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Lesson Plan

9/11 Heroes: Surviving the Biggest Attack on U.S. Soil

Watch video at https://www.retroreport.org/education/video/9/11-heroes-surviving-the-biggest-attack-on-u.s.-soil/
About this Video
This 12-minute video and lesson plan explore the September 11 terrorist attacks, which occurred 20 years ago, before any of today’s K-12 students were born. How can we examine the events of that day and the aftermath as historians would? This activity asks students to examine primary sources, pose questions for investigation and gather additional narratives from this time period.
Lesson Plan: 9/11 Heroes Student Activity: 9/11 Heroes Collection: Teaching About 9/11
Objectives

Students will:

  • Examine the 9/11 attacks from multiple perspectives using a variety of primary sources.
  • Determine the advantages and disadvantages of relying on primary sources in conducting historical research.
  • Conduct an interview and create their own primary source material related to the 9/11 attacks.
Subjects
  • Social Studies
  • Civics & Government
  • U.S. History
For Teachers
Essential Questions
  • What are primary sources and how do they contribute to one’s understanding of historical events?
  • What can the experiences of first responders and others who witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attacks tell us about the event from an historical perspective?
  • How can primary source materials like narratives, video, audio, and artifacts contribute to our understanding of the 9/11 attacks and aftermath?
Additional Resources
Transcript for "9/11 Heroes: Surviving the Biggest Attack on U.S. Soil" Retro Report
Interviewing Techniques Critical Thinking Consortium
How to Help Students Develop Interviewing Skills Edutopia
Tips for Effective Interviews Storycorps
How to Conduct a Journalistic Interview Scholastic
Standards (Common Core State Standards)

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Standards (National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework)

Explain points of agreement and disagreement experts have about interpretations and applications of disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a compelling question.

Explain how supporting questions contribute to an inquiry and how, through engaging source work, new compelling and supporting questions emerge.

Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.

Detect possible limitations in various kinds of historical evidence and differing secondary interpretations.

Use questions generated about multiple historical sources to pursue further inquiry and investigate additional sources.

Integrate evidence from multiple relevant historical sources and interpretations into a reasoned argument about the past.

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Questions? Tips? Concerns? Reach out to our Director of Education, David Olson: [email protected]