talking about someone else? What did that feel like? Or: think of something you’d miss deeply if it was gradually taken away by outside pressure. What would the loss feel like?

Convenience Store Woman — Metacognitive Reading Practice Section Five: The Wrong Music Monitor. Question. Clarify. Connect.