BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the new school year, Verizon Thinkfinity has launched a back-to-school feature that uses engaging educational resources to help teachers get students excited about their return to the classroom.
From resources using football to teach geometry, to lesson plans on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," to a podcast that highlights what a crew might experience during a 520-day trip to Mars, teachers will find a plethora of free, standards-based resources in the new Thinkfinity Back-to-School Feature (http://www.thinkfinity.org/back-to-school).
"In addition to finding exciting lessons from the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics' Illuminations site on Verizon Thinkfinity, teachers can also find resources and activities on a wide range of subjects at all grade levels," said Kichoon Yang, the council's executive director. "These resources will help spark the creativity of teachers as they go back to school."
Verizon Thinkfinity (http://www.thinkfinity.org/) is a comprehensive educational website that contains tens of thousands of free educational resources to make learning fun and improve educational achievement. Parent-friendly resources, in-class activities and homework help can be found quickly and searched by grade level, keyword or subject. In addition, Verizon Thinkfinity also offers literacy resources to assist adult learners.
The robust Back-to-School feature contains dozens of educational resources crossing nine academic disciplines. Among the resources included in the Back to School feature are:
-- Figuring in Football - Students examine geometric figures on a football field and search for congruent and similar figures in this lesson from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Illuminations. http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L211 -- 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' - In this lesson from the National Endowment for the Humanities' EdSITEment, Students explore Washington Irving's Halloween classic and ponder the mystery of what happened to Ichabod Crane. http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=256 -- Mars 500 Mission - Students listen to a podcast and learn about a crew of six volunteers who have embarked on a simulated 520-day mission to Mars. Students discuss the technological challenges, as well as the practical challenges faced by the crew as a result of being so closely confined for a long period of time. The resource was created by the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science NetLinks. http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.php?DocID=412
The Back-to-School feature is part of the newly expanded Verizon Thinkfinity. Other new features on Verizon Thinkfinity include:
-- An online Thinkfinity Community where parents, administrators and teachers can share ideas, ask for assistance, discuss the topics of the day, and connect with colleagues and experts across the country. -- Social networking tools. -- Newsfeeds on the latest educational news.
In addition, Verizon Thinkfinity continues to offer a comprehensive professional-development program that allows teachers to sign up for free online or face-to-face training, such as the Captivate Students With Thinkfinity webinar at http://www.thinkfinity.org/webinars.
Content for Verizon Thinkfinity is provided through a partnership between the Verizon Foundation and 11 of the nation's leading organizations in the fields of education and literacy: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Council for Economic Education, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society, ProLiteracy and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded $67.9 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $26.1 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit http://www.verizonfoundation.org/.
Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 92 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $107 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.
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