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All Work and No Play
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- Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate News Lessons
- Category: Education Lessons
- Written by Chris Cotter
According to a report released last week, children who misbehave in school might work too much and play too little. The study looked at more than 10,000 elementary school children in the US who were between the ages of eight and nine. If children played for fifteen minutes or more during the day, they behaved better.
Children use creativity and imagination on the playground. Kids also learn social skills, as well as problem-solving skills. As a result, recess plays an important role in the education of children. Child psychiatrists agreed with the research, describing what children learn while playing.
In recent years, though, recess has been cut at many schools because there is more emphasis on tests. Children in the US score worse than their peers abroad on international tests.
Another discovery was also made. The schools with the least amount of breaks were often in areas with lower incomes and lower education levels. These children were further harmed with little or no playtime at school. All work and no play can be viewed as a path to poorer social skills, poorer behavior in the classroom, and poorer test scores.
Preview some of the lesson material:
Warm Up: Do you agree or disagree? Why?
- Children should spend most of their day studying.
- Children should study at home at least two or three hours every night.
- Recess is a waste of time.
- Children who have piano, soccer, and other activities become smart adults.Tests accurately measure a child's intelligence, skills, and/or abilities.
Fragments: Remember how the fragments were used, and complete the sentence from today's article.
- According to a report released last week, children who misbehave in...
- Kids also learn social skills, as well...
- In recent years, though, recess has been cut at many schools because...
- All work and no play can be viewed as a path to poorer...
post-Comprehension: Talk about the following questions in pairs/groups. Remember to support your answers!
- Do you agree that not enough playtime causes bad behavior in children? Why/not?
- What's a good balance between study and play for children? Why do you think so?
- How important are tests for children? Why do you think so?
- What is the education system like in your home country? Please explain.
- How can the education system in your home country be improved? Please explain.
Google Search: Type "recess" into Google. Look at the websites, and/or read additional articles on this topic. Discuss or write an essay about your findings.
