Less Phones, More Talk
In our contemporary society, far too many people are more
interested in whatever is happening on their phones than the
people around them. Visit any restaurant, and you will notice
people mindlessly staring at their personal devices rather than
interacting with those around them. This habit is hurting
relationships and shortening attention spans.
The best way to build a relationship is through one-on-one
interaction, and the habit of constantly checking your phone
unfortunately gets in the way of that. When you are on the phone.
during dinner with a friend, you are sending the message that he
or she is not that important to you. You may still be able to pay
attention to what your friend is saying, but you are communicating
a message of disrespect by looking at your phone and not
making eye contact. Without eye contact, it is nearly impossible to
be fully engaged in the conversation. When your eyes are fixed
on your phone, your companion may not share as much
information with you or worse yet, he or she may not want to
spend time with you in the future.
Many people think that they have to check their phones and
be connected at all times. However, the reality is that very few
things are so important that they need to be followed at all times.
The latest posts on social media will not simply go away if you
have not checked them in the past five minutes. In the event that
you are awaiting an important phone call or text, you can simply
tell your dinner partner "excuse me" and not that you have to
check something on your phone. You would not walk away while
someone was talking without saying anything, and the same
holds true for when you check your phone. Entering the world of
your phone is essentially walking away because you are no
longer fully present and aware of what the other person is saying.


Drag each tile to the correct box.
The author wants to add a fourth paragraph about the need to use cell phones less. Her topic sentence is written below.
Constant use of electronic devices hurts a person's attention span and ability to stay connected to the real world.
The author also wants to use the following supporting ideas.
• Sentence 1: People therefore need to take care to take breaks from their phones so they can tune into the most importan
parts of their lives.
Sentence 2: Research shows that checking your phone often leads to an inability to concentrate for extended periods of
time.
• Sentence 3: Using your phone often may cause you to not only ignore the world around you but to lose touch with it as
well.
.
. Sentence 4: This is because the world of social media on your phone is often not reflective of reality.
• Sentence 5: When you lose your ability to concentrate, you lose your ability to fully appreciate the great things that are
happening around you.
Place the paragraph's supporting ideas in the correct order.
Sentence 3