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Teaching Ideas

10 Ways to Teach About 9/11 With The New York Times

Ideas for helping students think about how the Sept. 11 attacks have changed our nation and world.

By Nicole Daniels and Michael Gonchar

Sept. 11, 2001 , is one of those rare days that, if you ask most adults what they remember, they can tell you exactly where they were, whom they were with and what they were thinking. It is a day seared in memory. But for students who were born in a post- 9/11 world and have grown up in the aftermath, it is complex history that needs to be remembered, taught and analyzed like any other historical event.

Twenty years ago, four commercial planes were hijacked by operatives from the radical Islamist group Al Qaeda. One plane was flown into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and two others were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa. Almost 3,000 people died that day, including more than 400 emergency workers.

In the wake of those attacks, the United States initiated a global “war on terror” to destroy Al Qaeda — a campaign that expanded into decades-long wars in Afghanistan, Iraq (even though Iraq was not responsible for Sept. 11 ) and elsewhere. In the wake of Sept. 11, the United States changed in other fundamental ways as well, from increased police surveillance to a rise in Islamophobia .

Below, we provide a range of activities that use resources from The New York Times, including archival front pages and photographs, first-person accounts, and analysis pieces published for the 20th anniversary . But we also suggest ideas borrowed from other education organizations like the Choices Program , RetroReport , the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the Newseum .

On Sept. 30, we are hosting a free event, featuring Times journalists, for students that will look at how Sept. 11 has shaped a generation of young people who grew up in its aftermath. Teachers and students can register here , and students can submit their own videos with questions, many of which we hope to feature during the live event.

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Bell Ringer: The Immediate Impact of September 11, 2001

Timeline of the September 11, 2001 attacks

A look at the timeline of events from the September 11th, 2001 attacks. A clip of President Bush's cabinet meeting from the following day where he discusses national security and retribution is also included.

Description

This bell ringer explores the immediate and subsequent impacts of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Bell Ringer Assignment

• CLIP 1: How did President Bush characterize the attacks in his press conference on September 12, 2001?
• CLIP 1: What do you think President Bush meant when he said that the attackers were a “different enemy?” (Student answers will be speculative.)
• CLIP 1: What two things does President Bush say the enemy was trying to do?
• CLIP 2: What percentage of those who died on September 11, 2001 have been officially identified to-date?
• CLIP 2: What do you think the last statistic suggests, and how might this continue to impact the families of those who perished? (Student answers will be speculative.)
• CLIP 2: Per the data shared by the hosts, describe the economic, social, and logistical impacts of the terrorist attacks and subsequent aftermath.

Related Article

• 9/11 FAQs - 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Additional Resources

• Bell Ringer: September 11 and Government Surveillance Programs
• On This Day: September 11, 2001
• Bell Ringer: The War on Terror
• Video Clip: September 11 - Remembrance and Reflection
• Video Clip: Homeland Security since 9/11

Participants

• Ground Zero
• World Trade Center