National Day of Service & Remembrance (9/11)
On this 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Nation (and the world) remembers. We remember a nation in shock, we remember the people who ran towards the crash sites, we remember the brave souls on those planes who fought the terrorists, we remember that as a nation we came together. We as a nation showed our strength and compassion. We also as a nation volunteered in our communities, we served our neighbors, we engaged civically.
This is the foundation of our country, a country made up of brave communities who serve each other, who give back, who engage. That is who we are as Americans and today as you remember all the souls who were lost too soon during the 9/11 attacks remember them through service. The White House issued a proclamation for today and encouraged all of us to seek out service opportunities, we at the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement fully support this challenge. We hope that you will find a way to give back to your community, engage in your community, and honor all those that lost their lives on 9/11 and in the 20 years of war since that day.
Here are some amazing resources curated by the Nevada Department of Education to teach about September 11th and the events since that day. Use these resources in classrooms, for your own children, and even for yourself as you remember where you were when the world stopped turning for a few moments while we all watched the unthinkable happen.
9/11 – Patriot Day
On September 11, 2001, the United States was struck by a deadly terrorist attack which shook our core. Most students will be too young to remember the day of the attack, but its effects profoundly changed American society. Teachers could use resources from the 9-11 Museum to explain the attacks and their effects on the US to their students.
Patriot Day & National Day of Service and Remembrance. September 11: Patriot Day was designated by joint resolution of the U.S. Congress (PL 107-89) on Dec. 18, 2001, to honor those who perished in the events of September 11, 2001. By Public Law (111-13), adopted April 21, 2009, Congress has requested September 11 also be recognized as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.
General resources about the September 11, 2001 attacks
9/11 Tribute Center. A Teaching 9/11 Toolkit is available for educators.
The National History Education Clearinghouse. Typing "September 11" into this site's search bar will produce a list of resources, including a lesson on utilizing September 11 as a lens to introduce students to the study of history.
September 11: Teaching Contemporary History. Recordings from an online conference regarding available resources and strategies for teaching; hosted by the National Museum of American History, National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Pentagon Memorial Fund and Flight 93 National Memorial.
The September 11 Digital Archive. A resource of digital primary sources and a guide to other September 11 websites.
Teaching About September 11 Using Primary Sources from Library of Congress. A collection of primary source materials and teaching ideas for consideration.
The 9/11 Anniversary in Your Classroom from PBS NewsHour Extra
Teaching About 9/11 from the National Education Association.
How to Teach 9/11 to Students With No Memory of It from U.S. News & World Report
Did you know there is a 9/11 Wisconsin Memorial? It is in Kewaskum, WI, and they have a section of their website for lesson plants and field trip activities. They will be having an in person memorial on September 11, 2021 at 10am.
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial has Teacher Resources for teaching about the events of September 11, 2001. They also have a portal of education materials searchable by keyword, grade level, subject, and resource type, covering all three regions affected by the terrorist attacks (the Pentagon, New York City, and Pennsylvania).
The Library of Congress has an amazing collection of primary source documents entitled "September 11, 2001, Documentary Project". This includes audio file interviews, poetry left at the memorial, student art, and written narratives.
C-SPAN Classroom has clips of the events of September 11, 2001 in real time.
9/11 Memories offers the opportunity to read accounts of the terrorist attacks, and encourages students to utilize digital literacy skills as they learn more about the events. It is housed by and funded through the Media Education Lab of the University of Rhode Island.
Kasey Short, writing for MiddleWeb, outlines resources for educators about 9/11, including potential trade books.
Although the article is from 2016, I found it an interesting piece in terms of teaching the events of 9/11 to students who weren't born when it happened. This is from US News and World Report. nprED has a similar article from 2017. Facing History and Ourselves has an article entitled "The Challenges and Opportunities of Teaching 9/11" from 2014.
The September 11 Digital Archive: Saving the Histories of September 11, 2001 is the work of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and the American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning. They have collected, curated, and present the history of the terrorist attacks with almost 150,000 digital items, including emails and first-hand stories.
The educational exhibition recounts the events of September 11, 2001, through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks. Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection. As you prepare your exhibition, here are some Library of Congress resources to supplement the poster display:
Primary Source Learning: September 11, 2001 (Resources from TPS-Barat updated 2/1/21)
September 11, 2001 Web Archive (this collection preserves the web expressions of individuals, groups, the press and institutions in the United States and from around the world in the aftermath of the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001)
Teaching About September 11 Using Primary Sources from Library of Congress (Teaching with the Library of Congress Blog post from)
Today in History - September 11 (this entry is an exception to the Library of Congress policy that “ordinarily presents events that happened at least twenty-five years in the past.” See also “Learn More” section for additional resources)
TPS Teachers Network 9/11 Tag Details (26 items with connection to September 11)
Witness and Response: September 11 Acquisitions at the Library of Congress (online exhibition with powerful eyewitness accounts and commentaries)
Education resources specific to the 20th anniversary of the attacks:
· The 9/11 Memorial and Museum offers "20 Years Later", a retrospective of the attacks.
o This year's Anniversary in the Schools webinar will take place online on Friday, September 10, 2021. The program will be on demand, and the live chat is available from 9am to 3pm EDT on September 10 and 11, 2021. The program is free, but you do need to register. Student questions can be posed in the live chat and will be answered by 9/11 Memorial Education staff (note they cannot guarantee that all questions will be answered due to the potential volume of participants). The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Anniversary in the Schools also has pre- and post-viewing guides for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
o The official commemoration will take place on September 11, 2021, starting at 8:30am EDT (7:30 am CDT). They will read the names of every victim of the attacks, and have six moments of silence to acknowledge when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell, and the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93.
· PBS NewsHour Extra presents "The 9/11 Anniversary in the Classroom", which includes a one-page background text for middle and high school students along with curated resources including articles, videos, lesson plans, slideshows, and timelines.
· The National Geographic Channel will be hosting a seven-hour documentary series through first-person narratives (note, this is not free, you do need access to Nat Geo Channel through your cable provider).
· "Generation 9/11" outlines stories of children whose parents died in the terrorist attacks (PBS).
· The FBI has a webpage devoted to how the 9/11 attacks shaped today's FBI.
· PBS Frontline presents "America After 9/11", airing September 7, 2021.
· The History Channel will present four shows on September 10 and 11, 2021 - "9/11: The Legacy", "Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center", "9/11: Four Flights", and "9/11: I Was There". Note that this is not free, you do need access to The History Channel through your cable provider.
· AmeriCorps has a really interesting page about 9/11 Day, which encourages a day of service in memory of the attacks of September 11, 2001. More information can be found at 9/11day.org.
· The National Park Service is offering virtual learning sessions for teachers through the Flight 93 National Memorial
o Virtual Learning Session for High School Teachers is Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 7pm EDT (6pm CDT)
o Virtual Learning Session for Middle School Teachers is Wednesday, September 8, 2021 at 7pm EDT (6pm CDT)
