More people are trying “monk mode” to use less social media and do more work. Monk mode is when you focus on one thing and don’t let technology distract you. This idea is getting popular, with lots of people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok. There are also apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest that help people block social media or turn off the internet for a while.

Because social media can be addictive and distracting, many people are looking for ways to use it less. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, says that instant messages and work emails can cause problems. She thinks companies should make rules about when people need to answer messages to help them balance work and life and stay mentally healthy. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be addictive and it’s not people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it.

As technology gets better, there will be more distractions. Vladimir Druts, who helped make FocusMe, says monk mode is important because it’s different from the way society makes us want things right away. He thinks that with more artificial intelligence, more apps will try to get our attention. So, more people might try monk mode to focus better and be more productive in a world full of digital distractions.

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

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a list of vocabulary words related to the article. One student from each group will come to the front of the class and draw a picture representing one of the words. The other students in the group will try to guess the word based on the drawing. The first group to guess correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been drawn.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs, students will create headlines for news articles based on the information in the article. Encourage them to be creative and catchy with their headlines. After they have created their headlines, they will share them with the class and explain why they chose that headline.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a large chart with a spectrum from “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree”. Read out statements related to the article, such as “Using social media less can improve productivity.” Students will stand in a position along the spectrum that represents their opinion on the statement. After everyone has chosen a position, allow a few students to explain their reasoning.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns sharing three statements about their social media habits. Two of the statements should be true and one should be false. The other student must guess which statement is the lie. This activity encourages students to share personal information and practice listening and speaking skills.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss and share their predictions about the future of social media and technology. They can use the information from the article as a starting point. Each group will present their predictions to the class, and a class discussion can follow to compare and discuss different ideas.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is “monk mode” and why are more people trying it?
2. How can apps like Freedom and Forest help people use less social media?
3. Why do some people think companies should make rules about answering messages?
4. According to Fred Stutzman, whose fault is it if people can’t stop checking social media?
5. Why does Vladimir Druts think monk mode is important?
6. What might happen as technology gets better, according to Vladimir Druts?
7. Why do more people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

More (1)______ are trying “monk mode” to use less social media and do more work. (2)______ mode is when you focus on one thing and don’t let technology distract you. This idea is getting popular, with lots of people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok. There are also apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, (3)______, and Forest that help people block (4)______ (5)______ or turn off the internet for a while.

Because social media can be addictive and distracting, many people are looking for ways to use it less. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, says that instant messages and work emails can cause problems. She thinks companies should (6)______ rules about when people need to answer (7)______ to (8)______ them balance work and life and stay mentally healthy. Fred Stutzman, who made the Freedom app, says that social media is made to be addictive and it’s not people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it.

As (9)______ gets better, there will be more distractions. Vladimir Druts, who helped make FocusMe, says (10)______ mode is important because it’s different from the way society makes us want things right away. He (11)______ that with more artificial intelligence, more (12)______ will try to get our attention. So, more people might try monk mode to focus better and be more productive in a world full of digital distractions.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is “monk mode” and why are more people trying it?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t use social media or technology for a while?
3. Do you like using social media? Why or why not?
4. What problems can instant messages and work emails cause?
5. Do you think companies should make rules about when people need to answer messages? Why or why not?
6. What is the Freedom app and how does it help people?
7. Why do you think social media is made to be addictive?
8. How do distractions affect our ability to focus and be productive?
9. Do you think monk mode is important? Why or why not?
10. How do you think artificial intelligence and more apps will affect our attention?
11. Why do you think more people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions?
12. How do you think monk mode can help people be more productive?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. monk mode
2. distract
3. addictive
4. balance
5. mentally healthy
6. artificial intelligence
7. productive
8. digital distractions

Meanings:
(a) A way of focusing on one thing without distractions
(b) A type of technology that can think and learn like a human
(c) To have a good state of mind and emotions
(d) To be able to do a lot of work and get things done
(e) To have an equal amount of different things in your life
(f) Something that is hard to stop doing because it makes you feel good
(g) Things on the internet that make it hard to concentrate
(h) To take someone’s attention away from what they are doing
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is “monk mode”?
(a) Using social media all the time
(b) Being addicted to technology
(c) Focusing on one thing and avoiding distractions from technology
(d) Checking work emails constantly

2. Why are people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok?
(a) To share funny videos about distractions
(b) To promote addictive social media apps
(c) To complain about their work emails
(d) To show that they are using less social media and focusing on work

3. What are some apps that can help people block social media or turn off the internet?
(a) Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok
(b) Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon Prime
(c) Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, and WeChat
(d) Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest

4. Why are many people trying to use social media less?
(a) Because their friends are not using it anymore
(b) Because it can be addictive and distracting
(c) Because they want to become famous on social media
(d) Because they want to check their work emails more often

5. According to Grace Marshall, what can cause problems in terms of using social media?
(a) Watching videos on TikTok
(b) Playing games on social media apps
(c) Instant messages and work emails
(d) Posting pictures on Instagram

6. What does Fred Stutzman say about social media?
(a) It is designed to be addictive and it’s not people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it
(b) It is not addictive at all
(c) People should use it more often to stay mentally healthy
(d) People should only use it for work purposes

7. Why does Vladimir Druts think monk mode is important?
(a) Because society makes us want things right away, but monk mode helps us focus better
(b) Because monk mode is a type of social media app
(c) Because monk mode is a distraction from work
(d) Because monk mode is a way to become famous on social media

8. What does Vladimir Druts think will happen with more artificial intelligence?
(a) More people will use social media less
(b) More apps will try to get our attention and distract us
(c) More people will become addicted to technology
(d) More people will become famous on social media

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. There are apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest that can help people block social media or turn off the internet.
2. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, believes that instant messages and work emails do not cause problems and suggests that companies should not make rules about when people need to answer messages.
3. Social media can be beneficial and helpful in managing productivity, which is why many people are looking for ways to use it more.
4. Fred Stutzman, the creator of the Freedom app, believes that social media is not designed to be addictive and it’s people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it.
5. “Monk mode” is an unpopular way for people to use less social media and focus on their work.
6. People are using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok to share their experiences with using less social media.
7. Vladimir Druts, who helped create FocusMe, believes that monk mode is important because it helps us resist the instant gratification that society encourages.
8. With advancements in technology, there will be more distractions, and more apps will try to grab our attention, making monk mode even more necessary for focus and productivity.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What is “monk mode”?
2. How are people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok?
3. What are some apps that can help people use social media less?
4. Why do some people think companies should make rules about answering messages?
5. Why do some people think monk mode is important in a world full of digital distractions?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is “monk mode” and why are more people trying it?
Monk mode is when you focus on one thing and don’t let technology distract you. More people are trying it because they want to use social media less and be more productive.

2. How can apps like Freedom and Forest help people use less social media?
Apps like Freedom and Forest can help people use less social media by blocking it or turning off the internet for a while. This way, people won’t be able to access social media and will be less tempted to use it.

3. Why do some people think companies should make rules about answering messages?
Some people think companies should make rules about answering messages because instant messages and work emails can cause problems. Having rules can help people balance work and life and stay mentally healthy.

4. According to Fred Stutzman, whose fault is it if people can’t stop checking social media?
According to Fred Stutzman, it’s not people’s fault if they can’t stop checking social media. He thinks social media is made to be addictive, so it’s hard for people to resist using it.

5. Why does Vladimir Druts think monk mode is important?
Vladimir Druts thinks monk mode is important because it helps people focus better and be more productive. He believes that in a world full of digital distractions, monk mode can help people stay on track and not get easily distracted.

6. What might happen as technology gets better, according to Vladimir Druts?
According to Vladimir Druts, as technology gets better, there will be more distractions. He thinks that with more artificial intelligence, more apps will try to get our attention. This means people might need to use monk mode even more to stay focused.

7. Why do more people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions?
More people might try monk mode in a world full of digital distractions because they want to be more productive and less distracted. They realize that social media and technology can be addictive and want to find ways to use them less.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) Monk
(3) FocusMe
(4) social
(5) media
(6) make
(7) messages
(8) help
(9) technology
(10) monk
(11) thinks
(12) apps
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. monk mode
Answer: (a) A way of focusing on one thing without distractions

2. distract
Answer: (h) To take someone’s attention away from what they are doing

3. addictive
Answer: (f) Something that is hard to stop doing because it makes you feel good

4. balance
Answer: (e) To have an equal amount of different things in your life

5. mentally healthy
Answer: (c) To have a good state of mind and emotions

6. artificial intelligence
Answer: (b) A type of technology that can think and learn like a human

7. productive
Answer: (d) To be able to do a lot of work and get things done

8. digital distractions
Answer: (g) Things on the internet that make it hard to concentrate
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is “monk mode”?
Answer: (c) Focusing on one thing and avoiding distractions from technology

2. Why are people using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok?
Answer: (d) To show that they are using less social media and focusing on work

3. What are some apps that can help people block social media or turn off the internet?
Answer: (d) Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest

4. Why are many people trying to use social media less?
Answer: (b) Because it can be addictive and distracting

5. According to Grace Marshall, what can cause problems in terms of using social media?
Answer: (c) Instant messages and work emails

6. What does Fred Stutzman say about social media?
Answer: (a) It is designed to be addictive and it’s not people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it

7. Why does Vladimir Druts think monk mode is important?
Answer: (a) Because society makes us want things right away, but monk mode helps us focus better

8. What does Vladimir Druts think will happen with more artificial intelligence?
Answer: (b) More apps will try to get our attention and distract us
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. There are apps like Freedom, ColdTurkey, FocusMe, and Forest that can help people block social media or turn off the internet. (Answer: True)
2. Grace Marshall, a writer and coach, believes that instant messages and work emails do not cause problems and suggests that companies should not make rules about when people need to answer messages. (Answer: False)
3. Social media can be beneficial and helpful in managing productivity, which is why many people are looking for ways to use it more. (Answer: False)
4. Fred Stutzman, the creator of the Freedom app, believes that social media is not designed to be addictive and it’s people’s fault if they can’t stop checking it. (Answer: False)
5. “Monk mode” is an unpopular way for people to use less social media and focus on their work. (Answer: False)
6. People are using the hashtag #monkmode on TikTok to share their experiences with using less social media. (Answer: True)
7. Vladimir Druts, who helped create FocusMe, believes that monk mode is important because it helps us resist the instant gratification that society encourages. (Answer: True)
8. With advancements in technology, there will be more distractions, and more apps will try to grab our attention, making monk mode even more necessary for focus and productivity. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧