Classroom Activities for Remembering 9-11

Children who were just beginning elementary school on September 11 are just beginning their senior year in high school this year or their first year of  college.

The majority of students must learn about the events of 9-11 from resources instead of experiential memory. Primary resources are extremely necessary when addressing and teaching about 9-11.

Here are a few ideas that may help:

Lesson Coordination across age groups may include:

Grades K-5: Lessons on:
heroes, especially Americans in emergency rescue careers.
remembering an event without celebrating it.
read stories to children of helping others, helping each other

Grades 6-8 Lessons On:
the importance of first-responders, characteristics of bravery, vocabulary words such as valor, public service, emergency response, pilots. Discuss the importance and history of the American flag, the significance of the act throughout history and  today, read/showcase biographies of heroes of the day. Discuss the role of the hero and the characteristics of heroes. Take a virtual field trip to the 9-11 memorial and discuss the reasons why a new structure has not been built in the same area. Students can design and display their own commemorative symbol.

Grades 9-12 Lessons On:
Create a newspaper that includes news reports by students about the day and  interviews or video clips with local officials and rescue workers. Discussions can include the  children born post-9/11 who lost fathers in the attacks, mourning and grieving,  patriotism and how it has changed since 9/11 and who were the terrorists. Relate the characteristics of heroes to events in students’ lives. Invite a firefighter, medic, EMT worker, police officer, relief worker to speak in your class. Discuss volunteers and volunteer organizations in your area. Invite students  to volunteer for something in their community related to 9/11. Students can design and display their own commemorative symbol. Read letters from officials, victim’s families and  service workers about the events of 9/11. Have each student list five ways to  keep America safe from terrorism. Create a word cloud to represent 9-11. View the documentary “Footnotes to 9-11” by CNN

Source of this word cloud (available for download)
 Read more:
Remembering 9-11 from PBS Newshour
Classroom Activities for Remembering 9/11 | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7611562_classroom-activities-remembering-911.html#ixzz264MFLbtz
Remember September 11 Activities and Resources from Education World
Remembering 9-11 from Scholastic (although written to commemorate the tenth year after the attacks, the ideas and activities are transferable for this year)
The Pentagon Memorial Fund, founded by relatives of 9/11 victims, has a lesson plan page.
The Smithsonian National History Museum has a resource page for teachers.