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September 11, 2001

September 11 is a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Consider commemorating the anniversary by encouraging students to participate in a community service project. Millions of Americans will be honoring those that were lost and those who responded to the tragedy by serving in projects to help others in their community.  Visit United We Serve to search for service opportunities by zip code and access toolkits to help you plan a community service project.  

Below are resources to help you plan for commemoration and instruction in your classroom. 

General Resources

September 11: Teaching Contemporary History
Timeline of September 11 and K-12 teaching resources from the National Museum of American History

In Rememberance-Teaching September 11
Teachinghistory.org provides descriptions and links to online resources for teaching, learning about, and remembering 9-11, including use of historical thinking skills to learn about the experiences of those who remember.

Newseum Front Pages Collection-September 12, 2001
Newspaper front pages from around the country and world.

 The September 11 Digital Archive  
"The September 11 Digital Archive uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath."

September 11 and Terrorism Fact Sheet 
Background about the 9-11 attack, Al-Qaeda, the death of Osama bin Ladin, and mainstream Islam's position on terrorism, from Tanenbaum: Combating Religious Prejudice.

America at War  
Overview, database, and multi-media presentations on September 11 and the U.S. response from the Washington Post

September 11, 2001 Resources 
New York Times website includes archive of recent and historic news articles, victim profiles, multimedia presentations, essays, and book suggestions.   

9/11 Remembered
In depth coverage from PBS including Frontline, NOVA, and Newshour.

9/11 Materials for Teachers
Websites and resources compiled by the U.S. Department of Education.

September 11, 2001: Attack on America  
Documents from Avalon Project at the Yale Law School. Search for individual documents or browse by days from September 11th forward.

Basic Background (from MCPS)  
Basic Background about Arab Culture, Islam, and the Middle East in Adobe Acrobat format, a basic two-page overview.

Elementary Level Resources 

Discovery Education: First Responders and the Importance of Helping Others Lesson
A lesson plan for K-2 students that focuses on the role of first responders and citizens in keeping the community safe.

Discovery Education: The Day that Changed America: Freedom and Patriotism
A lesson plan for grades 3-6 that guides students to consider the importance of freedom and rights throughout American history, including 9-11.

Smithsonian American Folk Life Center: 9-11 Through the Eyes of Children
Drawings from Third Grade Students after 9-11.

Teaching 9-11
Lessons from Dickinson College for Elementary grades.

Middle Eastern Religions and Islamic Resources

 The Institute on Religion and Civic Values
Teacher resources and lesson plans on Islam and other world religions.

 American Arab Discrimination Committee
Resources and links to answers on most anything related to Arab culture.

 Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Islam 
Section on Islam from ""Exploring Ancient World Cultures," provided by University of Evansville; introductory, on-line, college-level textbook of ancient world cultures.

 Introduction to Islam 
Provided by the Middle East Institute, this online version of M. Cherif Bassiouni's book offers an interesting and useful introduction to the history and culture of Islam for non-Muslim readers.

Islam: Empire of Faith 
Website to accompany the PBS TV series; good resources for K-12 educators.

 Islamic Studies 
By Dr. Alan Godlas, professor of Religion at the University of Georgia.; Web resources with selected articles on the recent events.

 Muslim Life in America 
A basic introduction to various aspects of Muslim-American life from the U.S. State Department

Teaching about Religion 
Teaching materials and thoughtful approaches to teaching about religion in public schools.

Lesson Plans

America Responds 
Lesson plans for each level and links to resources from PBS

Confronting September 11 
"Response to the Events of September 11, 2001"; Student readings and lesson ideas. All fall under the careful review of the Facing History and Ourselves organization

 Teaching 9-11-01 
Links to online lesson plans, organized by subject and grade level, on September 11 run by the Clarke Center of Dickinson College

 Life After 9/11
PBS Newshour Life After 9/11, resources for teachers and students 

Oral History and September 11
Secondary lesson plan from The Choices Program.  

Terrorism

Documents on Terrorism 
A database of documents pertaining to terrorism from the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School

Project Diana: Human Rights Cases 
A collection of judicial descisions on a variety of human rights cases from the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School

 Laws related to Terrorism 
A database of laws relating to terrorism in the United States from FindLaw

Terrorism Project 
Analysis and facts from the Center for Defense Information on the military, security, and foreign policy challenges of terrorism

Dealing with Tragedy with Students

Tips for Talking About Disasters 
Tips for teachers and children from the Center for Mental Health Services

 Talking with Kids About the News 
Special section dealing with Terrorism and the events of September 11

How to Talk to Kids About War and Terrorism
Tips for talking to kids about war and terrorism