Does technology make life better? - A to Z

TEACHING TIPS FOR CLOSE READING PACKS

Does technology make life better?

Materials

In this Close Reading Pack, students read nonfiction selections about how technology has affected people's lives. Students must read closely to understand the selections and to locate evidence to support their answer to the Key Question.

Home Tech Home Technology is an integral part of our homes, making our lives simpler and easier.

Cell Phone Revolution Cell phones provide a convenient means of communication, but they can have negative effects on our relationships with other people.

Pros and Cons of Processed Foods Technology helped us create quick and easy meals, but how do processed foods affect our health?

Space Program Innovations Space technology has led to many products that make our lives safer and more comfortable.

CONNECTING PASSAGE Life with Computers Computers have significantly changed our lives, but they have negative effects too.

Student Response Sheet

Learning Goals

These selections support student learning of the following Common Core State Standards:

Informational Text

? Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in scientific or technical text based on specific information in the text.

? Describe the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text.

low level middle level high level

BEFORE READING

Introduce the Key Question

Does technology make life better? ? Write the Key Question on the board and read it with students. Ask: What is technology? (Things that

help you do things better or faster.) What are some examples of technology that you use? (Accept reasonable responses.) ? Tell students that they will read some selections that contain information which they can use to answer the Key Question.

Preview the Passages

? Divide the group into teams of four and distribute the four passages (not the Connecting Passage) among team members. Have each student preview his/her passage by reading the title and looking at the images.

? Introduce passage-related vocabulary by writing the words on the board and reading them aloud for students. (See Word Work)

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? Distribute a Student Response Sheet to each student. Point out the Web Diagram on page 1. Explain that students will use the Web Diagram to record details about ways technology has affected our lives. Explain that students will use these notes to answer this question: Does technology make life better?

? Tell students to read the selection one time to look for words they do not understand. Then have students reread and look for details in the selection that help them understand how technology affects our lives in both positive and negative ways.

? Students might take notes in the margin that will help them answer the Key Question. After they read, they can use the details to write their first answer to the Key Question.

WORD

WORK

The following words appear in one or more of the selections.

appliance (n.)

a mechanical or powered household device

communicate (v.) to make one's thoughts or ideas known using words, pictures, gestures, or other means

convenient (adj.) well suited to a person's needs; causing little or no trouble

DURING READING

obesity (n.)

the state of being unhealthily overweight

Reading and Discussing the Passages

technology (n.) the use of scientific

Each selection includes information about ways technology has affected our lives. Students will first

knowledge or tools to make or do something

use this information to answer the Key Question about

one selection; team members will then discuss all the

selections to generate a team answer to the Key Question. Use the questions below to guide students

as they read individual selections and use information from the selection to write their first answer to

the Key Question.

Home Tech Home

1. What forms of technology do many people use in their homes? (heating and cooling systems, kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, computer, TV, cell phone)

2. How does technology in homes make life easier and simpler? (Accept reasonable responses; students should support their answers with details from the text.)

3. How has technology affected life at home? (We can get our work done faster and easier, so we have more time to do the things we enjoy.)

My First Answer Sample: Technology makes life better by helping us prepare food and clean the house faster and more efficiently, so we have more time to do the things we like.

Cell Phone Revolution

1. How have cell phones made it easier and faster for people to communicate? (We can place calls and send text messages from nearly any location. We do not have to be at home to make a call. We get faster responses from people.)

2. What negative effects do some people associate with cell phones? (lack of spelling and punctuation skills, poor speaking skills, harmful to personal relationships)

3. How would you describe the overall structure of the information in the passage? (The author first presents several positive ways cell phones have changed our lives and then describes several negative effects of cell phone use.)

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My First Answer Sample: Cell phones have made it easier for people to communicate, but some people think they have made our writing and speaking skills worse.

Pros and Cons of Processed Foods

1. How has food technology made our lives simpler and easier? (We do not have to spend a lot of time preparing and cooking food.)

2. What dangers do processed foods pose? (They often contain a lot of sugar, salt, and fat. These ingredients are not healthy for us in large amounts. People with food allergies can have allergic reactions.)

3. How would you describe the overall structure of the information in the passage? (The author first presents several positive features of processed foods and then describes several negative effects of too many processed foods.)

My First Answer Sample: Processed foods provide convenient meals, but they often contain ingredients that are not healthy for us.

Space Program Innovations

1. What connection does the author make between space technology and the things people use in their everyday lives? (Technology used by NASA has been used to create products that make our lives easier, safer, and more comfortable.)

2. How has space technology made people's lives easier, safer, and more comfortable? (Accept reasonable responses; students should cite evidence from the text.)

3. Which everyday product that uses NASA technology most surprised you, and why? (Accept reasonable responses, citing evidence from the text.)

My First Answer Sample: Space technology has been used to create products that improve our lives.

AFTER READING: TEAMWORK

Answer the Key Question

? Have teams gather. Students will need their selections and their Student Response Sheets. If you have not already introduced the Reporter and Discussion Leader roles for teams, you should do so now.

(See Using the Close Reading Packs.)

? Each group will share by having members

summarize their selections and showing how

Yes

No

they completed the Web Diagram.

? Tell the teams that their task is to look at each

of the webs and determine which information applies to all the selections they read to add to the Summary Chart.

? The Discussion Leaders should ask the questions on the Student Response Sheet to help

teams focus on the information they need to answer the Key Question.

How has technology made people's lives better? (Technology has been used to create products that help us do things faster and easier. Technology has been used to make materials that make us safer and more comfortable.)

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What negative effects can technology have on our lives? (It can make our writing and speaking skills worse. It can lead us to eat foods that contain unhealthy ingredients.) ? Tell the teams to write their team's answer to the Key Question. ? Discuss with students the importance of using general terms in place of specific details from their individual selections so that the answer can apply to all the selections they read. For example, students can refer to products that make life easier in place of microwaves, washers, and dryers.

Our Team's Answer Sample: In many ways technology makes our lives better, but it can have negative effects. ? Bring the teams together for a whole-class discussion and ask each team to share their answer. Ask: Is there anything you would add to the answer? Why or why not? (Some students might want to use more precise language to tell how technology has made our lives better, since some of the selections describe how technology helps us do things faster and easier.) ? Facilitate further whole-class discussion using questions similar to those on page 2 of the Student Response Sheet to arrive at a consensus in response to the Key Question.

Confirm or Revise the Team's Answer

? Distribute the Connecting Passage, Life with Computers. Initiate a culminating discussion. Ask: Which details in this selection apply to what you read about the effects technology can have on our lives? Have students read the selection in pairs, independently, or as a team. Tell students to decide whether this selection confirms their answer to the Key Question, citing evidence from the text. If it does not, ask: How should the class revise the answer to the Key Question?

? Facilitate discussion of the culminating activity by asking questions, such as: Why does technology have both positive and negative effects on our lives?

? Use the Mini-Lesson to provide additional instruction using the Close Reading passages.

MINI-LESSON

Comprehension: Main Idea and Details

? Tell students that authors of informational text often present a main idea and then support it with details and examples. Explain that students can identify the main idea and details in a text and then use this information to summarize what they read. Ask: What is the main idea of Life with Computers? (Computers have improved our lives, but they can also pose threats.) What details support this idea? (We can communicate with people around the world. People can use computers to steal our personal information.) Use students' responses to model summarizing the most important information in the passage.

? Have pairs of students look at their selections, identify the main idea, and look for details that support it. Ask them to record this information and then use it to summarize the passage.

Main Idea: Computers have improved our lives, but they can also pose threats.

Details: We can communicate with people around the world.

People can use computers to steal our personal information.

Summary: Computers have improved our lives. They make it easy to communicate with people around the world. Computers can also cause harm. People can use computers to steal our personal information.

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