Answer key: Children and Computers

Lesson Plan  Adolescent Web Junkies

Word Inference

  1. phenomenon |fəˈnäməˌnän, -nən| (pl. phenomenona |-nə| )  noun- a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause or explanation is in question: glaciers are unique and interesting natural phenomena.
  2. preverbal |ˈprēˈvərbəl| adjective-existing or occurring before the development of speech: preverbal communication.
  3. disruptive |disˈrəptiv| adjective-causing or tending to cause disruption: disruptive and delinquent children | the hours of work are disruptive to home life.
  4. destined |ˈdestind| adjective-(of a person’s future) developing as though according to a plan: she could see that he was destined for great things.
  5. conversation |ˌkänvərˈsāSHən|-noun-the informal exchange of ideas by spoken words: the two men were deep in conversation.
  6. anxiety |aNGˈzī-itē| noun-a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome: he felt a surge of anxiety
  7. ability |əˈbilitē| noun-[ in sing., with infinitive ] possession of the means or skill to do something: the manager had lost his ability to motivate the players | they’ll examine your ability to pay.
  8. epidemic |ˌepiˈdemik| noun-a sudden, widespread occurrence of a particular undesirable phenomenon: an epidemic of violent crime.
  9. depressed  |diˈprest| adjective-(of a person) in a state of general unhappiness or despondency.
  10. consequence |ˈkänsikwəns, -ˌkwens| noun-a result or effect of an action or condition: many have been laid off from work as a consequence of the administration’s policies.

Source: New Oxford American Dictionary

True /False/NA-Statements

  1. F- Chinese doctors consider this phenomenon a clinical disorder.
  2. T- American youths are plugged in and tuned out of “live” action.
  3. F- It starts early, often with preverbal toddlers.
  4. NA- China has the most adolescent video users.
  5. F- The average 8- to 10-year-old spends nearly eight hours a day with a variety of different media.
  6. NA- Adults are not affected by excessive computer use. 
  7. F- Children should not be exposed to any electronic media, before age 2.
  8. T- Heavy use of electronic media can have significant negative effects on children’s behavior.
  9. T- According to Dr. Steiner-Adair, kids need time to daydream,  and deal with anxieties.
  10. T-Too much texting can cause sleep deprivation in children.

 Grammar Focus: Preposition Exercise

Prepositions as they appear in sentences:

Many parents seem to have few rules about use of media by their children and adolescents. Two-thirds of those questioned in the Kaiser study said their parents had no rules about how much time the youngsters spent with media. There can be physical consequences, too. Children can develop pain in their fingers and wrists, narrowed blood vessels in their eyes (the long-term consequences of which are unknown), and neck and back pain from being slumped over their phones, tablets and computers.