BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- For kindergarten teachers introducing the concept of greater than and less than, third-grade instructors seeking creative ways to help students learn the value of money, or high school teachers demonstrating how technology and computer models help geologists find oil and natural gas, Thinkfinity.org is the one-stop online spot to find creative lesson plans for these topics and more.

Just in time for a new school year, Thinkfinity.org has added 322 free educational resources to its already robust collection for teachers, parents, students and after-school programs.

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation's comprehensive program and online portal to 55,000 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources provided in partnership with many of the nation's leading educational and literacy organizations.

Among the resources added to Thinkfinity.org and available under the new resources section are:

-- Funny Money or Phony Money -- A lesson plan created by the National Council on Economic Education's EconEd Link that will explain the importance of having a standard monetary system and the value of a good or service and its cost. The plan also will differentiate between authentic currency and counterfeit money. For students in grades 3-5.

http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.cfm?lesson=EM296&page=teacher

-- Further Investigating Greater Than, Less Than and Equal To -- A set of lesson plans from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Illuminations Web site that use cutouts of open-mouthed fish to highlight the greater than or less than symbols. As part of the lesson, students create piles of food on two islands, and their fish swim toward the island that has more food. For students in grades preK-2.

http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=U183

-- Searching for Oil -- A lesson plan created by the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science NetLinks. The lesson enables students to explore how geoscientists use technology and computer modeling to find oil and natural gas. For students in grades 9-12

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=489

"The start of new school year is a time of excitement, growth and new opportunity," said Verizon Foundation President Patrick Gaston. "The constant evolution and expansion of Thinkfinity.org will give every teacher in reach of the Internet immediate access to fresh, engaging educational resources to capture the attention of their students and prepare them for the careers of the 21st century."

Since the launch of Verizon's Thinkfinity.org in March 2007, the Verizon Foundation has committed more than $32 million to update and expand Thinkfinity.org and provide training to teachers.

In addition to providing standards-based resources from the nation's leading educational and literacy organizations, Thinkfinity.org also offers a comprehensive professional development program that allows teachers to sign up for free online or face-to-face training to learn how to make the most of Thinkfinity.org tools.

Content for Thinkfinity.org 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, International Reading Association, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Center for Family Literacy, National Council on Economic Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Geographic Society, ProLiteracy Worldwide and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 69 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,600 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon