Grade 5
Florida
StandardsAssessments
Opinion Task:
Effects of Video Games
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Video Games: More Good than Harm!
People say video games do more harm than good. They are wrong. Video games actually do more
good than harm for people of all ages.
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Understanding an Opinion Writing Task:
Students will closely read and analyze the
texts, in this case, paying particular
Keeps You Young
attention to video games. Students will
Everyone grows older, but their brains can stay young if they playanalyze
video games.
A study
the
and synthesize
ideasbyand
evidence
University of Iowa showed that people over fifty who played brain-teasing
games
for
only
two
hours a
from the texts. Students will use these
ideascomplex.
to present Since
an opinion
week, actually slowed their mental decay. It seems video games are
theywhile
are citing
difficult,
specific
evidence
from
the
texts
to
they require the player to use mental energy and abilities they don’t use otherwise. Think of it as a
support their ideas. Based on the texts,
workout for the brain. Video games work out the muscles
students will write an opinion essay using
in your brain. This means your mind grows stronger
conventions of Standard English.
every minute you play a video game. That proves how
helpful they are.
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Improves Eyesight
If you have poor eyesight, you may want to think about
playing video games. Playing video games can actually
improve your eyesight. Games that require the player to
shoot at something can be good for vision. When players
shoot at something on a screen, it forces them to notice
small changes in the brightness of the images. Most older people
lose their ability to notice small changes in the brightness of
something. This is why older drivers find night driving to be a real
challenge. Playing video games can help older people with their
vision. What a fun way to correct bad eyesight!
A new study published in the journal
Nature reveals that adults between the
ages of 60 and 85 improved their
multitasking and ability to pay attention
after playing specific video games.
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Improves Reading
A recent study by the United States Government showed that video games could help with the early
reading skills of young children. Four and five year olds who took part in the study better understood
basic concepts of stories. They were also better at recognizing letters and matching sounds with
letters. Playing educational video games at a very young age also helped children be more successful
when they entered school. Older children benefit from gameplay as well. Even traditional games teach
kids basic skills for everyday living. They also teach older children how to take responsibility while
promoting teamwork. Playing video games can give young people a head start in life.
The next time someone tells you how harmful playing video games is, be sure to tell them how much
good they do for people of all ages.
Source: www.procon.org
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Copyright © 2014 by Write Score LLC
Video Games: A Dangerous Way to Play
The word “game” brings about happy, innocent, and safe feelings. However, when you put that word
with “video”, you have two words that bring up dangerous feelings. Little good can come to those who
play video games.
This text is gauged as suitably complex
text* for grade 5 and was selected using
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qualitative and quantitative features, as
Causes Headaches
well as Appendix
B asusually
guides. begin in one
People who play video games often get migraine headaches. Migraine
headaches
part of your head. Then they begin to spread, getting more painful
the
minute.
Migraines
are often
Theby
text
includes
academic
language*
caused by light and noise. People who sit and play video games for
hours
may
get
a
migraine
due
to
encompassed by complex text and
rewards
careful,which
close reading
concentrating for long periods of time. This concentration leads to
eye strain
leads to elicit
these
specific
information
followed
by
painful headaches.
opportunities to apply understanding of
the reading.
Causes Sleep Problems
* indicates an instructional shift
There is nothing like a good night’s sleep to make you feel better. However, studies have shown that
video games cause sleep problems in normally healthy people. One major sleep problem is called
insomnia. Insomnia means you are unable to sleep. People with insomnia toss and turn all night long.
Often, they wander around their homes hoping that will help them sleep. But if they have been
playing video games, walking around won’t do any good. Video games overstimulate a person’s brain.
This can cause insomnia. Some people have insomnia because they can’t stop thinking about the last
video game they were playing.
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Promotes Violent Behavior
One of the worst problems with video games is that they are known to cause violent behavior. Many
video games reward players for being violent.
People become desensitized to violence in real
life. They may start to feel little sympathy for
others who experience tragedy in their lives.
This then leads to video players becoming
aggressive towards others in real life. When
violent video games give players a feeling of
happiness, then true harm has been done.
Think carefully the next time you are tempted
to play a video game. Ask yourself if it’s worth
getting a headache, losing sleep, or becoming
violent toward others. Hopefully you just won’t
be tempted at all.
Studies have shown that the more realistic and
repeated exposure to violence, the greater the
negative impact it could have on children.
Source: www.procon.org
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Copyright © 2014 by Write Score LLC
GRADE 5 OPINION TASK
EFFECTS OF VIDEO GAMES
DIRECTIONS
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The passages Video Games: More Good than Harm and Video Games: A Dangerous Way to Play are
both about the effects of video games on people.
Writing Prompt
Write an essay in which you give your opinion about using video games in the classroom. Your essay
must be based on the information from the passages.
Writing Performance Task:
Students are asked to write an
opinion essay after reading texts.
Students will write a wellorganized opinion essay using a
variety of elaborative techniques
and Standard conventions of
English.
Manage your time carefully so that you can
o read the passages;
o plan your response;
o write your response; and
o revise and edit your response.
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Be sure to include
o an introduction;
o support for your opinion using information from the passages; and
o a conclusion that is related to your opinion.
Your writing should be in the form of a well-organized, multi-paragraph essay.
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Compose your essay in the space provided.
Responses elicit
evidence
that students understand the
texts they have read, and can
communicate effectively
through opinion elaboration
and knowledge of language
and conventions.
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Copyright © 2014 by Write Score LLC