What's your favourite class?

Most kids would say recess. Yet many schools are cutting back on unstructured schoolyard play.

By Anna Mulrine {Science & Ideas 5/1/00)

1.    As the kindergarteners line up under the giant papier-mache puffer fish in their classroom at PS 87 in New York, they are bouncing like a batch of Slinkys ready to spring. Many have pre-recess rituals: Some balance backpacks on their heads, while others sing quietly to themselves. One child transforms her scrunchie into a crown, confident it's time for festivity, not practicalities.

2. Holding hands, the tiny pairs whoop and scatter as they are released into a simple blacktopped playground. Kaitlin, 6, a redhead in pedal pushers, grabs a piece of chalk and starts sketching a steam engine. " I don't draw animals, " she says resolutely. Naji, 5, whispers secrets to a crew-cutted Moataz, 6, as they play on the slide. Bettina, 5, lies on her stomach admiring her necklace-a shell on a piece of purple yarn-until friends grab her ankles and turn her into a human wheelbarrow.

3. Recess has long been a schoolyard staple, a pageant of play replete with drama and intrigue, tears and reconciliation. But today, it's

disappearing for America's kids More than 40 percent of school districts across the country, including those in Atlanta and Chicago, have done away with recess or are considering it. Parents and educators aren't pleased-to say nothing of the children. " I think without recess, " says Lily, a pragmatic 6-year-old hanging from monkey bars, " we'd be boring."

4. Which is precisely what early recess advocates were trying to avoid. Before the Revolutionary War, the right to play superseded even the right to bear arms. Recess was considered vital for emotional and intellectual growth. When training for soldiers interfered with the games of schoolchildren on Boston Common, the kids protested to the governor-who promptly ordered the soldiers to back off. Freud believed play to be perfect time to act out dreams and fears. By the 1950s, three recesses a day were the norm.

5. But today, testing frenzy has overtaken time-honoured tradition. " It's this Puritan ethic that playing gets in the way of learning, " says Anthony Pellegrini, professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota. The irony, he says, is that studies suggest the opposite-breaks actually help children learn.

6. In a nod to the need for physical activity, school districts like Philadelphia have created " socialised" recess in which play is highly structured. But Rhonda Clements, an education professor at Hofstra University, notes that there's more to recess than getting a workout. It's a chance to practice social skills such as how to gracefully join a kickball game, comfort a sad friend, or tell a hurtful schoolmate to knock it off. Teachers should step in to stop incessant bullying, says Clements. But when adults are always around, as during socialised recess, children show a marked decrease in the ability to handle conflict en their own.

7.    And in an era of overscheduled children shuttled from play dates to sports practice, with activities and even buddies chosen by well-meaning parents, recess is a rare chance to explore new friendships or simply follow a personal muse. Lily's mom seems to sense this as she watches her daughter slide down the fireman's pole at PS 87. " Something tells me, " she says, " that I should reschedule her violin lesson."

Task 3.2b. Answer the questions. The correct answers to these questions will help you identify the essential elements that make up a summary.

Introduction

1.    Citation: Write a sentence that contains the information for a proper citation of " What's Your Favourite Class? "

2. Topic: What is the general subject matter or focus of " What's Your Favourite Cluss? "

3. Thesis: What is the major assertion that the author is making about the topic? Incorporate this into a clear one-sentence thesis statement.

Body

4. Re-read Paragraph #4 of " What's Your Favourite Class? " Identify its main idea.

5. Re-read Paragraph #5 of " What's Your Favourite Class? " Identify the main idea.

6. Re-read Paragraph #6 of " What's Your Favourite Class? " Identify two key ideas in that paragraph.

7. Re-read Paragraph #7 of " Wnat's Your Favourite Class? " Identify the main idea.

Conclusion

8.Write a sentence where you agree or disagree with the author Give your reasons,

Task 3.2c. Write a three-paragraph summary of " What's Your Favourite Class? "

Task 3.3a. Read the article " No catastrophe, but death by a thousand mouse clicks " for the purpose of writing a summary of the article:

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