september 11 | TeachingHistory.org

9/11 and Commemoration: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

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What is it?

For students in high school today the events of September 11 belong to the past, but they may very likely encounter the yearly commemorations of those events on television or social media or they may have seen a physical memorial either in their area or while traveling. The past regularly enters our daily lives in this way and this is distinct from history. This guide explores commemorations, memorials, and monuments of the September 11 attacks to help students identify and recognize how they engage with the past how that process differs from history.

Key points:

This activity will take one 90-minute period or two 45-minute periods. It is appropriate for a high school U.S. history classroom, but can be modified for a variety of learners.
Students will analyze, interpret, and evaluate primary sources.
Students will learn more about the events of September 11 and also how those events exist in public memory.
Guiding Question: What's the purpose of commemorations and memorials

Introduction

History is the process by which we try to better understand the past, but history is not the only way human beings use the past or make meaning out of past events. This guide looks at another process of remembering the past through commemorations and memorials. Specifically it looks at the commemoration of and memorials to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States in order to help students identify the differences between commemorating past events and studying those events historically. While the events of 2001 seem quite recent for some of us, they are far enough in the past to begin to be considered as history — especially for students in high school today who are too young to have been alive when these attacks occurred. Analyzing how various commemorations and memorials engage with the past will help students recognize the difference between this engagement and history while also understanding better the place the events of September 11, 2001 in public memory.

Hook/Bellringer

Write on the board: What is a commemoration? Can you think of examples?

If students are struggling with this prompt, add related words that they might be more familiar with such as “memorials” or “monuments”. Explain that memorials and monuments are specific kinds of commemorations. Have students come up with 5-10 examples of their own and have them note what event is being commemorated by the memorial.

Show the following images to prime their memory.

Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2010641711

The Washington Monument, a tall white obelisk on the national mall

Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2010630765

Aerial view of the Lincoln memorial. White rectangular granite building with stairs leading up to it and columns around the sides.

Memorial Day, Vietnam Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2010630875

Close up photo of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC on Veterans day. There are soldier's boots, letters, photos, flowers, and other sentimental items placed in front of the memorial

Note: Teachers may also want to include memorials and monuments from their community or region.

Background/Context

[This can be read to class, assigned for the class to read ahead of time, or you can substitute another resource such as the FAQ from the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum.]

On the morning of September 11, 2001, a group of 19 men forcibly took control of four separate commercial jet airliners. The first two planes struck each of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers [office buildings with more than 100 floors each] in New York City and a third aircraft struck the Pentagon — the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense — in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth aircraft crashed into an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania after the passengers and crew, having learned about the earlier attacks via phone calls they were able to make to family and friends, attempted to take control of the aircraft away from the attackers. In all 2,996 people died in the attacks. It was later learned that the attackers were associated with an extremist group, al Qaeda, then based in Afghanistan. The response from the U.S. government led to an invasion of Afghanistan from which troops were only withdrawn in 2021. The attack was also used to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The attacks resulted in changes within the U.S as well, including new laws such as the 2001 Patriot Act, changes to airline security procedures, and even changes to the structure of the federal government with the creation of a new cabinet department, the Department of Homeland Security. The full effects of these attacks are still being felt today both in the U.S. and around the world.

[While you read the above background, you may want to display the images in the blog post below that show the lower Manhattan skyline before and after the attacks.]

The World Trade Centers in an Evolving Skyline | Picture This | blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/2016/09/the-world-trade-centers-in-an-evolving-skyline/

Four photos of the New York skyline in different years. Those from before 9/11/2001 show the twin towers. Those after show monuments to the attack

Activity

Have your students examine the images below in the Primary Sources section. This can be done digitally with the links provided below or the sources can be printed out for students to examine physically. Each source is a photograph of a memorial to the September 11 attacks. The memorials come from different locations across the U.S. and were built at different times. Some are informal handmade memorials put in place immediately after the attacks. Others were planned monuments built several years later. Students should examine these sources closely and then work together to sort them into those memorials that were placed at the site of the attacks (either at the World Trade Center Towers in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, or the field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania). Students should then divide the photos into those that were placed in the immediate aftermath of the attacks (2001-2002) and those that were constructed later (after 2002). Students can make use of the information that accompanies the images on the Library of Congress page to make these determinations about time and location.

This sorting can be done physically with printouts on four tables or desks or digitally with platforms such as Google slides or Padlet.

Once these have been sorted, prompt students to look for patterns by examining the photos closely. Provide the following questions for students to consider as they examine the images:

What if anything does the memorial communicate about the September 11 attacks?
What themes do they express or communicate?
Do they look similar to any other memorials you have seen? Which ones and in what way?
How do the memorials and commemorations differ by time and location?

These questions could form the basis of a whole class discussion or students could discuss them in groups of 3-5 and report out. If the course is online students could post their responses in a discussion board in their LMS.

Optional Short Essay Assignment for homework (1-2 paragraphs)

What purpose do you think memorials and commemorations serve? What’s their purpose? How might historians engage with the events of September 11? What sources would they use to understand the event and its impact?

Primary Sources

The 9/11 Memorial in Overland Park, Kansas, a Kansas City suburb, includes informational signs about the four aircraft destroyed, and their passengers killed, in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and in a hijacking over rural Pennsylvania by terrorists on September 11, 2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2021756265/

Four informational panels commemorating the passengers on each of the flights during 9/11. The stories are engraved on tall metallic sheets.

Memorial to the brave souls of Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001 after a terrorist attack. The plaque was donated by a private citizen named Hebert Erdmenger in 2002. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2011631500/

Memorial resembling a gravestone to honor the passengers on Flight 93. It is surrounded with flowers, small American flags and other items. The memorial appears to be near a wide open field and accompanies a larger museum.

Informal tributes posted at the first, temporary memorial site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to those who perished on United Flight 93, which crashed during an attempt by passengers to recapture the plane, which had been hijacked by terrorists on 9/11/01 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2011633153/

Handmade wooden angels painted with the American flag design. Each is labeled with the name of a passenger from flight 93 who did not survive. Some of the angels are accompanied with photos or sentimental items.

Steel beam and rubble from the Twin Towers, displayed at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2016631019/

A rusted section of steel beam sits on a display. The steel beam was recovered from the Twin Towers after they fell.

Citizen artwork at an informal memorial to the victims who died on United flight 93 when they attempted to overpower hijackers during the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2011634321/

South Bend, Indiana's, 9/11 Memorial, erected by South Bend fire department personnel in St. Patrick's Park | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2016631954/

A piece of steel from the World Trade Center, destroyed by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City. It is displayed as a memorial at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas| Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2014632438/

A piece of mangled and rusted steel from the World Trade center stands and a wall of granite encircles it. Upon entering the small space with the beam, from left to right the granite wall gets increasingly taller. Informational panels and memorial notes are placed at the entrance and along the wall.

Memorial gate, where people from all over the world have left momentos to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist hijacking of Flight 93. Shanksville, Pennsylvania| Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2011631553/

Chain link fence/gate that has been adorned with memorial material for Flight 93 and 9/11 generally. Small American flags line the top and larger flags are pinned up throughout alongside caps, firefighter jackets, clothing, photos, and other mementos.

Part of an informal memorial to the victims of United Flight 93, which crashed in a nearby field after passengers fought with hijackers who had taken the plane and directed it to Washington during the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2011633798/

A closer view of memorial gate in Shanksville that shows the firefighter jacket, a number of caps, several firefighter helmets, American flags, and more that have been placed on the fence.

Portland, Maine's, modest memorial to those lost in the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9/11/2001, at Fort Allen Park at the busy harbor on Casco Bay in Maine's largest city | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2017882500/

Black stone memorial resembling a large headstone that reads "If but one life be saved and one soul be comforted... all gave some some gave all and some still give. In honor and memory of all those who lost their lives in the rescue efforts of September, 11, 2001." The stone is painted to look like an American flag is draped over the top.

A rusted steel beam recovered from New York City's fallen World Trade Center that fell during infamous terrorist attacks in 2001 stands at this "9/11" memorial in Gila Bend, Arizona. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2018663482/

A rusted section of steel beam sits on a display. The steel beam was recovered from the Twin Towers after they fell.

Calatrava's Oculus, a 335-foot-long, spiky-skylighted transportation hub attached to the One World Trade Center memorial in downtown Manhattan (borough) in New York City. The structure, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, opened on the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center's "Twin Towers" on what has become known simply as "9/11" - September 11, 2001| Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2018699939/

Walls extend upwards and meet to make a pointed ceiling. Light filters through the skylights. The ceilings are very high and the whole building is white.

Interior view of the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum in downtown Manhattan (borough) in New York City, built on the site of the terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center's "Twin Towers" on what has become known simply as "9/11" - September 11, 2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2018699980/

View from inside the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum in New York City. Two rusted steel beams several stories tall stand by the window.

Tall column spanning the height of the building. The column contains written text and photographs from the top to the bottom

Memorial photograph wall of people killed at the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum in downtown Manhattan (borough) in New York City, built on the site of the terrorist attack that brought down the World Trade Center's "Twin Towers" on what has become known simply as "9/11" - September 11, 2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2018700059/

Seven rows of head shots on a wall in a room. The photographs continue far down the wall out of the frame

Angel memorial near the Shanksville, Pa., crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, which was highjacked in the September 11th terrorist attacks | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2002717287/

Ten angels erected on wooden posts in a field in Shanksville. Five angels in the back row and five in the front. The angels' dresses are made to look like the American flag.

Wreath memorial, Shanksville, Pa., decorated with photographs of the victims of United Airlines Flight 93, which was highjacked in the September 11th terrorist attacks | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2002717288/

Wreath containing photographs, American flags, flowers, and crosses held up by a stand close to the ground. Shanksville, PA written across the bottom

Sculptor Sassona Norton's 9/11 Memorial outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania The memorial honors those who died in the events of September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington, and an airliner flying over Pennsylvania The memorial is cast in bronze and features a set of hands that hold a 16-foot piece of twisted steel from the wreckage of the Trade Center| Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2019689991/

Sculpture of two hands holding another item

A "9/11" memorial at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the town of the same name, to those killed in three locations in terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2019691118/

Sculpture of two hands holding another item in a green field with brick buildings in the background

The 93-foot "Tower of Voices" at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/highsm/item/2019690759/

Grey obelisk in a field with trees

9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, Pentagon City, Virginia | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2010630812/

Grey and Green sculpture in Pentagon City

Memorial at the Pentagon - Poster | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/afc911000188/

Cardboard sign on a stone wall reading America we Need to Stand Together.

Memorial at the Pentagon-Marine Flag | Library of Congress | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/afc911000187/

Red flag with notes, flowers, and photographs resting on top. Flag reads United States Marine Corps

Memorial at the Pentagon - Flag 2 | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/afc911000189/

Sign of an American flag reading God Bless America covered in signatures

Memorial to Matthew Diaz, a victim of the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, New York, N.Y. | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2002717256/

Open Shoebox with text on the top containing the bible verse Mark 9:2 v 3

Memorial for the victims of the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, New York City; with candles, flowers, mementos, and photo of the twin towers | Library of Congress | www.loc.gov/item/2002717255/

Candles, stuffed animals, photographs, and flowers gathered together to memorialize 9-11 victims

General Tips for Teaching Controversial Subjects

Center activities on primary sources. Primary sources are tangible evidence that allow students to engage directly with history. These primary sources in particular were preserved and digitized by the Library of Congress because they were deemed important to the history of the United States.
Discussion and analysis of these sources can be wide ranging, but within each class those discussions can always be turned back to the source itself.
The sources are also, by definition, only pieces of a puzzle. They bring us closer to understanding the past but there is always room for doubt and uncertainty.
Questions, Observations, and Reflections should come from students. These are primarily student-directed learning activities. It is the instructor's role to create a space for inquiry and empower students to drive the inquiry.
It may help to remind students at the outset that it is normal for different individuals to come to different conclusions, even when we are looking at the same sources. Further, it would be strange if we all agreed completely on our interpretations. This can normalize the strong reactions that can come up and enables educators to discuss the goal of historical research, which is to hopefully go beyond the realm of individual perspective to access a fuller understanding of the past that takes multiple perspectives into account.
Teaching historical topics that involve violence and other trauma can be traumatic for some students as well. Providing students with previews of what content will be covered and space to process their emotions can be helpful. The following video series from the University of Minnesota contains further tips for teaching potentially traumatic topics: https://extension.umn.edu/trauma-and-healing/historical-trauma-and-cultural-healing.

Read more about 9/11 and Commemoration: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response

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Photo, Man and letters of support in St. Paul's Cathedral, 2011, NY State Museum

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In the words of the exhibit website, "The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery, Response details the history of the World Trade Center, the September 11 attacks, the rescue efforts, the evidence recovery operation at the Fresh Kills facility, and the public response to the September 11th events."

The website is divided into five sections—The World Trade Center, Rescue, Recovery, Response, and Voices.

The World Trade Center provides a brief overview of the design process, a construction and habitation chronology, statistics on the towers (did you know 17 babies were born at the WTC and that more than 3,500 people worked on the construction site?), a small amount of information on the response to the 1993 bombing, and photographs of several damaged artifacts removed from the WTC towers. The very mundane nature of these objects— for example, floor number signs and a fire extinguisher—may make them more emotionally distressing to students. Proceed with care, but recognize that the inclusion of these artifacts can provide powerful commentary on 9/11.

Rescue shares the story of the first 24 hours following the attacks. The primary focus is on the sacrifice of responders, including 343 NYC Fire Department employees. A timeline breaks the day down into small portions—in some cases minutes—with a an image and sentence describing events. Additional subsections introduce the Engine 6 Company, provide brief remembrances of the members of the company on duty at the time of the tragedy (two of whom survived), interactive schematics and images of the Engine 6 Pumper before and after damage, a description of why the WTC towers' engineering failed, and a selection of artifacts used by rescue workers. This section includes videos in which the two Engine 6 survivors discuss their experiences. These are very emotional, clearly depict pain, and also discuss the men and women that fell from the towers. As a result, educators should take care in their decisions to share these film clips.

Recovery details efforts to recover objects, the deceased, and criminal evidence from the remains of the towers after their transportation to the Fresh Kills site. Here, visitors can find information on and images of the cleanup of Ground Zero; a brief overview of the Fresh Kills site; a to-the-point listing of the sorting process complete with images; images of airplane pieces; photographic panoramas of Fresh Kills; images of items and signs used at the Fresh Kills site; and statistics concerning the site, personnel involved, and objects found. If visitors are concerned, they should be aware there are no images of human remains.

Response addresses the myriad ways in which people responded to the events. The section contains images of newspaper front pages and images of and short introductions to the Union Square scrolls and St. Paul's Chapel memorials, St. Paul's Chapel and Nino's restaurant as places of refuge for recovery workers, and the Fulton Street viewing platform from which the recovery efforts could be watched, as well as photographs of objects and messages of support from around the world.

The final section, Voices, contains lengthy audio interview clips with Patty Clark who worked on the 65th floor of the North Tower; Lee Ielpi who sought his firefighter son; and Jim and Marilyn Geiger, who offer a married couple's perspective on the situation from both within and outside the building. These interviews include individual coping strategies and descriptions of events.

While this is a strong addition to the web content concerning 9/11, it is important to note that it may be a very difficult site for many as it brings human stories of emotional pain to the forefront.

Artifacts and Objects

Film and Video

Oral History

Photographs

Quantitative Evidence

Contemporary US, 1968-Present

Ideas & Ideologies

International Relations

Military History

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In Remembrance: September 11, 2001

Date Published

Tue, 08/23/2011 - 20:00

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Photo, Staten Island Memorial, Aug. 5, 2007, yuan2003, Flickr

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Some students in class today may have clear memories of the events of September 11, 2001. Some may have vague memories. Others may have been born years after the attacks. The 10th anniversary of 9/11 presents an opportunity for educators to explore with students what it means to experience history. Were students alive during the attacks? Do they remember them? How do their parents remember the attacks? How did adults they know make sense of the events as they happened? How do people who were alive during the attacks interpret the past when its events are close and painful? How long does it take for historians to find a framework in which to fit events such as 9/11? People watching the World Trade Center towers collapse knew that 9/11 would appear in history books later—what has happened during students' lifetimes that they think was "history in the making?"

One way to teach 9/11 is to compare and contrast it with other past events that witnesses believed were history in the making. Lesson plans often feature the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the assassination of JFK as comparable to 9/11, but what about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? The assassination of Abraham Lincoln? The assassination of William McKinley? The Boston Massacre? The Springfield Race Riot of 1908?

How many people witnessed those events? How many of them witnessed them in person? How well were the witnesses prepared for the events? Did they know ahead of time what the effects might be? Did they share their eyewitness knowledge freely with others, or keep it secret? What did people write about these events immediately after they happened? Years after they happened? Does where something happens make a difference in how people react to it? Has technology made a difference?

Teachinghistory.org Resources

Regardless of how you choose to teach 9/11 and whether or not you contrast it with other historical events, approach the subject thoughtfully and with clear goals. To honor the anniversary and to help you as you learn about, teach, and remember the day and its effects, we've gathered together our 9/11 resources on one page: "In Remembrance: Teaching 9/11."

Teaching the Recent Past

Our spotlight doesn't include all of the many resources available online. More examples follow. Some were created in the immediate wake of 9/11 and some were created 10 years later, in the present day. You can use the older materials as they are, or use them as primary sources in their own right. They represent snapshots of writers, publications, and educators trying to make sense of a sudden, horrifying event.

If you are contrasting 9/11 with other traumatic events in U.S. history, you may want to compare these early reactions with early reactions to those events. How did schools, educators, and students react to violence in the past?

From 2001:

A New York Times lesson plan published on September 12, 2001, suggests ways educators can help students think about and process the attacks.
A Special Report from Rethinking Schools discusses teaching in the wake of the attacks.
America Responds, a PBS website, documents PBS stations' responses to 9/11, maintained throughout 2001; it includes nine lesson plans.
Scholastic catalogs its student and teacher resources published during 2001, on a subsite of its page created for the 1st anniversary of 9/11.

From 2011:

Recordings of presentations from September 11: Teaching Contemporary History, a two-day conference presented by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Pentagon Memorial Fund, and Flight 93 National Memorial, consider how understanding of 9/11 has changed.
Articles from the Organization of American Historians on teaching 9/11 draw on memories of 9/11 submitted to websites (follow the link and scroll down to the "Editor's Choice" selections).
A free curriculum guide from the 4 Action Initiative includes more than 130 lesson plans for K-12.
A call for teachers from the New York Times asks educators to contribute their strategies for teaching 9/11, and a later article pulls together NYT resources
Two simple timelines look at themes related to the attacks at Pearson's Online Learning Exchange
A free oral history lesson plan from Brown University's Choices program
EDSITEment's lesson plans on 9/11 and heroism

Additional Resources

Many websites and publications also offer primary sources, yet to be interpreted for educational use or packaged into lesson plans. If you have the time to search for and browse these materials, they can provide a rich base from which to assemble your own comparison of past and present. Here are some examples:

The New York Times' "Times Topics" page collects all NYT articles and photographs that mention 9/11. It archives original coverage of September 11 and NYT anniversary pages from 2002 to 2006, as well as short biographies memorializing the victims of the attack (see "Portraits of Grief").
Lectures and panels from Columbia University respond to and attempt to contextualize 9/11.
Columbia University also created a guide to key documents on presidential, administrative, congressional, and international responses to 9/11.
Archived television footage from ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, and NBC spans September 11–13.
Legacy.com's Remember: September 11 preserves biographies of the 9/11 victims, searchable by name, home city and state, and flight.
Sourcebooks from the National Security Archive gather up primary sources related to U.S. policies on terrorism, Afghanistan, biological warfare, anthrax attacks, the Taliban, and Osama Bin Laden.
More than 50 eyewitness interviews share memories on topics such as "Hijackers," "FBI," and "1993 WTC Bombing," courtesy of National Geographic.
The American Red Cross's Exploring Humanitarian Law curriculum, while not focused on 9/11, models strategies for teaching about difficult subjects and thorny emotional and ethical questions.

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Understanding 9/11: A Television News Archive

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Annotation

There are countless websites which catalog web activities related to the spread of information on 9/11. However, film is another way to approach research on the day. At what time did news of 9/11 break in China? Japan? Iraq? Russia? How did news coverage vary from one U.S. news station to another?

This archive contains television coverage arranged in visual timelines by day and channel. This format allows users to easily compare the information being aired at the same time by NBC, FOX, BBC World, and Japan's NHK—to name just a handful. Additionally, the timeline permits educators to find clips broadcast at specific times between 9/11 and the 17th of September.

The website also includes 10 talks given at a scholarly conference about the implications of film archives in historical research.

Note that foreign news channels have not been subtitled.

Contemporary US, 1968-Present

International Relations

Military History

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How Pearl Harbor, 9/11 Changed U.S. Forever

Description

CBS's The Early Show draws parallels between 9/11 and Pearl Harbor in this short video clip filmed for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, which uses interviews with two eyewitnesses.

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September 11, 2001, Documentary Project

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Drawing, The Crying Towers, 2001, Hannah Beach, Library of Congress

Annotation

The September 11, 2001, Documentary Project represents the "shortly after" reaction of U.S. citizens and others regarding the World Trade Center, Flight 93, and Pentagon attacks of the 11th of September 2001, as gathered by ethnographers at the request of the American Folklife Center. The collection of responses started the 12th of September and continued for several months.

Here, you can listen to and/or watch nearly 200 audio and visual oral histories, access 21 written narratives—such as that of one woman who missed her train the morning of the attack and, as a result, was not in the WTC as she normally would have been—and view 45 photographs and drawings, many of the latter of which display children's perspectives. The videos are all from Naples, Italy, providing a look at 9/11 from outside of the country.

Sources can be browsed by type, title, or subject, as well as keyword searched.

Classroom Connection offers a list of Library of Congress and external related resources, as well as a grade level, state, and subject search which can show you how the collection relates to your particular curriculum standards.

Contemporary US, 1968-Present

Ideas & Ideologies

International Relations

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Elizabeth Schaefer on the Impact of 9/11 in the Classroom

Date Published

Mon, 10/04/2010 - 20:00

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Photo, September 11 memorial, September 28, 2005, FatBusinessman, Flickr

Article Body

Early in the year, teachers scramble to put back on their 500 hats and begin the year on the right foot. For the past two years, I have used a September 11th interview project in my 8th-grade U.S. History class to meet many early-in-the-year needs. With a week of instruction and one project, I have been able to better understand the level and lives of the students, communicate with families early on, set the tone for thinking historically within my class, and most importantly, gotten the students engaged and excited about American history.

Project Design

The original idea began simply with concern that my 13- and 14-year-old students did not understand what actually happened on 9/11 or its relation to our presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. Simultaneously, I knew I needed to meet standards and could not linger too long on a timeframe outside of my content area. Based on this balance of social studies duties, I ended up using 9/11 as a lens to teach the beginning of the year’s "history tools and vocabulary" unit. The consequential project design ended up looking like this during the first full week of school (ideal for a pre-Labor Day start time):

Monday - Students are introduced to primary and secondary sources and basic vocabulary. They work in groups to perform a primary source analysis on four different pieces: New York Times Sept. 12 cover, a photograph of people crying, a photograph protesting the backlash against Muslims, and the transcripts from 911 conversations. I found the conversations through my local NPR website. The students record descriptions, inferences, and questions.

The original idea began simply with concern that my 13- and 14-year-old students did not understand what actually happened on 9/11...

Tuesday - The students take guided notes on what happened during the day of September 11th, a simplistic statement about "why,” and basic bullet-pointed effects. I include the people that died from a variety of countries and positions in life, the economy, changes in transportation, the related wars, and increased hate crimes against Muslims.

Wednesday - The interview project itself is introduced. Students brainstorm a possible person to interview about their September 11th experience. In class, the students create two sourcing questions (find out about your subject), four experience questions (find out about his or her experience) and two opinion questions (find out about his or her thoughts or life after). Questions are modeled to demonstrate open-ended and information-based questions.

Thursday - The students bring in a minimum of 10 questions which they should have developed for homework (including the eight from the day before) and the class conducts peer edits based on open-endedness and knowledge.

Friday - Check back in with all students to make sure they have an interview plan. Model how to ask an adult to interview and set them up to turn the project in successfully with a grading rubric. The grading rubric involves an outline including an introduction to the interview, a question/answer section, and finally a four-part conclusion including a connection they made with their subject, a surprise, an additional question, and finally a reflection on the experience.

Due Date - In my classes, the interview project has been due on or next to the anniversary of 9/11. The students take a mini-quiz on the topic and then the students each share-out about their interview. This has been a very special day both years that I have done this project.

Improvements

As this was my second year using this project, several major adjustments were made. First, I fully committed to the mini-unit and had no qualms about using a full week to make sure that it integrated practical history skills and provided time for clarity. My students have been very interested in this subject and have many questions. When you are approaching this, there needs to be an outlet and plenty of time for an excess of GOOD questions.

This year I mentally prepared to get political and stick to the historic facts.

Secondly, this year I mentally prepared to get political and stick to the historic facts. The knowledge students have on this subject largely comes from their families. They have surprised me with their in-depth knowledge of conspiracy theories as well as confusion about their parents' anti-Islamic statements. I recommend requesting a trusted person to observe you if this is a concern. I personally felt relieved after my mentor teacher viewed a session to ensure that I was teaching the students to be good, knowledgeable citizens of the world as well as inquisitive historians without veering off the facts.

Finally, I had come to accept that as a middle-school teacher I should be in the beginning of their education, not the end. Although the students and I both want to go deeper into the history and the causes of September 11th, I needed to give myself clear boundaries recognizing the pieces I could teach effectively in the time allowed.

Next year more changes will be needed. I plan to increase guidance on how to interview. In retrospect, a full model interview session would have been helpful. Although the student's questions improved year-to-year, I would also like to move my next group closer to thinking deeply about the unique perspective of their subject and formulating questions based on their location, job, or past. As of now, this is the only interview that my students conduct, but I am considering making it a gateway to a more advanced interview later in the year to make sure that the students are growing in inquiry skills instead of just information.

Results

Early in the year, the results of this one-week experience are powerful for the teacher. The excitement about history is tangible in the classroom and written in student reflections. The information gathered about families on the second week of school is invaluable in a way that a parent survey could never be. With a very structured project outline, the data gathered on student's writing, ability to reapply knowledge, and ability to follow directions is worth much more than the test averages from the year before.

The excitement about history is tangible in the classroom and written in student reflections.

As for the students, according to their quizzes, they no longer think that the Pentagon is in New York or that Iraq is directly responsible for 9/11. Their conclusions however tell of a much deeper impact:

"I can't believe something so big happened during my lifetime and I never really knew about it."

"I did not know that my mom knew stuff about history. I really liked talking to her about this. "

"My dad told me more about 9/11 than the questions but I didn't report it because it was too personal. He cried and that never happens."

For more information

Interested in teaching 9/11 yourself? Try the September 11 Digital Archive or September 11, 2001: Attack on America for primary sources.

Created for the Bracero Archive, "People as Primary Sources: Conducting Interviews" presents useful tips for conducting oral history interviews.

Read more about Elizabeth Schaefer on the Impact of 9/11 in the Classroom

New York City Police Museum [NY]

Description

The New York City Police Museum presents the cultural history, traditions, and policies of the New York City Police Department—the single largest police force in the world. Artifacts date back to early Dutch settlement. The site includes information relevant to September 11, 2001, as well as a memorial hall honoring officers who fell in the line of duty. Exhibit topics include police dress, transportation, communication equipment, portraits, weaponry, 9/11, and jails.

The site offers exhibits, films, and a child safety program designed for parents and guardians. Reservations are required for school groups.

Read more about New York City Police Museum [NY]

Fire Museum of York County [PA]

Description

Fire engines, sirens, and old-fashioned alarm systems all await visitors at the Fire Museum of York County. The museum holds collections and artifacts from more than 200 years of firefighting in York County, PA, including horse drawn fire carriages, fire carriages, vintage fire trucks, firefighter's uniforms, and photographs.

The site is only useful for prospective visitors, as it offers no information besides basic visitor information.

Read more about Fire Museum of York County [PA]

The U.S. House of Representatives Remembers September 11

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“Due to the Circumstances of Today”: The U.S. House of Representatives Remembers September 11, 2001 brings together a series of interviews conducted by the Office of the House Historian to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A project of the U.S. House of Representatives Oral History Program, it features the recollections of former Representatives, House officials and employees, and select eyewitnesses to the event.

The great strength of the website is its extensive collection of video and audio sources. Sources are divided into four sections that explore the events of September 11, American reaction and response, efforts to improve security and safety, and the lingering impact of the attacks. Such materials, extensive as they are, would make for an excellent set of sources for a research project.

The site also features a seven and a half minute long video narrative that draws on clips from oral history resources, as well as a dozen images and artifacts. Finally, the site offers a link to a series of historical highlights on the website of the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Each highlight is accompanied by a brief synopsis and a “teaching tip.”

Oral History

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