Visiting the 9/11 MemorialPre-Visit Materials for the Classroom

An aerial view of the 9/11 Memorial. (Rendering by Squared Design Lab)

PRE-VISITMATERIALS

Thank you for booking your field trip to the 9/11 Memorial. You and your students will be visiting a place that is at once a tribute to the past and a place of remembrance and hope for the future.

Although the World Trade Center (WTC) complex is well on its way to being rebuilt, for many this is still an intense, emotional place to visit. You might see people crying; you might see people that are upset. Please be respectful. Many of the visitors were personally affected by that day, so it’s important that you respect them and the Memorial itself.

It is important to remember, though, that your class is also visiting a location where many compassionate and heroic deeds occurred. Heroes were everywhere on 9/11 and in the days afterwards. The shock and the sadness also brought people – here in New York and around the world – together in a way that felt special. We are also remembering those heroes and those times.

Because of the nature of the WTC site, we have included tools to help you prepare for your trip. These materials are meant to provide a basic overview of the 9/11 attacks. For more comprehensive information and further activities, please visit the education section on our website: www.911memorial.org/teach-learn.

9/11 FAQ provides basic information about the WTC and the Twin Towers, the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath, the perpetrators and broader context of Islamist extremism, and the rebuilding of the WTC site.

Talking to your Students about 9/11 offers broad guidelines to help you discuss 9/11 in a productive and safe way with your class.

In addition, see below for standards-based Foundational Activities to explore in advance of your visit. These were written broadly to be easily adapted for grades 3-12 and each is aligned to the Common Core Curriculum Standards. While these lessons have been written to build on one another, they can each act as stand-alone activities. We have also included select images to help you in your conversations.

We have also included a series of age-appropriate Investigation Questions for your classroom. For talking about 9/11 with younger children, see the 9/11 Fact Sheet for Early Childhood Students in the Teaching Guides section of our website.

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Common Core Standards

Key Questions/Issues Addressed

SL 1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and

collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their

own clearly and persuasively.

WHST 7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused

questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

What were the Twin Towers?

What was the World Trade Center?

What happened on 9/11?

What happened in the aftermath of the attacks?

Students will become familiar with the World Trade Center and Twin Towers before

9/11.

Students will understand what happened on 9/11 and during its aftermath.

World Trade Center

Twin Towers

9/11

Islamist Extremist

Chart paper or Whiteboard

Attached images of the Twin Towers

This lesson serves as an introduction to the attacks. Background for teachers can

be found in the 9/11 FAQ. For younger students, see the 9/11 Fact Sheet For Early

Childhood Students in the Teaching Guide section of our website.

Lesson Goals/Objectives

Key Terms

Materials

Background for lesson

Foundational Activity

1. As an introduction, write “9/11” on the board and create a large chart underneath

with three columns: Things you know, Things you think you know, and Things you

wonder about. Let students know that there are no wrong responses; this is a time to

freely share their thoughts and questions.

2. Populate the chart with student responses. Are there any conflicting statements?

Are there common questions? Facilitate a discussion amongst your students around

these inconsistencies, having them share their opinions and supporting evidence.

3. Take this time to share a basic outline of what happened on 9/11, describing the

World Trade Center and Twin Towers, and the attacks and their aftermath (see 9/11

FAQ for basic information). Relevant images are included with these materials.

4. Following this overview, ask your students if they have any remaining questions. If

so, take time to address and answer as best you can. It’s all right if you don’t know the

answer to every question. If you don’t know an answer, model yourself as a learner and

explore the issue with your students together.

Students understanding will be highlighted during discussions and their writing

activity.

Read The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón for a

visual interpretation of the 9/11 Commission Report.

LESSON TITLE: INTRODUCING9/11

Instructional Activity/Procedures

Extension Activities

Evidence of Understanding

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Common Core Standards

Key Questions/Issues Addressed

RH 7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including

visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

SL 1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and

collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their

own clearly and persuasively.

W 2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and

information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and

analysis of content.

How is the World Trade Center site being rebuilt?

What is the 9/11 Memorial?

Why do we create memorials? What is their purpose? How does that purpose inform

their design?

Students will recognize the 9/11 Memorial design, its elements and symbolism.

Students will examine and explore the function and role of memorials.

Memorial

Memorialization

Parapet

Depending on the nature of the activity:

Paper and markers, crayons, pens

Cardboard, markers, tape

This lesson serves as an introduction to the 9/11 Memorial. Further information can be

found on our website: www.911memorial.org/memorial. In addition, for information on

the 1993 bombing, see www.911memorial.org/world-trade-center-bombing-1993.

9/11 Memorial Mission

Remember and honor the thousands of innocent men, women, and children murdered

by terrorists in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001.

Respect this place made sacred through tragic loss.

Lesson Goals/Objectives

Key Terms

Materials

Background for lesson

Foundational Activity

Recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their

lives to save others, and the compassion of all who supported us in our darkest hours.

May the lives remembered, the deeds recognized, and the spirit reawakened be eternal

beacons, which reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom,

and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.

1. Tell students that they are going to be visiting a Memorial to remember these

attacks and honor those that were killed. The Memorial is located at the site of the

attacks, making it a very special and sacred place.

2. Ask students to discuss why communities create memorials. Who do we make them

for? What is their function?

3. Show students photographs of the Memorial (see attached images in the appendix).

Ask what they notice.

4. Tell students that many elements have meaning and were included for a reason.

Work together as a class to figure out why each element was included:

Trees: Grown in nurseries around the three crash sites (New York, Arlington, VA, and

Shanksville, PA), the trees provide a sense of rebirth and calm in the midst of the city.

Pools: The Memorial pools mark the footprints of the towers. This is where each

tower used to stand. Waterfalls – the largest manmade waterfalls in North America

– cascade down their sides into a reflecting pool, finally disappearing into a center

void. Now, instead of looking up at the towers, we look down at what is left behind.

Names: Each pool is surrounded by bronze parapets (edges) inscribed with the

names of the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 attacks. The

names are grouped according to “meaningful adjacencies” that highlight the victim’s

connections and relationships in life. For example, Cantor Fitzgerald employees are

grouped together, while co-workers with close relationships are listed side-by-side.

The names are cut into the parapets, allowing visitors to make paper impressions or

rubbings of the individual names, similar to the Vietnam Memorial.

5. Ask students what they think of the memorial design. Do they like it? Does it

successfully convey the Memorial’s mission (see below)? Why or why not? Would they

have made different choices? If so, what different choices would they have made?

6.Activity Create their own memorial to 9/11. What elements and symbols would they

incorporate? Why? Create a class exhibition displaying the different designs, having

each student describe their work and its intent.

Students’ memorials and justifications will offer understanding of memorials, their

functions, and the choices inherent in their design.

See the Memorialization lessons in the Teaching Guide section of our website.

LESSON TITLE: INTRODUCING THE 9/11 MEMORIAL

InstructionalActivity/Procedures

ExtensionActivities

EvidenceofUnderstanding

Backgroundforlesson (cont’d)

INVESTIGATION QUESTIONS

Elementary School

Symbols are images or objects that represent something else. For example, a can

represent a heart or love. Can you think of other symbols? What do they stand for?

Some of the elements in the 9/11 Memorial serve as symbols that make us feel a certain

way and also help tell the story of what happened on 9/11. What symbols can you find

in the 9/11 Memorial? What do they symbolize? Why do you think they were included?

The Twin Towers were important buildings where many people worked and visited

every day. Many people saw them as symbols of American strength and power. What

makes a building important? Can you think of important buildings in your community?

What are they used for? Why do you think they’re important? Compare those buildings

to the Twin Towers. How are they the same? How are they different? Can a building be

big and unimportant? Why or why not?

Middle School

Some memorials are created spontaneously in the immediate aftermath of an event

with little eye towards their posterity. Others, like the 9/11 Memorial, are intended to

be permanent. What are examples of temporary memorials? Does the function of a

temporary memorial differ from that of a permanent one? Can one turn into the other?

What other memorials have you visited? What are they commemorating? An event? A

person? A war? What are similarities and differences between the memorials you have

seen? Do any stand out as especially powerful? Why?

There were lots of conversations in the years after 9/11 about how the WTC site should

be rebuilt. Some thought that the Twin Towers should be rebuilt; others thought there

should be no tall buildings at all. The final plan is a compromise of those ideas. Do you

agree with the compromise? What are the pros and cons of each side?

High School

The 9/11 Memorial will open 10 years after the 9/11 attacks. The Vietnam Memorial was

completed in 1982, seven years after the war’s end, while the World War II Memorial

was created in 2004, almost 60 years following that conflict. The Memorial to the

Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, and the National Peace Memorial Halls for

the Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also built nearly 60 years

after World War II. Why might some memorials be built sooner than others? What

factors play a role in a memorial’s timing and creation? Research separate memorials to

other events: what similarities and differences emerge?

Some memorials incorporate representational or figurative elements, such as statues,

to convey meaning, while others, such as the Vietnam Memorial, incorporate more

abstract aspects. How would you describe the 9/11 Memorial? Why do you believe the

Memorial designers made that choice? Do different types of events lend themselves to

different types of memorials?

One of the defining features of the 9/11 Memorial is its authentic location: it is built

on the actual site it is memorializing. Not all memorials, though, exist at the locations

where the memorialized event took place. What are the advantages and disadvantages

of having a memorial at an authentic site?

Investigation

Questions

Selected Images of:

Twin Towers

a. Image of the Twin Towers, July 4, 2001

b. Image of the Twin Towers from the morning of 9/11

Towers on 9/11

a. Close-up of the burning Twin Towers

b. View of the smoking towers from Staten Island

Photographs of the 9/11 Memorial

a. Aerial view of the 9/11 Memorial

b. North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial

APPENDIX

NATIONAL SEPTEMBER 11 MEMORIAL & MUSEUMONE LIBERTY PLAZA, 20TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10006 P: 212-312-8800 F: 212.227.7931

911MEMORIAL.ORG

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