Vale Middle School Reading Article
TV May Improve Behavior in Kids (1220L)
Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES
Read the following article carefully and make notes in the margin as you read.
Your notes should include:
o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main
idea of important sections may serve this purpose.)
o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
support) and choices affect the article.
Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment.
Answer the questions carefully in complete sentences unless otherwise instructed.
Student ____________________________Class Period__________________
TV May Improve Behavior in Kids
Notes on my thoughts,
reactions and questions as I
read:
For years, pediatricians have recommended that young children watch no TV, or
as little as possible, because it can lead to problems in school and behavior
issues. Now, a new study concedes children are sitting in front of the TV a lot
longer. However, controlling what they watch can improve how they behave.
When preschoolers watch educational programs instead of violent TV shows,
they tend to be more compassionate and less aggressive, according to a study
published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
The study
About 600 families were recruited and assigned to one of two groups. Parents in
the first group were encouraged to substitute violent shows with educational and
pro-social ones; shows that stressed compassion and cooperation.
Families were given monthly TV guides listing educational programming for
their area: shows such as "Dora the Explorer," "Super WHY," "Sesame Street"
and "It's a Big, Big World." Parents were also encouraged to watch TV with
their kids. The children went from watching a half-hour of violent programming
a day to 23 minutes. Parents then increased educational viewing from about 30
to 43 minutes a day.
Families in the second group did not change their viewing habits.
"This is the first study to try to modify the viewing habits of preschool kids,"
says Dr. Vic Strasburger, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Wade, L.TV May Improve Behavior in Kids. CNN News. February 18, 2013.