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Monk Mode: Using Less Social Media, Doing More Work

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Social media can be very distracting and make it hard to focus. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, says that things like work emails can be a big problem. She thinks that jobs should have rules about when people need to answer emails to help them balance work and life. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be very interesting and hard to stop using. He thinks that as we get more and more technology, monk mode will become even more important.

Original news source: The people going 'monk mode' to limit social media use (BBC)

πŸ“– Vocabulary:

1. monk mode
2. social media
3. distract
4. popular
5. TikTok
6. apps
7. focus
8. technology

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Each team takes turns choosing a word or phrase related to the article and acting it out without speaking. The other team must guess what they are trying to convey. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the main points of the article to their partner. Encourage them to use their own words and keep their summaries concise. After both students have shared, they can compare their summaries and discuss any differences or similarities.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as "Using social media is always a distraction." Have students individually indicate whether they agree or disagree with each statement. Then, divide the class into small groups and have them discuss their opinions and reasons for their choices. Finally, have each group share their findings with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on separate slips of paper. Have students take turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent it on the board. The rest of the class must guess the word based on the drawing. This activity reinforces vocabulary while also practicing listening and speaking skills.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a topic related to the article, such as "Benefits of using monk mode" or "Drawbacks of social media." Have students discuss and list as many pros or cons as they can think of within a given time limit. Afterward, each group can share their lists with the class and discuss their reasoning behind each point. This activity encourages critical thinking and promotes group discussion.

πŸ€” Comprehension Questions:

1. What does "monk mode" mean?

2. Why do people use apps like Freedom and Forest?

3. Why is social media distracting?

4. What does Grace Marshall think about work emails?

5. Why does Fred Stutzman think monk mode is important?

6. Can you give an example of a distracting thing on social media?

7. How do apps like Freedom help people stay away from social media?

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Many people are using "monk mode" to use less social media and do more work. mode means doing one thing and not letting or computers distract you. This idea is getting more popular, and many people are talking about it on . There are like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest that help people stay away from social media or the internet for some time. Social media can be very distracting and make it hard to focus. Grace Marshall, a writer and , that things like work emails can be a big problem. She thinks that jobs should have rules about when people need to answer emails to help them balance work and life. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be very interesting and hard to stop using. He thinks that as we get more and more technology, mode will even more important.

πŸ’¬ Discussion Questions:

1. What is "monk mode"?
2. How would you feel if you couldn't use your phone or computer for a whole day?
3. Do you like using social media? Why or why not?
4. What are some apps that can help you stay away from social media?
5. How does social media make it hard to focus?
6. Do you think jobs should have rules about answering work emails? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about the idea of "monk mode"?
8. How do you feel when you use social media too much?
9. Have you ever tried using an app to help you stay away from social media? How did it work?
10. What do you think will happen as we get more technology?
11. How do you balance work and life?
12. What are some other things that can distract you from doing work?

Individual Activities

πŸ“–πŸ’­ Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

Words

1. monk mode
2. social media
3. distract
4. popular
5. TikTok
6. apps
7. focus
8. technology

Meanings

(A) To pay attention to one thing and not get distracted
(B) To take your attention away from something
(C) Things like phones and computers that use electricity
(D) Websites and apps like Facebook and Instagram
(E) A way of working without being interrupted
(F) Programs on your phone or computer that help you do something
(G) A popular video-sharing app
(H) Liked by many people

πŸ”‘ Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is "monk mode"?
(a) Using social media all the time
(b) Watching TV and playing video games
(c) Going on vacation
(d) Doing one thing and not letting phones or computers distract you
2. What are some apps that help people stay away from social media?
(a) Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest
(b) TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
(c) Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and YouTube
(d) Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon
3. Why can social media be distracting?
(a) It helps people stay organized
(b) It makes it hard to focus
(c) It makes work emails easier to answer
(d) It helps people balance work and life
4. Who thinks that jobs should have rules about when people need to answer emails?
(a) Grace Marshall
(b) Fred Stutzman
(c) A writer and coach
(d) Someone who made the Freedom app
5. Why does Fred Stutzman think monk mode will become more important?
(a) Because people don't like using technology
(b) Because social media is made to be very interesting and hard to stop using
(c) Because people want to use social media all the time
(d) Because people want to answer work emails all the time
6. What is the purpose of the apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest?
(a) To help people use social media more often
(b) To help people answer work emails
(c) To help people balance work and life
(d) To help people stay away from social media or the internet for some time
7. What is the main idea of the article?
(a) Social media is not distracting at all
(b) Jobs should not have rules about when people need to answer emails
(c) Many people are using "monk mode" to use less social media and do more work
(d) Monk mode is not important
8. How do people use "monk mode"?
(a) By using social media all the time
(b) By watching TV and playing video games
(c) By doing one thing and not letting phones or computers distract them
(d) By going on vacation

πŸ•΅οΈ True or False Questions:

As technology increases, monk mode will become even more important.
Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be very interesting and hard to stop using.
Many people are using monk mode to use less social media and do more work.
Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, thinks that jobs should have no rules about when people need to answer emails.
Work emails can be a pleasant experience and enhance people's work.
There are no apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest that help people stay away from social media or the internet.
Social media can be very distracting and make it hard to focus.
Monk mode means doing multiple things and allowing phones or computers to distract you.

πŸ“ Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

1. What is monk mode?
2. What are some apps that can help people stay away from social media?
3. Why can social media be distracting?
4. What does Grace Marshall think is a big problem with work emails?
5. Why does Fred Stutzman think monk mode will become more important in the future?

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