I use USA TODAY in my classroom to cover specific topics that we are studying each week, and I use a modified version of Experience TODAY with my students to match my classroom objectives. We are studying budgeting right now and have studied ownership in the past. I will have my students use an article on franchising in the MONEY section to complete activities. Since they already have background information on this subject, this article will be a great one for them to read. The students will read the article to themselves, and then they will come up with five advantages of buying a second-hand store or a franchise. Next they will come up with some disadvantages. The next step will be to compare and contrast their knowledge with this article, and finally, we will have a group discussion.
My students always read "Across the Nation" and then pull out the states that show economic strength. They always have to provide me with indicators of why they chose those states.
I love USA TODAY. The kids really love it because after we do our lessons, I always give them time to read the rest of the paper.
