Question

Read the passage from "The Downside of No Downtime for Kids."

But for every week of intensive activity or sleepaway camp, Dorothy Sluss said, children need three weeks of less-structured time.
Sluss is an associate professor of elementary and early childhood education at James Madison University and president of the U.S. chapter of the
International Play Association.
Children, young children especially, do need time to play and explore, Sluss said. They need time to just do nothing.
"We may see sitting on a blanket in the yard, looking at the clouds as a waste of time," she said. "But children view that as a time to wonder, to grow.
That's when they develop and have sensory stimulation."
Which details should be included in an objective summary of this passage?
Select all that apply.
Dorothy Sluss is an associate professor at James Madison University.
Some parents think that sitting on a blanket and looking at clouds is a waste of time.
Children need three weeks of unstructured time for every week of activities.
Doing what looks like "nothing" can actually be a beneficial activity.

Answer 1

The passage underlines the importance of unstructured time for children, such as three weeks of unstructured time for every week of structured activities, and it challenges the negative view some adults have on children 'doing nothing'. The role of unstructured play is essential for child development, and cutting recess time for academics is counterproductive to their socialization and learning of team dynamics.

Step-by-step explanation:

An objective summary of the passage from "The Downside of No Downtime for Kids" would include several key details: Dorothy Sluss is an associate professor at James Madison University and president of the U.S. chapter of the International Play Association. In the passage, Sluss discusses the necessity of unstructured time, stating that children need three weeks of it for every week of structured activities they have. Furthermore, what may appear to adults as doing nothing, like sitting and looking at clouds, can be crucial for children's development, providing sensory stimulation and fostering their capacity to wonder and grow.

Regarding the importance of play and recess, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007) has emphasized that unstructured play is essential for a child's development, as it supports creativity, problem-solving skills, and social relationships. Yet, some schools have been cutting back on recess time for standardized test preparation, and using loss of recess as a punishment - practices which many educators and researchers argue against. Considering that children spend a significant portion of their lives in school, as indicated by the U.S. Department of Education (2004), recess serves not only recreational purposes but also plays a key role in the latent socialization of students, including learning teamwork and following a schedule.