Education

September 11th: Educating Students Too Young to Remember That Infamous Day

Each year, Americans across the country commemorate the anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks. While students today have no recollection of that infamous day, there are a number of resources to observe, teach and discuss the events with your students.

Thanks to PBS.org, they have supplied a list of recommended classroom resources to aid in your lesson plans:

National September 11 Memorial & Museum  

• An in-depth FAQ about the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, with particular attention to the Twin Towers and the 9/11 Memorial that stands in their place today.
• Two interactive timelines that chronicle both the attacks and the Ground Zero recovery. Note: Both timelines incorporate videos and images from the attacks, so please view them first before sharing them with students who may be upset by the content.

PBS NewsHour 

• This special ten year anniversary collection on 9/11 provides articles, videos and suggested resources from Frontline, NOVA and other PBS programs.

The Learning Network |Teaching and Learning with the New York Times

• The New York Times’ education resources for teaching and learning about 9/11 This article by Katherine Schulten, Shannon Doyne and Holly Epstein provides links to powerful interactive, articles, key questions, lesson plans and more.
• The Reckoning: America and the world a decade after 9/11 is an interactive site that houses a rich collection of powerful articles, videos, photography and infographics on everything ranging from the day of the attacks to the following ten years.

WATCH: September 11 – One Story of An American Hero >>

PBS Learning Media

• Reflections on the 9/11 Memorial   In this short video from NOVA Online, visitors weigh in on the design and importance of the memorial. “It’s very moving, it’s graceful, and it’s also dignified.

Teaching Tolerance 

• Bringing 9/11 in the Classroom—Useful Lessons A blog full of resources on exploring the events of 9/11 and the consequences through the lens of tolerance and cultural understanding.

Teachinghistory.org

• In Remembrance: Teaching September 11  This collection of resources is recommended by the U.S. Department of Education and explores topics and events surrounding 9/11 as well as recommended strategies for educators on how to teach 9/11 in the classroom.

Share My Lesson

• Remembering 9/11: Building Tolerance These lessons asks students to look not just at the events of 9/11 but at the following days and years. Students in explore the parts of a newspaper, the functions of a news article, and the importance of a free press in a democratic society.

How do you discuss 9/11 with your students? We want to know. Leave us a note in the comments!

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