Reimagine Wonder with the Redesigned Wonderopolis Website, Supported By the Verizon Foundation

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) unveiled today the newly redesigned website for Wonderopolis®, a resource available at no cost that offers a "Wonder of the Day®," a fun, daily post that engages learners to explore a curious question, like "What goes inside a cocoon?" and "What is Stonehenge?"

With a continued focus on bringing families together for a better, richer learning experience, the site's new features allow wonderers to:

• Get mobile. Wonder on the go with responsive design and improved touch navigation for a more satisfying mobile experience
• Get social. Integrated social elements mean parents and kids can share learning with friends, family and fellow wonderers
• Get involved. The new interface makes it easier for users to share their ideas and vote on other nominated Wonders
• Get savvy. New Wonders feature more robust content including quizzes that reinforce ideas—like "What are Dimensions? Choose the right answer!" as a part of the "What is 3-D?" Wonder

Providing a springboard for learning that is driven by human interest and curiosity, the site was voted one of TIME magazine's "50 Top Websites of 2011" and a 2011 WOMMY winner.

As the site continues to establish a community around wonder, Wonderopolis has enjoyed steady growth and currently:

• Inspires more than 4,000 monthly user interactions via the website, Facebook and Twitter
• Garners more than 150,000 regular monthly users
• Boasts an audience that is more than 60 percent repeat visitors
• Houses more than 900 Wonders, including user-submitted ideas and content

Wonderers include teachers, students and parents wondering about the world around them in a variety of ways:

• A fifth grade teacher supplements classroom work to help her students develop authentic writing skills, critical thinking and expanded vocabulary
• A third grade class taps Wonderopolis while researching and writing papers
• The  mother of a first grader spends early morning quality time with her son checking out the Wonder of the Day and exploring past Wonders

Wonderopolis content purposefully aligns to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the STEM Educational Quality Framework, and Bloom's Digital Taxonomy—a focus that supports NCFL's vision of taking traditional learning outside of the classroom. The site is lauded by K-12 educators as a premier resource for informational text and vocabulary instruction.

Wonderopolis is part of NCFL's 20-year track record supporting family learning and engagement, initiatives recently bolstered by a partnership with the Department of Education.

Wonderopolis is supported by grant funding from the Verizon Foundation. NCFL and Verizon have teamed up to create technology-driven resources, and NCFL provides content to Verizon's  Thinkfinity.org, which offers free, comprehensive lesson plans and learning resources for teachers and students.

"The Wonderopolis program is evolving and the redesigned website reflects that growth, offering even more tools and methods to foster wonder in children and parents alike," said Emily Kirkpatrick, vice president of NCFL.

"Along with family engagement, we believe technology plays a pivotal role in helping children learn," said Justina Nixon-Saintil, director of education for the Verizon Foundation. "As a champion of innovation and digital learning, the Verizon Foundation continues to support the growth and evolution of Wonderopolis."                                                                                   

About NCFL
The National Center for Family Literacy, founded in 1989 and based in Louisville, Ky., is the worldwide leader in family literacy. More than one 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. Visit www.famlit.org for more information.

SOURCE Wonderopolis