Today is National Day of Service and Remembrance. And, while many adults can vividly recall the most minute details of that fateful day as if it was yesterday, most schoolchildren were not yet even born.
Teaching about 9-11 is made even more challenging for teachers, since the U.S. Department of Education is barred under federal law from having any sort of role in setting curricula. “By and large, the decision about how to address 9/11 is left up to individual teachers, some of whom struggle in determining how best to deal with such an important but also sensitive and complex topic,” explains author Lauren Camera in US News and World Report.
Resources for teaching about 9-11 do exist, however. Below are some of the best lesson plans and guides for teaching about 9-11 to students of all ages:
- Firemen? No Firefighters (
PDF, 525 KB, 3 pgs.) (Grades K-2) - A Fireboat and Its Heroic Adventures ( PDF, 120 KB, 3 pgs.) (Grades 3-5)
- Looking Back: What Happened Before September 11 ( PDF, 106 KB, 3 pgs.) (Grades 7-8)
- Musical Tributes ( PDF 2 pgs, 67 KB) (Grades 9-12)
- How To Teach The Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks To Young People (Nine lessons) (Grades 3-12)
- 9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide K-12 lessons and activities.
- How To Teach 9/11 To Students With No Memory Of It
- Teaching Sept. 11 To Students Who Were Born After The Attacks Happened
- Making 9/11 Relevant to Young Learners
- TeachingHistory.org, a range of 9/11 lessons for K-12 classrooms
- 9-11 Museum and Memorial, a range of 9/11 lessons for K-12 classrooms
Teachers and parents may also want to mark the day with a service project or volunteer effort. The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance was established as an annual and forward-looking tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who rose up in service in response to the attacks. On the anniversary of 9-11, Americans unite in service in the same remarkable way that so many came together directly following the attacks.
To find opportunities to serve during this year’s September 11th Day of Service and Remembrance, visit Volunteer Nationwide.
About Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, Inc.
Back to Basics Learning Dynamics offers over 125 unique educational services, the widest array of educational options in the tri-state area including: 1-on-1 tutoring in over 60 subjects, translating and interpreting in 21 languages, speech therapy, occupational therapy, behavior specialists, reading specialists, ELL teachers, homebound services, and psycho-educational testing. In addition, Back to Basics offers exceptional, 1-on-1 test prep for tests including the SAT, PSAT, SAT II, ACT, GRE, PRAXIS, GED, and HSEE. Back to Basics also offers summer school, original credit, and credit recovery, plus unique enrichment options and professional development. And, Back to Basics operates Nationwide’s only Department of Education-approved, 1-on-1 K-12 Private School in Wilmington, Nationwide.
