
	September 2009 \| Verizon Thinkfinity Newsletter

National Literacy Month & International Literacy Day

September is National Literacy Month and September 8, 2009, is International Literacy Day. This is a good time to remember that in the United States, an estimated 30 million people over the age of 16 read no better than the average elementary-school child. Worldwide, nearly 800 million adults are illiterate in their native languages (two-thirds of them are women), and between 94 and 115 million children lack access to education. During this time, the Verizon Foundation's literacy partners reflect on how our communities have been affected in the past year and how we are rising up to the challenge. And with partners such as the International Reading Association, National Center for Family Literacy, National Council of Teachers of English and ProLiteracy, you can be sure there's no better place than Verizon Thinkfinity for literacy resources!

Featured Literacy Resources

ReadWriteThink International Literacy Day Activities
Read-a-thons, cross-grade reading buddy programs and information on making original books are a few of the great activities you'll find!

Supporting Parent Involvement for Second Language Families
Help foster parent involvement and build parent-teacher partnerships with these resources from Verizon Thinkfinity’s Literacy Network.

Web-based Visual Aids for Literacy Instructors
A list of Web sites where you can find videos, printable games, self-guided learning activities, photos and more that you can use with students or that students can interact with online. Includes sites designed specifically for English-as-a-second-language students, but most can also be used with English-speaking literacy students.

Life Span Literacy Matrix
Do you want to increase the literacy development of your learners? The literacy challenge begins with knowing the effective practices and how they impact learners. Find this information in the Matrix and start increasing literacy for all!

Verizon Literacy Program Self-Assessment Tool
Have you ever wondered if you are providing the best literacy practices you can? Measure your own practices against the research-based practices in this free in-depth tool.

	NEW VERIZON THINKFINITY RESOURCES

	Tessellation Creator Applet from Illuminations This applet lets your students create tessellations, experimenting with 10 different polygons. Start Creating! Search tessellations for more great lessons and activities for your students. One-player games on Calculation Nation from Illuminations Calculation Nation has recently been updated to include one-player games, so students can challenge themselves, or challenge others. Play now! Choose, Select, Opt, or Settle: Exploring Word Choice in Poetry from ReadWriteThink In this new lesson, students are prompted to challenge their notion of synonyms being words that “mean the same” by investigating key words in Robert Frost’s poem “Choose Something Like a Star." Students can also use the new Interactive Word Matrix Tool to explore connotation and register. BACK TO SCHOOL WITH VERIZON THINKFINITY Succeed in School This Year with Verizon Thinkfinity Gear up for the new school year with our Back to School collection of interactive games, podcasts and activities! Your assignment – visit Verizon Thinkfinity often so you don’t miss our new weekly features, new resources and much more! Current Events Resources An Eye on Hurricanes We have hundreds of resources on hurricanes and weather, from interviews with scientists to lessons about how hurricanes form, the role of technology in tracking hurricanes and the impact of natural hazards around the world. Discover with your students! Germs and Disease Teaching your students about germs and disease? Verizon Thinkfinity can help – check out our great materials to help teach kids about health-related topics, such as germs, diseases and how they are spread. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 - October 15 A Vision of Puerto Rico: The Teodoro Vidal Collection from Smithsonian's History Explorer Take your class on a virtual trip to the Smithsonian to see the Teodoro Vidal Collection! You'll get a look at the history of Puerto Rico through the eyes of the collector who captured the island's history from the 16th-20th centuries. Students will gain unique insight into a culture that plays an important role in the diversity of the United States. *Esperanza Rising* from EDSITEment Read the award-winning book, Esperanza Rising, and use the lesson plan from EDSITEment to help teach about Civil Rights, Immigration/Migration, the Great Depression and Latin America. Constitution Day is September 17 September 17, 2009 is Constitution Day and Verizon Thinkfinity makes it easy for you to commemorate this special day with expert resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Check out their Constitution Day lesson plans and Constitution Day Portal. You can also visit ConSource, the free, online library of constitutional source documents. And of course search Constitution Day on Verizon Thinkfinity and you'll find nearly 200 resources!

	KEEPING KIDS LEARNING

	Verizon Thinkfinity at Home As you saw with our “Summer Learning” features, Verizon Thinkfinity is committed to keeping kids learning anytime, anyplace. We have some of the best educational resources ready for students to use at home. And we are an ideal resource to help planning for extended student absences or time away from the classroom. For starters, take a look at the maps, games & activities, homework help and booklists ready for your students. We have parent resources, too!

	PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEWS

	Partnership for 21st Century Skills Professional Development Affiliate Verizon Thinkfinity is a Professional Development Affiliate of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, which supports the integration of 21st century skills into all aspects of teaching and learning. To learn how to use Verizon Thinkfinity resources to promote 21st century teaching and learning, register for a FREE 1-hour webinar, "Reaching 21st Century Students with Verizon Thinkfinity." Check out the complete list of Verizon Thinkfinity webinars by type (General Audience, Educator and Trainer).

	VERIZON FOUNDATION NEWS

	A Nation Remembers September 11 Working in partnership with the Verizon Foundation and National Geographic, the Pentagon Memorial Fund will launch a new Pentagon Memorial Web site in the spring of 2010. Verizon Thinkfinity also has a collection of September 11 resources to help you teach and remember, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s online collection, September 11: Bearing Witness to History. Protecting the Environment Verizon’s operations center in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, sits on 135 acres of grassland and wetlands that are natural habitats for several rare native species of wildlife. The area is also a source of water for nearby residents. Working with the Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Verizon has launched a 10-year effort to protect the area’s water, plants and wildlife. Recently 17 purple martin chicks flew the coop–literally–as a result of this exciting project. You can read about it and view a video in our Corporate Responsibility Blog. This is just part of our environmental commitment. Verizon is working with its employees, consumers and policymakers to deploy broadband technologies that will reduce energy consumption and conserve resources. To bring conservation to your classroom, check out the Verizon Thinkfinity Conservation in My Community lesson and student activities created by National Geographic. Search *Conservation* on Verizon Thinkfinity for hundreds of additional resources! Verizon Foundation Online Read more about the Verizon Foundation's latest work in education, domestic violence prevention and volunteerism.