10 Great Resources for 9/11 Activities

In less than 2 weeks, we will commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of September 11, 2001.  Most of us remember the day, where we were when we heard, etc.  However, many of our students were not even born yet.  What lessons do we want them to learn from that event?  There are a number of angles that you can take to and a number of resources available.  Here are some great links:

1.  September 11^th gives us a wonderful opportunity to talk about religious tolerance. You can find a whole series of useful lessons at Teach Tolerance . 
2.  The  Social Science Docket from the NY/NJ State Councils for the Social Studies has DBQ’s, interdisciplinary lessons on US Response, National Memorial, popular music, terrorism, etc.
3.  Take a look at how events of 9/11 have affected American civil liberties using lessons from the Bill of Rights Institute
4.  Focus on the positive character traits of the rescuers and heroes of 9/11 with this lesson on civic values.
5.  You’ll find a series of graphic organizers that focus on the evolution of terrorism and the response to it from Choices.edu. 
6. A free great activity with kids gathering on oral history first hand can be found at Choices.
7. Look at our response to September 11 using this PowerPoint of Political Cartoons
8.  There are lots of resources at Teacher’s HUB  including video writing prompts, science connections, and a teacher’s discussion guide.
9. Get kids talking this free lesson from the SCAN library at TregoED:  Patriot Act:  Security or Freedom
10. Bring out the arts using this lesson from Teacher Planet focusing on poems and painting.

While our students will not get the same “kick in the gut” feeling that witnesses had that day it is important for them to understand the lessons that we can glean from such a horrific event.  Use this opportunity to teach them empathy, tolerance, and the importance of our rights and freedoms.