Here are a few examples of a quick check I did with the kids. They wrote a sticky note making a connection with the character in the book that they are reading during reader's workshop. The first two examples didn't quite hit the target. They made connections, but ones that didn't have to take much thinking because they were external traits. The bottom two examples hit the target. They made a connection with their characters using internal traits.
After your child reads at home, as him/her to make a connection with the character in the book ans see if it is an internal or external connection.