Dr. David Childs, Ph.D.
Northern Kentucky University
What happened on that day?
On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 the al-Qaeda terrorist network successfully executed attacks against the United States using four commercial airplanes. The airplanes were used as missiles to commit suicide bombings on several key buildings in the US. The most damage was done in New York as they completely destroyed the twin towers at the World Trade center. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, and caused at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. The death toll increased even after the initial attacks, as additional people died of cancer and respiratory diseases related to the debris from the destroyed buildings in the months and years following the attacks.
Where were you during 911?
For some, they were wrapping up the third period of seventh grade science class. Others were starting out their morning working at the office when they received “the call.” Still others were starting a routine day on their college campus. But for others, they have no recollection of the events, because they were not even born yet.
Lived Experience or Recent History
These events are for some people a lived experience in recent history and for others a historical event that they read about in history textbooks or learn of the events on an online resource. Many people across the US did not live through the events we know today as 911. Lauren Camera has written an article to this effect in USA Today entitled How to Teach 9/11 to Students With No Memory of It. Because we are in a time period where there are more and more people that do not have a vivid memory or lived experience of that time period, there will be more and more people who honestly do not know what happened unless they are taught information about 911. One of the important aspects of the field of history is that it reminds society of significant past events (Good and bad), events that had such an impact on people’s lives at the time that it would be a travesty for people to forget. September 11 is one of those events in history, that as long as the world exists, we should always remember.
Conclusion
For many, it is obvious why we should remember and continue to make it a part of the collective memory of the United States (Much like the American Civil War or World War II). But a number of today’s young people may sincerely not understand why it is so important. That is why a good social studies education is so essential today, indeed the job of the classroom teacher is evermore critical. In many cases, the first time students will hear about September 11 is from their social studies teacher. Below I have provided lesson plans and resources that teachers can use to teach students about 911 and even get the conversation started.
Lesson Plans and Teacher Resources
Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans- 911 Memorial Museum
Middle School Lesson Plans- 911 Museum
9/11 Lesson Plans- National Education Association (NEA)
9/11 Lesson Plans- Scholastic
9/11 Classroom Activities- Newsweek
9/11 Lesson Plans- Teacher Planet
9/11 Lessons- Education World
9/11 Lessons- Tomorrow Together
9/11 Lesson- Teach Hub.com
9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide- Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
Footage/News Clips
Remembering 9/11: Watch Today Show’s live broadcast of Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001
9/11 FOIA Videos: Street-Level Footage, Aerial Shots (Viewer Warning)
Second Plane Hits South Tower
Remembering 9/11 | Archive Footage We Will Never Forget
Articles
Photos: Remembering those lost on 9/11
The Names on the Memorial
How to Teach 9/11 to Students With No Memory of It
The 9/11 Anniversary in the Classroom- PBS News Hour
While America Slept: The True Story of 9/11
References
September 11 Attacks- The History Channel
September 11 Attacks- Encyclopedia Britannica
History of the 9/11 Attacks
Discussion Questions
1. Where were you on September 11, 2001 when the terrorist attacks occurred?
2. Why do you think important events are often so quickly forgotten?
3. View some of the resources provided above (Articles, footage, news reports, images). What thoughts and emotions come to mind as you examine the material?
4. What are creative ways teachers might begin discussion about 911? For those currently teaching in the classroom, what are lessons or activities you have tried that have been effective in teaching about September 11?
I do not remember 9/11 happening since I was just 1 years old. My mom told me I was getting speech therapy and my therapist had a daughter on a flight to New York. They were all so terrified and kept their eyes glued on the news. I think that learning about this horrific day is so important to our US history. It should forever be taught in schools. I vividly remember talking about it in 4th-6th grade and watching videos on it. It gave me a deeper understanding of it and why we must remember those who fought so bravely for us that day. This day is one that should always be talked about in schools across the country.
On September 11, 2001 i was only one years old so i have no recollection of what actually happened that day I’ve only heard stories. So i did what most did when they weren’t old enough to remember what happened, i asked my mom. She told me that we had just moved to Kentucky and we were at my grandparents house, she said she had just come from the bathroom and when she walked into the living room the tv had the first tower on fire and she thought they were watching a tv show so she asked what they were watching but then my grandpa told her that it was real time live tv and very shortly after the second plane hit. She said all the could do is sit there in shock of what was going on, her initial reaction she said was like most “what the fuck”. Though i don’t remember that day i was taught growing up in school how that day altered so many lives and mind sets, along many federal laws. Back in January 2017 i had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 memorial and museum, it was a very eye opening experience, seeing the walls and walls filled of pictures of those who lost their lives that day. Reading the stories of those who were in close proximity of the towers when they went down. In the museum there is a wall of the different shades of the sky that people saw that day with a quote from a famous roman poet Virgil “No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time”. Though there are so many different shades, the day was the same and the devastation from this tragedy will never go away for those who survived and have to live with that day imprinted in their memory. After this day many things changed within our nation as a whole for example, laws were made,new security precautions in airports, evacuation routes for office building’s, etc. It was a very tragic day in US history and even for those who weren’t effected directly or even born yet are affected by this day and it probably wont change.
I do not recall where I was on September 11th, 2001. However, growing up around people who do remember, I’ve been able to collect many stories about that day and how impactful it was for others. One thing that really amazes me, is that in today’s world, we have an older generation that remember the day very vividly, and younger children who were not yet born, that just think of it as a distant point in history. After 9/11, many changes were put in place, safety wise, to prevent something like this ever happening again. For the older generation, this was shocking to see. Although the changes were for the best of the country, they were still something new that people had to get used to. Nowadays, children that are growing up, see these things as normal because they don’t know how it was before that day. I think it would be interesting for students to do some research about security in our country before and after the attacks and compare and contrast the two. This could be a very enlightening conversation about the importance of our safety on a national level, and we could even have discussion about the importance of safety on a local level.
On September 11th 2001, I was in the safe surroundings of my preschool classroom. The daycare I attended had basic cable and we could only watch local news channels. A message came across the walkie talkies that the teachers had that it was urgent that the tv be turned on. To everyones surprise we were watching the making of what is now known as a US tragedy that would forever change the Course of how America would work. I do not remember watching it on tv because I was only 4 years old. The only memory I have of that day is my mom running downstairs (she worked there) with tears in her eyes to grab me and my best friend and just hug us and not let go. As I grew older and learned about that day each year it became very clear just how important that day was to not only those effected in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania but all of us as Americans. When I was a Senior in high school I had the opportunity to visit New York City on a class trip. The one thing that I wanted to do while we were there was to visit the site of ground zero and the memorials that are now they’re in place making sure that we remember what that day was about. If you’re not familiar with the memorials that are there, they are two big “pools” that have a ledge lined around with all the names of the people whom died on that day. The very first name I read on that ledge was a woman named Angela and next to her name in parenthesis were the words “and her unborn child”. I did not know this woman nor would I ever know who she was but when I say a whole new level of sadness came over my body in that moment, it was something I wish to never experience again.
I feel that as an educator it is important to teach about this day because not only is it history but it something that happened while most teachers now a days were alive for. It is also one of the first events that had happened within the United States Borders in a very long time. To teach this lesson for all grades I would begin the lesson by playing the national anthem and showing a slide show of all things patriotic, ending the slide show with a picture of what was the Twin Towers, asking the students about the picture. I would then switch to a picture of New York with no Twin Towers and ask them what they notice is different. As I teach the lesson I know personally I would have to try my best not to cry because although I do not really remember that day, I know the panic it brought and seeing that memorial is something that will stick with me for life. I want modern day students to understand that though it happened before they were born, it was very real and something that changed the way we live our lives dramatically.
Eighteen years ago on 9/11 I was at Blizzard Beach, a water park at Disney World with my mom, dad, and grandparents. I was almost three, so I do not remember the experience, but am now aware of the panic that spread across the United States. My mom has told me the events of 9/11 and what took place that day at Disney World. The day of 9/11 was one of the very few days Disney World parks have closed ENTIRELY. There was a panicked suspicion that Disney World, along with other majorly-populated locations across the United States, would be targeted next. People were evacuating the water park, wet and scared. Employees were handing out return tickets to access the waterpark on another day for free, which has also rarely been done. Everyone headed back to their hotels, or home, if they could, to watch the news and call their loved ones. As we sped back to the hotel, a line of hotel doors were propped open, with the sound of the same news station turned up as loud as possible. All parks closed, but all dining-related activities were not. It just so happened the dining reservation we had scheduled that night was called “Mickey’s Backyard BBQ,” which was entirely American-themed. There was singing, dancing, and food, which was USA-themed with red white and blue everything. The kids just wanted to see Mickey and Minnie while the adults saw the eerie connection to the tragedy that took place. We were supposed to fly home to Kentucky in just two days, which was terrifying. My mother told me that the entire plan ride was silent. Since I was little, I do not have a memory of this day, but from the stories I have heard, I cannot imagine the panic that spread across every American in the United States. Was this a declaration of war? Will other landmarks be targeted? What does this mean? Is my family safe? It is an eerie feeling being alive on such a heartbreaking day, and an even crazier thought that the next generation will not have experienced this day personally. It is important that this day is not forgotten and is taught in every classroom in the United States.
When September 11 happened, I was only a baby not even two years of age. So I have absolutely no memory of it happening. However I do remember learning about it for the first time. I was in the fourth grade, and I remember discussing it in class but not really understanding it. So that night I went home and watched one of the many documentaries on it. I remember feeling confused on why someone would do something like that. That same night I talked to my parents and they shared their story of where they were and how it affected them. This event in history is something we need to continue to educate children with, although it is such a scary topic to talk about. This event changed life in the United States and that is important for young people to understand.
September 11th, 18 years ago I was in the third grade. I remember that we were sitting in class and the teachers started to talk to one another. I remember them wheeling in the tv’s, turning off the lights, and putting on the news that covered that tragic day. Everyone was quiet teachers were crying, I was 8 so I don’t think I fully understood what was happening, just that I knew I should be sad by the reactions my teachers were having. I think what I remember most though was the next year. My mom and I had traveled to New Mexico and we were sitting in our hotel room, the tv was on and what was playing was a memorial to September 11th the previous year. My mom was crying, I had never seen her cry before let alone seen her sob, I started crying as well and I think that’s when I had a better sense of how tragic that day really was.
It is crazy for me to think that there are people who don’t remember that day, or that there were people who weren’t even alive when it happened. I hope that they know how we as a country came together, despite what political they identified with, and we mourned the loss of all those people. I hope that one day when I teach my future students about September 11th that I give that day, and the people we remember, its justice because it is an extremely important part of our country’s history.
Although I was born during the 9/11 attacks, I was only three years old at the time. So, I don’t remember this day very vividly, at all. I know I was at my babysitters house, and they watched the events unfold like every other American across the country. Time stood still. Since, 9/11 effected all Americans it should be nationally recognized by all school systems. This event needs to be taught to students, so they understand what being “united” truly means. After these attacks, America truly was one nation, standing together to defend our country.
I thought a lot about this topic especially since yesterday was 9/11. I was actually in the schools as well so I got to see first hand how students in the schools are not getting the information about this event like they should. Some classrooms showed videos and some classrooms barely covered the topic. This is shocking to me because when I thought that students were getting the full information about the events that occurred on that day. But that is not the case. As future teachers we need to make sure that our youth do know the effects of these events as well as what happened to our world after. Teaching our students this content can help them understand how our world has become the way it is today.
I was just a baby when 9/11 happened so I can’t say that I do remember that day. However, I remember what my mom has told me about that day and how everyone at my daycare had every tv on, watching what was happening. I guess I never really thought about what people who weren’t even born for 9/11 will think about it. I think that ever since I can remember, it has been a big deal so I don’t know any different. We need to keep educating our kids on what happened that day because it is something that should never be forgotten.
“What Happened on September 11? I Honestly Don’t Know.”This article grabbed my attention because of the tragedy that happened on September 11, 2019. I was aware of the 2,996 people that died that day, but I was unaware of the many that died months and years after it due to the debris. When it happened, I was probably getting ready for PM Kindergarten, but I do not fully remember. Obviously when I have a classroom, my students would not have been alive during 9/11, but since it is a large piece of unfortunate history, they will learn about it. The lesson I would use to help them understand the significance and emotions behind it would be, “A Lens Into 9/11”. Using photography is a great way to introduce such a heavy topic to elementary students. We could have a class discussion on a photo of an audience watching the buildings burn, talking about their facial expressions and asking what the students think they are feeling, what would they be feeling like if they were in this picture? This lesson covers a wide range of standards and would be more engaging for students than simply just talking about 9/11.