News is best understood when listeners, viewers, or readers have sufficient background to understand the topic. Related items will sometimes be available right at the time a unit is being taught. It will seem natural to incorporate such current events. Many related items collected about one topic over a period of time will help students understand current affairs. Controversial issues may be found in regular news items, feature articles, or editorials.

Use the material in general class discussions, on bulletin boards, in learning stations, for creative or functional writing projects, and to provide opportunities for storytelling or drama.

Consider some of the following ideas for collecting and including news about strawberries.

1. Cost of goods related to basic needs and wants.

2. Cost of services children need and want.

3. Costs encountered by the family.

4. Costs encountered by friends.

5. Budgets throughout the year.

1. Pictures of goods and services used to decorate brochures, newspapers, and magazines.

2. Pictures of goods and services related to news items.

3. Appreciate and analyze the use of the pictures. Examine their contents. Match cut lines with pictures. Write new captions and compare them with those already published.

4. Pictures on products.

1. About goods and services.

2. About events promoting economic growth.

3. Feature articles about the state of the economy at various times of year.

4. Human interest articles about people and their economic status.

5. Note related economic terms and how they are used. Look for the "who, what, when, where, and why" components of the articles.

6. Write news articles about economics.

1. Feature articles written about how people manage goods and services.

2. Suggestions for seasonal management of finances.

3. Articles about values and economics.

1. Articles about use and misuse of goods and services.

2. Editorials which can be analyzed for facts and opinions. Look for pro, con, and compromising points of view.

1. Collect and compare advertisements. Note or do some of the following:

a. How techniques are used to entice people to a business.

b. Compare prices when items are in season in the local area with when they are not.

c. Collect advertisements from old and new sources. Compare prices from year to year.

d. Note particular types of items sold at various times of year.

Compare prices of different items.

e. Compare prices of locally produced items with those from distant areas.

f. Note types of items most commonly sold in an area.

g. Determine whether items advertised have come directly from a local area or whether they were transported from a distance. Compare quality of the items.

h. Look for sources of items. Determine which areas of latitude are involved.

2. Examine advertisements from corporations and individuals.

3. Find advertisements for the same item from various parts of the community, state, nation, and world. Compare them.

4. Design advertisements. Determine what type of media would be best for various items. Which would provide the producer with the greatest economic return and the wisest place to invest? Ask which audiences the advertisements might target