As the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, teachers are faced with the challenging tasks of discussing this painful tragedy and helping students to recognize its historical significance. The following discussion questions, learning activity and online resources are intended to help teachers address the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Discussion Questions

1. Where did the September 11 attacks take place? How is the two-year anniversary of the attacks being observed in your community and throughout the United States?

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2. Do you think it's important to recognize the anniversary of the attacks each year? Why or why not? If so, what are you doing to commemorate the event? Explain.

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3. Ask students: Where were you when the 9/11 attacks occurred? How did the attacks impact your life? Have your feelings about the attacks changed during the last two years? If so, how?

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4. How has the world changed as a result of the events of September 11? Ask students to recount the events of September 11 and trace the ways in which the United States and the international community have conducted the War on Terrorism.

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5. Do you think September 11 should be declared a national holiday? Why or why not?

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Learning Activity

Historical Significance

Where do the September 11 attacks fall in the range of important historical events? Have students create a list of the most key events, national and/or international, of the 20th and 21st centuries. Here are some suggestions: World War I, stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, Holocaust, Atomic Bomb, Korean War, discovery of DNA, invention of the personal computer, Brown vs. Board of Education, Vietnam War, John F. Kennedy assassination, Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination, man walks on the moon, Watergate, Persian Gulf War, breakup of Soviet Union, Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine shootings, and September 11, 2001. Then, have each student interview a cross-section of teens and adults to find out how they regard the September 11 attacks compared to these other key events. Instruct students to ask their interviewees the following questions:

1. What important historical events have taken place during your lifetime?

2. Why are these events historically significant?

3. Where were you when these events occurred?

4. How did these events affect your life and the lives of those around you?

Using the data from the interviews, students should chart these events in order, from the most historically significant to the least historically significant. Direct them to list the criteria they used to come up with their list. After students share their findings, ask: How do you think the September 11 attacks will affect different generations? Have students write short essays about how the September 11 attacks will affect their lives, their community and the lives of future generations.

Related Links

CNN.com Special: America Remembers (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/america.remembers/)

CNN Presents Classroom Edition - Educator Guide: America Remembers, Part I (http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/specials/cnnpce/america.remembers.part1/overview/)

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: A Day that Changed the World (http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/arbiter/pRedirect?project=hrwonline&siteId=1160&pageId=9053)

Families and Work Institute: 911 As History (http://www.familiesandwork.org/911ah/911ashistory.html)

This week's lesson plan: Try to make sense of 9/11 (http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0909/p13s02-lecl.html)