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Common Core Standard W.9-10.9 Questions

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

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Grade 9 Writing Essays CCSS: CCRA.W.9, W.9-10.9
Read the following passage:

As the society changes, the pastime choices of children tend to become different as well. The traditional games such as lotto are no longer of interest to technology-oriented children. Modern kids are fascinated with the computer games and television shows. While there is nothing wrong with technological advances as they reveal the progress made by humankind in science and artificial intelligence, the past time of modern children makes them socially isolated, aggressive and obese. Today children tend to spend their pastime playing less active, more aggressive, and isolating games than ten years ago due to technological advances and availability of computers.

Games played by children only 20 years ago have been much more active. Today children spend more time sitting in front of the computer instead of going for a walk or playing active games with family or friends. The level of activity in games has much decreased. Even though schools motivate children to be active in sports, when kids come home they prefer playing a computer game, watching a television or doing something else what does not require any physical movement. When parents of modern children were kids themselves, they have been more involved in active pastime. They spent time riding bicycles and playing sports in the backyard. Computers were not found in every household 20 years ago and children’s games were much more active than today.

Secondly, modern children spend their time playing more aggressive games than kids only 20 years ago. The exposure to violence through television and computer games contributes to high level of aggressiveness characterizing modern children. A couple of decade ago, even the concept of friendship has been different. Parents controlled the pastime of their children more. Modern parents are not able to control the exposure to violence because television sets are present even in the kids’ rooms. Thus, the pastime of today’s children is more aggressive. While their parents played team games in the childhood, their kids prefer killing monsters on the screen and watching cartoons full of violent scenes. As a result, the modern generation of children is crueler. Instead of spending time with their friends playing sports or riding bicycles, modern children are more likely to form gangs and test their strength on smaller and weaker kids. Therefore, exposure to violence through pastime affects the formation of children’s personality negatively.

Finally, the pastime choices of modern children slow down their development. Despite of the opinion that today’s children are smarter because they have computers, the truth is that 20 years ago kids were physically fit and socially active. Today, on the contrary, children suffer from social isolation (because they do not spend time outside playing with other kids) and obesity (because they do not engage in sports and make less movements sitting in front of the computer). Thus, the inappropriate control of the pastime choices of modern children makes them victims of the technological progress. The financial instability leads to the situations when parents cannot devote sufficient attention to their children. Rich families, on the other side, are likely to surround their kids with technology-based toys thus contributing to further social isolation.

In conclusion, the differences in pastime choices of modern kids and children 20 years ago are not in favor of the today’s young persons. Addiction to computer games and uncontrollable exposure to violence makes modern children less active, aggressive, and suffering of social isolation. Only 20 years ago children were more active and friendly because they were playing team games and spend more time on the fresh air. Computers were not available while parents controlled the programs watched by their children. Modern parents do not pay sufficient attention to the quality of the pastime choices made by their children. Buying a computer will not make a child happy because it may eventually lead to violent behavior and overweight. As the comparison reveals, lives of children 20 years ago were not dictated by technological advances while interaction with other children was valued. Modern children, on the other side, are more aggressive and disrespect adults because their pastime is affected by monsters and violence they are exposed to everyday.

Compare and contrast traditional and modern ways of how children spend their pastimes. In the first circle, list ways that children of traditional times spent their free time, in the second circle list ways that children of modern times spend their free time, in the middle where the circles overlap, list things that children have done BOTH in traditional AND modern times.

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