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Education World offers five lessons to help teachers commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States. These lessons will keep alive the spirit of patriotism and tolerance stimulated by the events of 9/11. Included: Students make a huge flag mural for your school or a proverb book for your classroom library, write letters to fire fighters in their community, read aloud books that model tolerance, raise money for Afghan children, more!

It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed -- it seems like yesterday -- since we heard those first unbelievable reports that a plane, then another plane, had crashed into the buildings of the World Trade Center. For a generation of students who were not around when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated or when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the events that day -- in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania -- are pivotal. Their impact will never be forgotten.

The anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world. To help you honor the anniversary, Education World presents five new lesson plans. These lessons are not focused on the events or the controversy of September 11; instead, they stress the opportunity this anniversary affords to renew the lessons learned that day about patriotism and tolerance.

FIVE LESSONS

Click each of the five lesson headlines below for a complete teaching resource.

Hang a Flag Mural
What better way to greet visitors to your school (or to your Town Hall) than with a student-created flag mural? Four mural ideas included.

Write Letters to Commemorate 9/11
Students commemorate 9/11 by writing letters to fire, police, or emergency medical personnel in local communities or to the service men and women who fight terrorism overseas.

Proverbs of One World
Students create a book or bulletin board of proverbs that offer lessons connected to themes of freedom, tolerance, patriotism, diversity, and respect.

Use Literature to Teach Tolerance
Commemorate 9/11 by reading aloud children's books that focus on the theme of tolerance. (Book list included.)

My Name Is Osama
A short story about a young Iraqi boy opens up classroom discussion about the difficulties some immigrant children face, especially in the days after September 11. Student work sheet included.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World® Editor in Chief
Copyright © 2008 Education World