Thinking About Your Thinking

Metacognitive Reading Worksheet

Convenience Store Woman — Section Six: What I Am

NAME

DATE

A DAY

B DAY

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BEFORE READING: Preparing My Mind

1. Keiko has just quit her job at the convenience store — the only place she has ever felt like herself. What do you think will happen to her now? Make a prediction.

2. Think about something that gives you a strong sense of who you are — a role, a place, a habit, a community. What would it feel like if it suddenly disappeared? How would you know who you were without 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
The last day — Keiko hands back her badge and uniform at the store	1	2	3	4	5
Two weeks without the store — Keiko loses all routine and sense of standard	1	2	3	4	5
Keiko walks into a random convenience store — “the voice” suddenly returns	1	2	3	4	5
The declaration: “It’s not a matter of whether they permit it or not. It’s what I am.”	1	2	3	4	5
The ending: Keiko sees herself in the store window and feels she has meaning	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?

Keiko’s Identity Arc: Track who she is across the three phases of this section.

Moment in the story	How does Keiko describe herself / what does she feel?	What does this tell you about her identity?
When she had the store
Two weeks without the store
The return and ending

AFTER READING: Reflecting on My Understanding

3. Keiko says her only “standard” was the convenience store — it was what told her how to eat, sleep, and behave. What does it mean for a place or a role to be your “standard”? Do you think having that kind of anchor is healthy, or dangerous?

4. Keiko notices that “the moisture in my skin… was probably no longer formed by the water from the convenience store.” It sounds strange — but what do you think she means? What is the sentence really about?

5. When Keiko walks back into a store and declares “It’s what I am” — is this brave? Sad? A failure? A victory? You don’t have to choose one word, but explain what you feel about it.

6. Keiko says: “For the first time, I could think of the me in the window as a being with meaning.” Why for the first time? What changed? Does seeing your own reflection feel different when you know exactly who you are?

7. Connecting to You: Describe a moment when you felt completely, unmistakably like yourself — in a role, a place, or a situation. What was it? How did it feel? Or: is there a version of yourself you feel is your “real” self that you don’t always get to show? What gets in the way?

Convenience Store Woman — Metacognitive Reading Practice Section Six: What I Am Monitor. Question. Clarify. Connect.