I recently met a fifth-grade teacher who had asked her students what they did after school. Most said they stayed inside and watched TV or spent time on the computer. Some went to a recreation center for an afterschool program—where they played computer games. A handful of students played outside, but most of those were doing organized sports. It turned out that fewer than 10% of the children were enjoying unstructured time outside rather than concentrating on electronic devices. This is a tragedy! Now more than ever, kids need opportunities to learn
and develop through outdoor activities—and not just on organized teams. Parents, limit computer use and encourage your kids to get outside and play every day!
Passage 2
There is almost no reliable data about the level of technological literacy among children in the United States. Our students perform relatively poorly on international tests in science and math, however, and many other Western countries teach more about technology than we do. It seems that American students are not as technologically literate
as their international counterparts. This could put them
at a disadvantage when it comes to their careers, because technology is everywhere, from medical facilities to farms. Obviously, it is imperative that teachers and parents make the use of technology, including computers, a more central part of children's lives.
(The author of Passage 2 probably would respond to the last sentence of Passage 1 ("Parents . . . every day!") by...)
A. asserting that parents should help children find a balance of indoor and outdoor activities
B. claiming that young children often know more about computers than their parents do
C. pointing out that many children would rather use technology than play outside
D. arguing that children should be spending more time using computers