The document provides an overview of the Reading with USA TODAY program which includes 56 lessons that use USA TODAY newspaper to teach reading strategies to students, with each lesson incorporating the newspaper, teaching a reading strategy, and allowing students to practice and collaborate. The program is intended to motivate students and improve reading ability through meaningful, high interest content from USA TODAY that covers real-world topics in an engaging style.

1. Quick Guide to:
The Reading with USA TODAY Program

2. How to use the program?
• You have 56 lessons to
choose from.
• Study the cross-referenced by
reading standard.
• Select a lesson based on
students’ needs.
• Use the lesson with any issue
of USA TODAY.
• Repeat the lesson for
reinforcement.

3. Student motivation is an
important, determining factor of
the success with which students
respond to literacy instruction
and develop literacy skills.
Advancing Adolescent Literacy in Urban Schools
The Council of the Great City Schools Research Brief

4. What in USA TODAY
motivates your
students to read?

5. Meaningful

6. High
Interest

7. Engaging

8. Relevant

9. Real World

10. Real Time

11. What impact does motivation
have on students?

12. Hillsborough County student feedback:
• 25% said they read more
• 50% felt there were better readers
• 44% were more confident about
reading
• 35% said they have different tools to
help understand what they read on
standardized tests
• 35% said they are more aware of what
is going on in the world

13. Teacher feedback
“I can’t tell you how excited I was on
Wednesday when the papers came and ALL of
my students were EXCITED to come to class so
that we could READ about the election results !!
All day I heard -- we got the newspapers right
?? Can I keep it?? They were more than thrilled.
It was such an AWESOME teachable opportunity
– the colors/charts/graphs/maps etc. I felt so
empowered as an educator to be able to GIVE
them something that they wanted (not only
needed), and I felt like they knew that MY class
was a source for information --- they were
interested to read and investigate and see for
themselves what it meant to be informed !!!”

14. What are the program components?
Lessons
USA TODAY
Optional: Online Lexile Assessment
Professional
Development

15. Let’s take a look at the newspaper
first:
What features in USA
TODAY make it ideal for
struggling readers?

16. Ideal features for resistant readers
Build students’ High interest news
background knowledge engages students
“Lines”: Opportunities to
read small chunks of
text successfully Exclusive features that
provide practice with
informational text
Color coded sections
help students focus Color photos that
provide visual cues
Clear & concise style
Graphics, Snapshots
provide practice
interpreting charts,
graphs

17. Now let’s look at the lessons
themselves:
EACH LESSON:
* Uses USA TODAY.
* Includes step-by-step instruction.
* Teaches a reading strategy.
* Has students practice the strategy.
* Allows for collaboration.
* Can be adapted for differentiated
instruction.
* Encourages transference of the skill
to other texts.
* Should be used repeatedly for
reinforcement.

18. How can you best leverage the program?
Lesson plan Lesson Reinforce Assess
or
Cross-ref. chart

19. If you have questions or concerns, please
email us at education@usatoday.com