Newswise — As the nation celebrates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, the National Center for Family Literacy has created free online education materials for families.
"This free tool for families will enliven the history and learning experiences about Abraham Lincoln," said Sharon Darling, president & founder of NCFL. "And it will improve family literacy skills at the same time. It's only fitting that this celebration includes these critical skills because President Lincoln's own stepmother couldn't read."
The materials were created after one of NCFL's literacy specialists took her grandson to visit Lincoln's birthplace near Hodgenville, Ky. They were developed with funding from Verizon Foundation.
They can be incorporated into a trip to Lincoln's birthplace or the many other communities that have ties to the 16th President. In addition, the materials can be used for virtual trips to those communities and to enhance a trip to the local library.
The parent toolbox, "Happy Birthday, President Lincoln," includes a:"¢ Video designed to be a parent-child virtual field trip to Lincoln's birthplace;"¢ Family scrapbook chronicling the trip with still photos and descriptions;"¢ How-to guide on educational activities for parents to do for their children before, during and after their trip. This guide can be used for other family trips as well;"¢ Timeline of Lincoln's life;"¢ Birthday Celebrations in the 1800s; and"¢ "Let's Visit the Library" feature, which includes a list of resources to explore further on Lincoln.
The tools can be found at www.thinkfinity.org/feature_list.aspx?feature=Lincoln.
NCFL has partnered with Verizon Foundation since 2000. The latest collaboration focuses on building technology across generations through the national Tech Savvy award. The partnership also continues to develop materials through Thinkfinity.org, which is a standards- based, free online resource for schools, teachers and families.
ABOUT NCFL:The National Center for Family Literacy, founded in 1989, is the worldwide leader in family literacy. More than 1 million families have made positive educational and economic gains as a result of NCFL's work, which includes training more than 150,000 teachers and thousands of volunteers. For more information, visit www.famlit.org.
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