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Evidence to Support Claims TEST

Last updated over 6 years ago
7 questions
Opinion

Opinion: Do pro athletes get paid too much?

By Fred Bowen, Washington Post, adapted by Newsela

Fred Bowen wrote this article. Mr. Bowen is a sports writer. He has written 22 books for kids. They are about sports.
In summer, school is out. Kids get a long break. Some professional sports are on break, too. Basketball is one example. The break is called the off-season. 
During the off-season, sports teams make big decisions. They build next year's team. The coaches decide which players to keep. They choose new players to add. Teams want to have the best players. This way, they might win the championship.

Players Make A Lot Of Money!

This summer, many basketball players signed new agreements. An agreement is like a promise. Teams promise to pay players an amount. For some, that amount is very big. These players will make a lot of money.
John Wall is one of them. He plays for the Washington Wizards. The team asked Mr. Wall to play for four more years. They will pay him $170 million.
Stephen Curry is another star player. He signed a new agreement, too. Mr. Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors asked him to stay for five years. 
James Harden plays for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets asked him to stay until 2023. That is six more seasons. 

These players get paid a lot. They will make $40 million to $45 million a year. That is a huge amount. About half of the families in the United States make less than $56,000 in a year. It would take more than 800 families to come close to $45 million.
Athletes make a lot of money. They make much more than teachers. They make more than police officers and firefighters, too. Yet these jobs are important. It does not seem fair.

People Love Sports

Why do athletes make so much? One reason is simple. People love sports. They love to watch their favorite team play. TV companies pay teams a lot of money. This lets the TV companies show the games.
The companies know many people will watch. So they sell ads. The ads play during the games. They try to sell people more stuff. Ads can be for things like cars and pizza.

Kids Should Play Sports, Not Watch Them

Do you think athletes make too much money? If so, there is something you can do: Stop watching the games. This is not a bad idea, anyway. Many kids watch too much TV. They spend a ton of time watching sports. 
Why not play sports, instead? Shoot hoops at the park. Play touch football. There are many options. If you don't like playing sports, there are other things to do. You can read a book. Or, you can play a board game.
We are the ones helping pay athletes so much money. If you think it is unfair, now you know what to do!
1

What is the article MAINLY about?

1

How does the author feel about how much money athletes make?

1

The author has opinions about how much sports players make.

Which selection from the article shows this?

1

What does the author of this article want to explain?

Opinion

Opinion: U.S. schools need to focus more on gym classes

By William E. Simon Jr., USA Today, adapted by Newsela staff

Some kids love getting to run around in gym class. Other kids may not like it as much. Still, all kids should have to take it. 
Gym class is also known as physical education. It is called PE for short. PE has many benefits. It puts students' minds and bodies to work. It teaches them how to exercise. Studies show that exercise improves health. That is not all, though. It also improves how students learn. 
Students today are exercising less. They are spending more time on phones and computers, instead. Meanwhile, obesity is on the rise. Obesity is when a person has too much body fat. Having too much body fat can lead to health problems later in life. Heart disease is one example. 

Kids Aren't Exercising Enough

The U.S. government sets guidelines for exercise. They are kind of like suggestions. They say how much exercise people should get each day. Getting the right amount helps people stay healthy. 
In 2018, the government updated their guidelines. The new guidelines say kids should exercise for an hour each day. Not many kids today get this much exercise, though. Experts say only 1 in 5 teenagers do.
Children need PE more than ever. Yet schools are spending less time on PE. They are spending less money on it, too. 

Schools Don't Spend Enough On Gym Classes

The Society of Health and Physical Educators is a group of health and PE teachers. This group did a study. They looked at the money spent by American schools. The study found that most schools spend less than $1,000 a year on PE. Some spend as little as $1.50 per student on PE. That is the total per student in a whole year! That is a tiny part of the money schools spend. For example, some schools may spend as much as $12,000 per student in a year.
This is a big problem for all students. It is even worse in low-income areas. There, families may not have a lot of money or time for extra things. It may be too costly to send their kids to sports outside of school. That is one reason why schools should have PE for all students. 

Inactivity Is Dangerous

More and more children today are inactive. They do not get as much exercise as they should. Studies show this is dangerous. It puts children at greater risk of getting sick later in life. Exercise helps keep people healthy. It is good for our bodies. It is good for our brains, too. Studies also show that exercising improves learning. It even helps us manage our feelings. 
Children need to learn that exercise is important. Not everyone knows the best way to exercise on their own. It is something you need to practice. When PE is taught well, it keeps kids moving. Studies show that children who take PE in school are more likely to be active outside of school. They are also more likely to stay active when they grow up.
Schools play a big role in keeping kids healthy. Students go to school for 12 years. Over this time, schools can provide many things to keep students healthy. They can provide shots. They prevent kids from catching certain illnesses. Schools can serve healthy meals. And they can offer kids the right amount of time in PE.

Schools Need To Make Gym As Important As Math

I know schools have limited time and money. They have to meet many needs for students. Kids need plenty of time to learn at school. They need time to work together. They need time to play, as well. All of this takes time and money.
Still, I think PE is as important as these other needs. It is just as important as math and reading. It should be treated that way by schools and students, too. 
1

The author has an opinion about physical education.

Which sentence shows this?

1

Read this paragraph from the section "Inactivity is Dangerous."

Schools play a big role in keeping kids healthy. Students go to school for 12 years. Over this time, schools can provide many things to keep students healthy. They can provide shots. They prevent kids from catching certain illnesses. Schools can serve healthy meals. And they can offer kids the right amount of time in PE.

What is the author's point of view about schools?

5

Do you agree with the author? Support your opinion with evidence from the text. Use correct quotation marks and complete sentences. Practice for ILEARN! Do your best writing on this question!