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How Family Life Has Changed in America

An A2-level reading worksheet for Thai students exploring how family life and dynamics in America have changed over the decades.

Title

Seo_intro

An A2-level reading worksheet for Thai students exploring how family life and dynamics in America have changed over the decades.

Reading Text

When I was a child in the 1970s, family life in America was very different. Most families lived in the same town for many years. Children played outside with their neighbors until dinner time. We did not have mobile phones or computers, so families spent a lot of time talking and playing board games together. Every evening, we sat down together for a home-cooked dinner. Today, family life is much faster. Parents work long hours, and children are often busy with after-school activities. Technology has changed how we connect. Now, family members frequently look at their screens instead of talking to each other. Many young people also move to different states for university or jobs, so families live far apart. However, American families still find ways to stay close. We use video calls to chat, and we always gather for important holidays like Thanksgiving.

Activities

Vocabulary

Items:

Label: neighbors
Answer: 1
Label: board games
Answer: 2
Label: frequently
Answer: 3
Label: screens
Answer: 4
Label: gather
Answer: 5

Definitions:

Text: People who live near you.
Text: Games played on a specially marked piece of wood or cardboard, like Monopoly or chess.
Text: Often; many times.
Text: The flat surfaces on televisions, computers, or smartphones that show pictures or words.
Text: To come together in one place.

Fill In The Blanks:

Before: When I was young, I played with the friendly
After: who lived next door.
Answer: neighbors
Before: On rainy days, my family liked to play fun
After: at the dining table.
Answer: board games
Before: Because we live in different cities, we
After: call each other on the phone.
Answer: frequently
Before: Children today spend too many hours looking at electronic
After: .
Answer: screens
Before: Our whole family will
After: at grandmother's house for Christmas dinner.
Answer: gather

Comprehension

Questions:

Text: In the 1970s, most American families moved to new towns every year.
Answer: false
Text: Families in the past spent time playing board games because they did not have computers.
Answer: true
Text: Modern family life in America is slower than it was in the past.
Answer: false
Text: Many young Americans move to different states for education or career opportunities.
Answer: true
Text: American families use video calls to stay in touch today.
Answer: true

Scrambled:

Text: family life was very different
Answer: Family life was very different.
Text: we sat down together for dinner
Answer: We sat down together for dinner.
Text: technology has changed how we connect
Answer: Technology has changed how we connect.
Text: many young people move for jobs
Answer: Many young people move for jobs.
Text: we always gather for important holidays
Answer: We always gather for important holidays.

Written Expression

Questions:

Text:
How has family life changed in Thailand since your parents or grandparents were young? Write 3-4 sentences.
Text: Do you think technology helps families stay together or keeps them apart? Explain your answer.

Examples:

Example Answer: In the past, Thai families lived together in big houses with grandparents. Today, many people move to Bangkok for work, so families are smaller. However, we still visit our hometowns during Songkran.

Critical Thinking

Title: Critical Thinking & Discussion

Instructions:

In the text, the speaker mentions that screens change how families talk. Look at your own daily life: how much time do you spend on screens compared to talking with your family?
Compare American family changes with Thai family changes. What is one thing that changed in both countries, and what is one thing that stayed the same?