Effects of television on childhood literacy

Nowadays, the television occupies a large portion of children’s time. From when they start in preschool, children spend more time watching television than participating in any other (25) _____ except sleeping. (26) _____, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The results of some research suggest that there is considerable overlap between the comprehension processes (27) _____ take place during a period of television viewing. If this is so, it may very well be the case that children who learn comprehension skills from television viewing before they are ready to read are (28) _____ with some very important tools when they later learn to read. It has been noted that children are frequently better at recalling televised stories they have watched to compared to those they have simply heard. Due to the fact that it is a visual medium, television can present information more concretely than written and spoken text, making it an ideal medium in which to (29) _____ some of the skills and knowledge needed for later reading.

(Adapted from “Complete Advanced” by Laura Mathew and Barbara Thomas)