Directions: After reading the passage below,
fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used
only once. Note that there is one more word than you need.
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A. emphasizes B.
principle C. enormous D. helping E. energized F. active G. increased H. absorbing I. benefits J. analyzed K. temperate
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Emphasizing social play in kindergarten improves academics
Emphasizing social play and
students helping one another in kindergarten improves academic outcomes,
self-control and attention regulation, finds new UBC research. The study,
published in the journal PLoS One, found this approach to kindergarten
curriculum also {#blank#}1{#/blank#} children's joy in learning and teachers'
enjoyment of teaching.
"Before children have
the ability to sit for long periods {#blank#}2{#/blank#} information, they need to
be allowed to be {#blank#}3{#/blank#} and be encouraged to learn by doing," said
Dr. Adele Diamond, the study's lead author. "Indeed, people of all ages
learn better by doing than by being told."
Through a controlled
experiment, Diamond and her colleagues {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the effectiveness of a
curriculum called Tools of the Mind (Tools). The curriculum was introduced to willing kindergarten teachers and
351 children with different backgrounds in 18 public schools.
Tools was developed in 1993
by two American researchers. Its basic {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is that social-emotional
development and improving self-control is as important as teaching academic skills and content. The Tools {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the role of social play in developing skills
such as self-control, selective attention and
planning. "Skills like self-control and selective attention
are necessary for learning. They are often more strongly associated with school
readiness (入学准备) than intelligence
quotient (IQ)," said Diamond. "This experiment is the first to show {#blank#}7{#/blank#} of a curriculum emphasizing social play."
Teachers reported more {#blank#}8{#/blank#} behavior and greater sense of community in
Tools classes. Late in the school
year, Tools teachers reported they still felt {#blank#}9{#/blank#} and excited about teaching, while teachers in
the control group were exhausted. "I have enjoyed seeing the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} progress my students have made in writing and
reading." said a Tools teacher in Vancouver. "I have also enjoyed
seeing the students get so excited about coming to school and learning. They
loved all the activities so much that many students didn't want to miss school, even if they were sick."
