USA TODAY Education

USA TODAY helps young people better understand the people, places, and events that impact their lives by connecting them to each day's news in an engaging way.

USA TODAY has made a commitment to education that is unparalleled in the industry. Our education department has been in existence since 1983. Today, we reach over 30,000 middle and high school classrooms and over 420 colleges and universities.

Through using USA TODAY, both print and online resources, students develop higher order thinking skills such as application of concepts, analysis of information and synthesis to arrive at new solutions. Current "real world" examples will reinforce and motivate students to learn, apply and integrate concepts from every curriculum area and focus.

The overall goal is to encourage a lifelong newspaper readership habit and to increase students' knowledge of local, national and international events. This is achieved by supplying daily newspapers so students are more inclined to read the news on a regular basis thereby heightening their awareness of the world in which they live.

USA TODAY's educational resources support the use of newspapers in classrooms and utilize USA TODAY's award-winning articles and graphics. They are applicable for a broad range of curriculum areas, correlate to national standards and are adaptable for all grade levels.

Note: The information listed below is solely the material of USA TODAY Education and not endorsed by any of the other organizations associated with www.constitutionday.us.

USA TODAY Education Resources

• 1st Amendment Project-Based Learning Lesson — This four-week project will guide student groups through analyzing the scope and meaning of the First Amendment; conducting a survey on freedoms; and evaluating how these apply to ordinary citizens like themselves.
• Democracy TODAY - Elections 2008 Website — Elections 2008
• Elections and Beyond Website — These cross-curricular educational resources help students understand the nature of American politics, the structure of our government and the voting process.
• Freedom of Assembly Case Study — The First Amendment guarantees freedom of assembly, the right of citizens to gather peacefully. This case study examines the balance between freedom to gather peacefully and the need to maintain law and order.
• Freedom of Religion Case Study — Religious diversity is one of the basic freedoms protected by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This case study examines freedom of religion, its impact on society, and situations where it is lacking.
• Freedom of Speech Case Study — This case study explores freedom of speech and current issues involved in balancing freedom of speech against limits protecting the broader social good.
• Freedom of the Press Case Study — The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, but the limits of that freedom take into account the need for some privacy and government exclusions. Has freedom of the press gone too far?
• Freedom to Petition Case Study — This case study examines some recent examples of the right to petition in action. Further, the study looks at the implications for democracy in light of events in China, a country where citizens lack this fundamental freedom.
• Inside USA TODAY Daily Lesson Plan — A daily, four-page lesson plan providing discussion questions and activities based on articles from each day's paper.
• Lessons of Liberty Website — Resources to help students discover the value of the First Amendment freedoms and to think critically about how the First Amendment affects their lives.
• Virtual Press Pass - Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief Website — Find out what USA TODAY's Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Pages thinks about the people, places and events she covers. What her responsibilities are and what it took to get where she is.

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