When you’re talking with friends or writing a text message, informal language is appropriate and preferred, but in certain situations formal language is required in your writing and speaking. This week will see the largest British royal wedding in thirty years. Use articles from this week’s USA TODAY to learn about the royal couple and [...]

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Last week saw several deadly storms sweep across the country. Reacting quickly when severe weather strikes can make the difference between life and death. Research the best safety practices for severe weather in your area and draft a communication plan for your community that could help avoid the death and destruction that was witnessed last [...]

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Politicians are vigorously debating our national budget. Having narrowly avoided a government shutdown last week, the ongoing debate has centered on the budget deficit. Congress is trying to agree on how much national debt is acceptable. Find articles in a recent USA TODAY related to the budget deficit debate. Using what you learn from the [...]

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Using a recent USA TODAY, find an article that interests you. Read the article through carefully, taking notes on the most important details of the story. Rewrite the article so that a younger student would be able to clearly understand the news story. Include visual aids if you believe they would make the article more [...]

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 A coalition of nations led by NATO continues to maintain a no-fly zone in Libya and carry out air strikes in support of the rebel uprising to overthrow the long-standing dictator Moammar Gadhafi. This multinational military campaign began just days after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution permitting the creation of the no-fly zone. [...]

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The NCAA Basketball Tournament is in full swing. Use a recent USA Today article or NCAA bracket to find one team that interests you and …. Identify the team’s mascot. Visit the university’s website, explore their history, and identify the reason behind the team’s mascot. Learn more about the town in which the university resides. Using [...]

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  Last week saw one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit the nation of Japan. Identify articles from this week’s USA TODAY related to the earthquake and its aftermath and write a paragraph summarizing the article on a note card. Using a classroom map of Japan, post your summary near the city described [...]

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Eyewitness accounts are an important element of an engaging news article. Peruse a recent USA TODAY and find an article that interests you. Imagine that you were at the scene of this event and write your own eyewitness account of what took place there. Share your writing with your class.

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The 83rd annual Academy Awards were held last week with writers, actors, and directors receiving recognition for making some of the best films of the past year. An important part of receiving an Oscar is making an acceptance speech.    Peruse a recent issue of USA TODAY and identify an advertisement of interest to you. [...]

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Visual aids are an important part of communication. Whether you are writing or speaking, an effective visual aid can grab the attention of your audience and clearly communicate complex ideas.   Using recent issues of USA TODAY, explore the wide variety of visual aids (charts, images, figures, etc) used throughout the newspaper. Identify an article that [...]

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