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9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide:
Classroom
Activities and Lesson Plans for K-12
by Tom Roderick
Introduction
How
should educators acknowledge the tenth anniversary of September
11th and educate students about the events of that day and their
impact?
Those
of us who lived through September 11, 2001, remember where we
were when we got the news, what we did, how we felt. And we are
aware that the impact of September 11 goes far beyond the thousands
of tragic deaths that occurred that day. The attacks have had
far-reaching consequences ranging from increased airport security
to discrimination against Muslims and Arab-Americans to the wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq in which hundreds of thousands have died.
In
short, the 9/11 attacks have changed the course of history.
But
for most of our students, September 11 is just that: history.
Many were not even born and the rest were quite young when the
attacks occurred.
This
year on September 11, solemn ceremonies will mark that fateful
day ten years ago by honoring the people who lost their lives,
and the many who did what they could to help. Will our students
take part in these ceremonies or watch them on TV or their computers?
Will they hear their parents talking about 9/11? If so, what will
they feel and what sense will they make of what they see and hear?
What's our responsibility as educators?
Morningside
Center's answer: Use the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as a "teachable
moment." Morningside Center defines a teachable moment as
an event that occurs in the wide world or in your classroom that
your students (or at least some of them) are aware of. This provides
an opportunity for learning--and one we need to seize. Especially
when the events are dramatic, students may take in biased, emotionally
charged, inaccurate information. Part of our mission as educators
in a democratic society is to correct misinformation, facilitate
thoughtful discussion, and develop our students' ability to think
critically, which includes asking good questions. If we don't
do this, who will?
Like
many teachable moments, September 11 provokes strong emotions,
and aspects of the event and its aftermath are controversial.
Controversy is at the heart of democracy. Educating young people
for participation in a democratic society means welcoming controversy
into our classrooms and working with it. We do that by helping
our students develop habits of dialogue and civil discourse in
which they share their points of view, listen respectfully and
open-heartedly while others share theirs, sometimes change their
minds, and, on other occasions, agree to disagree.
To
help you set the stage for a discussion of 9/11 -- and help you
and your class start the new school year -- please see "Getting
to Know You," This pdf booklet includes many activities
for grades k to 12 that teachers can use to build community in
their classrooms, get to know their students, and get their students
to know each other.
We
suggest that before opening up the topic of September 11th or
any potentially controversial issue, you review Morningside Center's
Guidelines
for Teaching on Controversial Issues."
Also,
be aware: It's possible that the tenth anniversary of September
11th will stir up negative feelings about Muslims and Arab-Americans,
and lead to teasing and harassment in school. See our lesson on
"Countering
Bias against Arab-American, Muslim, and South Asian Students:
Suggestions for Educators."
Morningside
Center's response to 9/11 was to create TeachableMoment.org, our
website of teacher resources on which we're continually posting
short curriculum pieces on current issues in the news. Visit TeachableMoment.org
for many pieces relevant to 9/11 and its aftermath, including
the following:
For
other helpful resources, please see:
You
might also consider incorporating these videos and accompanying
materials into your approach to the anniversary:
- Project Rebirth: http://projectrebirth.org/film/
This full-length documentary by director Jim Whitaker chronicles
the lives of five people directly affected by 9/11, their recovery
and resiliency. The film also uses multi-camera time-lapse photography
to document the evolution of the former WTC site. An accompanying
book by Dr. Robin Stern and Courtney E. Martin, Project Rebirth:
Survival and the Strength of the Human Spirit from 9/11 Survivors,
uses eight stories, including four not seen in the documentary,
to explore the grieving process and people's capacity for resilience.
- The Second Day: http://theseconddayfilm.com/film/
This 37-minute film was directed by 14-year-old Brook Peters,
who was a kindergartener at P.S. 150 Tribeca Learning Center
on 9/11. Brook interviews fellow classmates, students, teachers,
faculty, firefighters, and counselors about what they saw and
felt on 9/11, how they coped in the days that followed, and
what they learned from the experience. An accompanying
study guide will be available on the website.
Using
our lessons
The
lessons and additional classroom activities described below aim
to deepen your students' understanding of September 11 and the
tenth anniversary ceremonies, and to develop their critical thinking
skills in ways that are appropriate for their ages. They are organized
by grade level:
Since
September 11 occurs on a Sunday this year, the lessons and activities
described below are for the week leading up to September 11 or
for the week that follows.
We
hope you find these resources useful. Please
give us feedback and share your experiences with other educators!
Tom
Roderick
Executive Director
Morningside
Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
Classroom
Activities for Grades K-2
Objectives
Students who have 9/11 on their minds for whatever reason will:
- have
a safe space for sharing their knowledge, experiences, thoughts,
and feelings with an adult (their teacher)
- have
the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and get answers
that extend their understanding
- learn
ways people tried to help each other after the September 11th
attacks
- get
the message that their classroom is also a place where we help
each other
Materials Needed
None
for the main activity.
If
you have students who know about September 11th and are interested
in learning more, you may want to read them a book on the topic.
Here are some books we recommend:
- September
12 by Masterson Elementary Students
- There's
a Big Beautiful World Out There by Nancy Carlson
- The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
- Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
by Maira Kalman
In our
opinion, children ages 4 to 7 are too young for a lesson on September
11. They lack the knowledge to make sense of the attacks and their
aftermath in any meaningful way.
That
said, some schools may acknowledge the tenth anniversary of 9/11
with assemblies, programs broadcast over the public address system,
or minutes of silence. If your students hear about September 11
in this way, we suggest that you give them a chance to share their
knowledge, questions, and feelings. You might gather your students
on the rug and open discussion by saying something like this:
We
just experienced a minute of silence for people who died on September
11 ten years ago. That was a long time ago--before you were born.
Does anyone know what happened that day? Explain or elicit from
the students that in New York City there were two very tall buildings.
Buildings like these are called skyscrapers because they reach
way up into the sky. Since these two buildings stood right next
to each other, they were called the Twin Towers. The two buildings
had many offices where people worked. On the morning of September
11 ten years ago, two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers,
and both of them fell down. After that happened, firefighters
and police officers and many other people tried to help. Every
year on September 11, people across the country stop what they're
doing for a while to remember that sad day. Does anyone want to
say something about September 11? Do you have any questions?"
Listen
to their comments, correcting any misinformation; acknowledge
feelings students express; and answer their questions matter-of-factly.
Whether
or not your students hear about September 11 from a ceremony at
school, you could possibly have students in your class who have
been deeply affected by 9/11. For instance, they might have family
members who were killed on 9/11, have family members who were
part of the 9/11 rescue/recovery/cleanup effort (and who may be
ill as a result), or have family members who are serving in Iraq
or Afghanistan or were killed or injured in those wars. Or they
may know that family members were targeted after 9/11 because
they are Muslim or for some other reason. These students may need
special support before and after the tenth anniversary observances.
You
may also have students who know something about September 11 because
they've heard their parents talking about it, because they have
actually participated in the tenth anniversary remembrance ceremonies
either in person or by TV, or because their parents, for whatever
reason, felt it was important to tell them.
We
suggest that you observe your students and notice if any are bringing
September 11 into their play, their drawing, their writing, or
their conversation. Are two children building towers in the block
area or with Legos and knocking them down with pretend planes?
Is a child drawing pictures of planes crashing into buildings?
If you generally begin your day or week with a class meeting,
on Monday September 12 you might have a go-round in which students
share one thing they did over the weekend and see if any of them
mentions participating in 9/11 remembrance ceremonies.
If
you observe behavior that suggests 9/11, open up an informal dialogue
and use your active listening skills (e.g. gentle questioning
and paraphrasing) to get the child or children to say more. If
the child is engaging in play or drawing that suggests 9/11, focus
your questions first on the play or the drawing to understand
what's going on in the child's mind. For instance, you might ask,
Who is driving the planes? Why are they crashing into the buildings?
Are there people in the buildings? Who will help the people?
Through
questions such as these you may be able to help the child extend
the play to include people rescuing people in danger because of
the crash. Who might come to rescue the people? you might ask.
That might lead the child to think of firefighters and police
officers. You can tell the child that that's exactly what actually
happened. Firefighters and police officers risked their lives
to try to help people. Or maybe in play the child decides to become
a hero (even a superhero!) who takes people to safety.
In
this way, you may be able to introduce the child to one of the
most important lessons of September 11: that when people are hurt,
we need to do what we can to help - and New Yorkers did just that,
responding with tens of thousands of acts of kindness and courage
on September 11 and the days following.
Going
further, without prying or seeming too interested, you might try
to find out why September 11 is on the child's mind and what the
child knows. Where did the child's information come from? A conversation
with a parent? Dramatic images on television or in a newspaper?
Participation in a remembrance ceremony? Your role is not to be
a therapist but to provide a safe place for children to share
what's on their minds and get some adult help in making sense
of it. If the child has some obvious misunderstanding or misinformation,
correct it matter-of-factly. Ask if the child has any questions
and answer them simply and straightforwardly as best you can.
And
that may be where you want to leave it.
However,
if interest is high, you may want to extend the students' learning
by reading them a story. If you sense that September 11 has stirred
students' fears, a good choice is There's a Big Wonderful World
Out There by Nancy Carlson. September 12, written by
a first-grade class at Masterson Elementary School in Kennett,
Missouri, provides reassurance by telling all the ways children
knew their world was safe after 9/11. If your students are fascinated
by the twin towers, you might read them The Man Who Walked
Between the Towers by Mordecai B. Gerstein, which tells the
story of Philippe Petit, the tightrope performer who walked from
one of the Twin Towers to the other on a high-wire suspended between
them. Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
by Maira Kalman emphasizes the heroism of those who helped out
after the disaster. For more information on these books, see below.
Additional
Activities
Countering
Bias against Muslims and Arab-Americans
Even young children may have internalized biases against groups
of people, which they may express by such behaviors as teasing,
making hurtful remarks, and exclusion. The tenth anniversary of
September 11th may stir up biases against Muslims and Arab-Americans.
See our lesson on countering bias against Arab-American, Muslim,
and South Asian students.
Getting
to Know You
Morningside Center's pdf booklet includes many activities for
grades k-12 that teachers can use to build community in their
classrooms, get to know their students, and get their students
to know each other.
Children's
Books on 9/11
September
12: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright by Masterson Elementary
Students. Tangerine Press, 2002. With words and pictures by 1st
grade students at H. Byron Masterson Elementary School in Kennett,
Missouri, this reassuring book tells all the ways kids knew their
world was safe after 9/11.
There's
a Big Beautiful World Out There by Nancy Carlson, Puffin
Books, 2002. This book, written in response to September 11, doesn't
mention September 11 but describes many typical fears children
experience. It's a good book for opening up a conversation with
children about things they may be afraid of. The message is that
although we all have fears, we mustn't hide under the covers because
"there's a big beautiful world out there" we don't want
to miss.
The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein,
Roaring Brook Press, 2003. This book tells the story of Philippe
Petit, the aerialist who walked between the Twin Towers on a tightrope.
It ends by saying that the Twin Towers are no more.
Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman,
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002. This book tells the exciting story of
how a New York City fireboat, originally slated to be retired
and scrapped, plays a crucial role in putting out fires after
the September 11 disaster. Many schools, especially in New York
City, will have a copy of this book in their libraries because
many copies were donated to schools in the wake of September 11
ten years ago. It's also available from Amazon.com. We love this
book for older students but use your judgment about whether it's
appropriate for your k-2 students. The School Library Journal
recommends the book for grades 3 and up. They advise caution in
using the book with younger children because it contains graphic
illustrations of the crash and explosions. But illustrations in
a book may be tame compared with the violent images many young
children experience through television and the movies. And the
book's emphasis is not on the violence but on people showing courage
in helping others. For discussion questions and activities for
Fireboat, see Additional Activities for Grades 3-5 below.
Classroom
Activities for Grades 3 to 5
Objectives
Students will:
- share
knowledge, experiences, feelings, and questions about September
11
- correct
misinformation and increase their understanding
- develop
their critical thinking and research skills
Materials
Needed
- The
agenda for the lesson on chart paper
- Chart
paper and markers
- A
newspaper with a photo of a September 11th Tenth Anniversary
event or a short video clip of such an event.
This
lesson is designed to take place on Monday September 12. Seat
the children in a circle on the rug if possible.
Gathering
(5 minutes)
Have
the students "turn and talk" for a minute or two with
a partner about something they did over the weekend. Give several
students a chance to share what they did with the group.
Check
agenda (5 minutes)
Ask
the students what the date is today. Elicit that it's September
12. Ask, what was the date yesterday? September 11. Say that September
11 is an important date for our country (and for our city if you
happen to live in New York). Why?
Building
on what students know, explain that ten years ago on September
11, a group of men took over two planes and flew them into the
World Trade Center, a pair of skyscrapers in downtown Manhattan.
After several enormous explosions, both buildings collapsed, killing
almost 3,000 people. On that same day, two additional planes were
hijacked by the same group. One was flown into the Pentagon in
Washington, DC, killing 125 people, while the other crashed in
a field in Pennsylvania killing all on board. Though it was never
proven, that last plane was thought to be on its way to the White
House or the Capitol.
In
the days after 9/11, people in New York City came together to
console and support each other during this difficult time. They
set up impromptu memorials to remember the victims, including
some that called for peace and no war. People from other parts
of the country, including children and young people, sent cards
and gifts, and some came to the city to help out. At the same
time, though, some people were threatened and even attacked because
other people thought they looked like those who were behind the
attacks. Political leaders, including then President George W.
Bush, cautioned that 9/11 should not be an excuse for discriminating
against anybody. The site where the buildings came down has been
known as Ground Zero ever since. It has become a place for people
to go and honor and remember those who were killed that day.
Explain
that this lesson will focus on September 11. Students will have
a chance to share what they know, ask questions, and deepen their
understanding of this important event.
Community
Agreements
At
the beginning of a school year, and whenever you introduce a potentially
controversial and emotional topic, it's appropriate to establish
"community agreements"- guidelines for creating a safe
space for sharing opinions and feelings. It is especially important
to do this when discussing 9/11. You may have students in your
class who have been deeply affected by 9/11. For instance, they
may have family members who were killed on 9/11, have family members
who were part of the 9/11 rescue/recovery/cleanup effort (and
who may be ill as a result), have family members who are serving
in Iraq or Afghanistan or were killed or injured in those wars,
or have family members who were targeted after 9/11 because they
are Muslim or for some other reason. These students may need special
support before and after the tenth anniversary observances. Before
doing a lesson on 9/11, you may want to tell your students that
anyone who fits into the above categories -- or is sensitive about
the topic for any reason -- should feel free to talk with you
privately. You should mention that because some students may have
been personally affected by 9/11, it's essential that the class
establish and abide by some community agreements.
Ask
the students to reflect for a moment about what they need so that
they can participate freely in class and be fully present. Then
ask them to share ideas for guidelines they'd like the students
in the class to agree to. Chart their ideas. Your list might look
something like this:
COMMUNITY
AGREEMENTS
- One
mike (speak one at a time)
- No
put-downs, verbal or nonverbal
- Listen
respectfully
- Agree
to disagree
- Speak
from your own experience; avoid sweeping generalizations about
groups of people
- Use
I-statements, not you-statements
Once
you've completed your list, take each item in turn and ask the
students to raise their hands if they're willing to agree to it.
If some students balk at any of the proposed agreements, discuss
it and try to come to agreement. Post the agreements and remind
students of them each time you meet. You can add additional agreements
as needed throughout the year.
Remembering
September 11 (10 minutes)
Show
the class a photo from a newspaper or a short video clip depicting
some aspect of the remembrance ceremonies that took place over
the weekend. Explain or elicit that yesterday, the tenth anniversary
of the attacks, there were special ceremonies to remember those
who died and honor those who did what they could to help. Did
any of the students attend a ceremony or watch one on television?
Did any hear adults talking about September 11 or have conversations
with their parents about it?
Give
students who had some form of September 11 experience over the
weekend a chance to describe it.
Creating a web of September 11
(15 minutes)
To
get more information about what students know about September
11, write September 11 in the middle of a piece of chart paper
and ask students to free associate, sharing any words, thoughts,
images that come to mind when they think of September 11. There
are no wrong answers. As they share their free associations, chart
them, eventually drawing lines from "September 11" in
the middle to the students' associations, forming a web, as illustrated
below:
Encourage
students to share words that name feelings they associate with
9/11. Continue as long as interest remains high. When you come
to a stopping place, ask students to pause for a moment and look
at the web. Ask, what do you want to say about it? What are your
observations, comments, thoughts?
At
this point, if students have shared some associations you don't
understand or want to know more about, ask the class or the person
who shared the association to say more. Your aim is to provide
a safe place for students to share their current understandings,
so accept what students have to say at this point. After clarifying
any of the students' associations that need more explanation,
gently correct in a matter-of-fact way any factual misinformation
that the web activity has revealed, e.g. "Just so you know,
Afghanistan is not in Africa. Let's find it on the world map."
Ask
the students if, in thinking about September 11, feelings have
come up that they would like to share. Listen while students share
their feelings.
Then
ask if anyone has a question. Is there something they don't understand
or would like to know more about? Chart their questions and, where
possible, provide answers to relatively simple questions of fact.
For
more complicated questions, you might follow up by bringing in
newspapers or print-outs from the internet. You might also guide
students in using the web to research their 9/11 questions. Students
could work in small groups to get information about particular
questions the class is interested in and then report their findings
to the class. You could do these activities either in subsequent
lessons with the whole class or as special projects for students
who are interested in September 11th.
Evaluation
and Closing (5 minutes)
Ask
students to turn and talk with a partner about one thing they
are taking away from today's lesson. Give a couple of students
the opportunity to share what they learned with the group.
Lead
the students in a round of applause to celebrate their hard work
on a challenging topic.
Additional
Activities
Think Differently
This is an activity you can use throughout the year to encourage
students to share their opinions on a variety of topics and listen
respectfully to each other's points of view. Students love it,
and it sharpens their thinking. It uses controversy to increase
engagement with learning.
Remind
the children that in our classroom we want to respect each other's
needs and opinions. Ask, what is an opinion? Elicit that it's
a strong belief that people have, sometimes based on fact and
sometimes not.
Designate
one corner of the room for "strongly agree," the opposite
corner for "strongly disagree," and the middle for "not
sure." Make signs if necessary. Tell the children you'll
say a statement. They are to go to the appropriate place according
to whether they agree with the statement, disagree, or aren't
sure. Try to think of statements on which children will have a
range of opinions. Once the children have taken their places,
ask for volunteers from each location to explain their opinion.
Remind them of the rules for talking and listening: no interrupting,
no put-downs, pay good attention when someone is speaking. Encourage
some dialogue among children with differing opinions. If children
change their minds in the course of the discussion, they can change
places. If the dialogue gets heated, remind them of the rules
and ask them to paraphrase what the other person has said before
making their point. Here are some suggested statements you might
use to introduce students to the process:
-
Vanilla ice cream is the best.
- Spring
is the best season of the year.
- Basketball
is the best sport.
Once
the students have practiced "Think Differently" with
these simple issues, you can introduce statements on more important
matters, e.g. "The main cause of the American Civil War was
slavery" or "Plants make their own food using sunlight"
or "Invading Afghanistan was the right thing to do after
9/11."
Children's
Books on 9/11
If
your students are interested in September 11, you may want to
extend their learning by reading them a book. Here are some we
recommend:
September
12: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright by Masterson Elementary
Students. Tangerine Press, 2002. With words and pictures
by 1st grade students at H. Byron Masterson Elementary School
in Kennett, Missouri, this reassuring book tells all the ways
kids knew their world was safe after 9/11. This book is out-of-print
but used copies are available from Amazon.
There's
a Big Beautiful World Out There by Nancy Carlson, Puffin
Books, 2002. This book, written in response to September 11, doesn't
mention September 11 but describes many typical fears children
experience. It's a good book for opening up a conversation with
children about things they may be afraid of. The message is that
although we all have fears, we mustn't hide under the covers because
"there's a big beautiful world out there" we don't want
to miss.
The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein,
Roaring Brook Press, 2003. This book tells the story of Philippe
Petit, the aerialist who walked between the Twin Towers on a tightrope.
It ends by saying that the Twin Towers are no more.
Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman,
GP Putnam's Sons, 2002. This book tells the exciting story of
how a New York City fireboat, originally slated to be retired
and scrapped, plays a crucial role in putting out fires after
the September 11 disaster. Many schools, especially in New York
City, will have a copy of this book in their libraries because
many copies were donated to schools in the wake of September 11
ten years ago. This is our favorite children's book about September
11.
Optional
Lesson using Fireboat
Below
is a summary of the Fireboat story and suggested discussion
questions and classroom activities.
SUMMARY:
A lot happened in 1931. The Empire State Building and the George
Washington Bridge went up. Babe Ruth hit his 611th home run. The
candy bar Snickers appeared in stores. And "on a sunny fresh
day, the John J. Harvey fireboat was launched." It was the
"largest, fastest and shiniest" of the twelve fireboats
in New York City. For 63 years the boat helped save lives, but
by the mid-1990s, "the city no longer needed so many fireboats,"
and she was junked, "waiting to be sold for scrap."
Then a group of friends decided to buy the boat and restore her.
Although the book doesn't say it, the John J. Harvey served, and
still serves, as a floating museum. Then on September 11, 2001,
as flames engulfed a portion of lower Manhattan after the attacks
on the World Trade Center, the volunteers who ran the Harvey called
the fire department and offered their help. Because the "water
pipes were broken…and the fire trucks could not pump water,"
for four days and nights the Harvey and New York's two other fireboats
pumped water to fight the fires caused by the attack. The Harvey
received an award for "coming out of retirement to provide
invaluable aid in New York City's hour of need."
COMMENT:
The theme to emphasize here is the community of people who rescued
the Harvey when it was considered useless, and the way that they
responded to the needs of the larger New York City community in
a time of distress. The story also emphasizes that everyone can
choose to make a difference in some way. We can talk about all
the people who help make our community a good place to live: firefighters,
police officers, teachers, school crossing guards, construction
workers, medical personnel, cooks, sanitation workers, parents,
children, etc. We can look at the ways we can make a difference
in our community.
READ
ALOUD: Show the front of the book. What kind of boat do the students
think is on the cover? What do they think the book might be about?
What are some clues?
Read the story through, perhaps pausing only to explain unfamiliar
words, such as barnacles.
BOOK
TALK: After you read the story, engage the students in discussion
using the following questions:
1.
What interested you about the book? What do you want to say about
it?
2. What is the book about? What are the book's themes?
3. What do you think is the main thing the author is trying to
say through the book? What's the main point?
4. Bob Lenney worked on the Harvey for 25 years. How do you think
he felt when it was about to be scrapped? How do you think he
felt after it was rescued?
5. All the owners had the same idea - to help out. Who are some
of the other people who helped out that day? Encourage students
to think of other types of people in addition to the ones named
in the book, and to think about the ways that people helped. For
instance, many children collected money or sent cards to firefighters
and police officers. Many store owners gave water to people. Children
may remember specific incidents from among their own family and
friends.
6. Have you ever done something with a group of friends? What
was it? List the activity on the board. It can be anything from
playing a game together to building a city from blocks.
7.
Who are some of the everyday heroes in our community? Name the
people who make our life better in the community.
8. What are some things we would like to do to make our community
better? List them on the board. What are some things we could
do right now?
ACTIVITIES
TO DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BOOK:
- If
you could get your friends together to buy a boat, what would
it look like? Draw a picture. Put your friends on the boat.
Write a caption or adventure story about your boat. Every ship
has a name. Give your ship a name and draw a flag for it.
- Fireboat
brings to mind the story of "Little Toot," the courageous
New York tugboat. Get Little Toot from the library and
read it to your students. Compare the two stories. How are the
stories similar? Different?
- Take
a trip on the Staten Island Ferry and ask the students to notice
the different kinds of boats in the harbor and the variety of
work that goes on there. Students could do research about boats
- and especially about tugboats and fireboats and the work they
do.
Classroom
Activities for Middle School
Lesson
1 is designed to take place before the weekend in which September
11 occurs this year (2011). Lesson 2 is designed to take place
early in the week after September 11.
Lesson
1
Objectives
Students
will:
- share
knowledge, experiences, feelings, and questions about September
11
- correct
misinformation and increase their understanding
- prepare
a questionnaire they can use for interviewing a parent or another
adult about 9/11
- practice
their interviewing and note-taking skills by interviewing their
teacher
Materials
needed
- Agenda
posted on chart paper
- Chart
paper and markers
Gathering
(5 minutes)
Ask
students to talk with a partner about something new and good in
their lives. After a minute or two, give several students a chance
to share their "new and good" with the group.
Check
agenda (5 minutes)
Ask
if the students know what important anniversary is coming up this
weekend. Some of them will probably be aware that it's the tenth
anniversary of September 11. Lead the class in a brief review
of what happened on September 11, 2001, eliciting as much of the
story from the students as possible.
An
overview of the basic facts is provided below. Use your judgment
about how much of this overview it makes sense to share with your
students at this point:
A group
of men hijacked two planes and flew them into the World Trade
Center, a pair of skyscrapers in downtown Manhattan (New York
City). After several enormous explosions, both buildings collapsed,
killing almost 3,000 people. On that same day, two additional
planes were hijacked by members of the same group. One was flown
into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, killing 125 people, while
the other crashed in a field in Pennsylvania killing all on board.
Though it was never proven, that last plane was thought to be
on its way to the White House or the Capitol.
People
throughout the United States were shocked by these attacks on
American soil. They came together, asking how this could have
happened and what it meant. In New York City people consoled and
supported each other. They set up impromptu memorials to remember
the victims, including some that called for peace and no war.
People from other parts of the country, including children and
young people, sent cards and gifts, and some came to the city
to help out.
It
was a difficult time for Muslims and Arab-Americans, because the
men who carried out the attacks were Arabs and Muslims (most of
them citizens of Saudi Arabia) who said they were waging a holy
war against the United States. As a result, some people took out
their anger on Muslims and Arab-Americans who had nothing to do
with the attacks: some children were teased or harassed in school;
some Muslims and Arab-Americans were threatened; in Texas three
Muslims were killed. Political leaders, including then President
George W. Bush, cautioned that 9/11 should not be an excuse for
discriminating against anybody.
The
site where the Twin Towers came down has been known as Ground
Zero ever since. It has become a place for people to go and honor
and remember those who were killed that day.
The
September 11th attacks changed the course of history. They led
to other events that affect our lives today. Airport security
has been tightened. Congress passed laws aimed at preventing further
acts of terrorism, which critics say have infringed on our civil
liberties. And as a result of 9/11 the United States initiated
two wars - in Afghanistan and Iraq - in which hundreds of thousands
have died.
Explain
that today's class and another class next week will focus on September
11. Students will have a chance to share what they know, ask questions,
and deepen their understanding of this important event.
Community
Agreements (5 minutes)
At
the beginning of a school year, and whenever you introduce a potentially
controversial and emotional topic, it's appropriate to establish
"community agreements" - guidelines for creating a safe
space for sharing opinions and feelings. It is especially important
to do this when discussing 9/11. You may have students in your
class who have been deeply affected by 9/11. For instance, they
may have family members who were killed on 9/11, have family members
who were part of the 9/11 rescue/recovery/cleanup effort (and
who may be ill as a result), have family members who are serving
in Iraq or Afghanistan or were killed or injured in those wars,
or have family members who were targeted after 9/11 because they
are Muslim or for some other reason. These students may need special
support before and after the tenth anniversary observances. Before
doing a lesson on 9/11, you may want to tell your students that
anyone who fits into the above categories - or is sensitive about
the topic for any reason - should feel free to talk with you privately.
You should mention that because some students may have been personally
affected by 9/11, it's essential that the class establish and
abide by some community agreements.
Ask
the students to reflect for a moment about what they need so that
they can participate freely in class and be fully present. Then
ask them to share ideas for guidelines they'd like the students
in the class to agree to. Chart their ideas. Your list might look
something like this:
COMMUNITY
AGREEMENTS
- One
mike (speak one at a time)
- No
put-downs, verbal or nonverbal
- Listen
respectfully
- Agree
to disagree
- Speak
from your own experience; avoid sweeping generalizations about
groups of people
- Use
I-statements, not you-statements
Once
you've completed your list, take each item in turn and ask the
students to raise their hands if they're willing to agree to it.
If some students balk at any of the proposed agreements, discuss
it and try to come to agreement. Post the agreements and remind
students of them each time you meet. You can add additional agreements
as needed throughout the year.
Web:
September 11
To
give students a chance to share what they know about September
11, write September 11 in the middle of a piece of chart paper
and ask students to free associate, sharing any words, thoughts,
images that come to mind when they think of September 11. There
are no wrong answers. As they share their free associations, chart
them, eventually drawing lines from "September 11" in
the middle to students' associations, forming a web, as illustrated
below:
Continue for a few minutes, as long as interest remains high.
When you come to a stopping point, correct any misinformation
students have shared through their associations, e.g. "Just
so you know, Afghanistan is not in Africa. Let's find it on the
world map." Ask, Do any of you have questions about September
11th? Is there something you'd like to know more about?
Collecting
9/11 stories: developing a questionnaire (15 minutes)
Explain
that from time to time a major event occurs that makes a big impression
on all those who live through it. 9/11 was one of those events.
Most adults are likely to remember where they were when they got
the news, what they did, how they felt.
The students' homework assignment is to interview an adult (a
parent or other adult) to get their 9/11 story. Reporters (for
newspapers, TV, and the Internet) interview people all the time
to get information. The students are going to act like reporters
and see what they can learn. They have several days to do this
assignment. They'll have a chance to share the results of their
interviews in class during the week after the 9/11 tenth anniversary
ceremonies (on Sunday, September 11, 2011).
To
prepare for the interviews, lead the students in developing a
questionnaire of six or so questions. Remind them of the distinction
between open-ended questions and questions that can be answered
with a simple yes or no. Explain that the best interview questions
are open-ended ones because they provide more information. Chart
the questions you and the students come up with. A typical set
of questions for the questionnaire might be
-
Ten years ago on September 11, how did you learn about the attacks?
- What
were you doing at the time and what were your first reactions?
- What
was the rest of that day like for you?
- What
feelings did you have?
- What
are the images that have stayed in your mind from that day?
- Ten
years later what do you want to say about September 11?
Tell
the students that after the interview, they should be sure to
thank the person for their time.
Once
you've agreed on the questions, choose one of the students to
interview you using the questionnaire, and share your own September
11 story. Ask the rest of the students to listen carefully and
jot down notes of the interview. When the interview is over, ask
students to summarize what they heard. They can refer to their
notes if they want to.
Finally,
give students time to copy down the questions, leaving space between
each question for notes. Or you may prefer to type up the questions
to create an interview form, make copies, and hand it out to your
students the next day.
Evaluation
and Closing (5 minutes)
Ask
students to talk in pairs about one thing they're taking away
from the lesson today. Give a couple of students a chance to share
what they learned with the class.
Tell
the students that on Sunday, the tenth anniversary of September
11, there will be ceremonies to remember that day. Encourage them
to watch these ceremonies on TV or the Internet or read about
them in the newspaper.
Lesson
2
Objectives
Students will:
- share
the 9/11 stories they got from the interviews with a parent
or another adult
- practice
their presentation skills
Materials
Needed
- The
agenda on chart paper
- The
chart of "Community Agreements" from Lesson 1
Gathering
(5 minutes)
Ask
students to talk in pairs about something they did over the weekend.
If any experienced September 11th tenth anniversary ceremonies,
encourage them to talk about what they saw and heard. Give a couple
of students a chance to share one of their weekend activities
with the class.
Check
agenda and review community agreements (5 minutes)
Explain
that today they'll share with their classmates the 9/11 stories
they got by interviewing adults. Review the community agreements
you made in Lesson 1, referring to the chart.
Sharing
9/11 stories (30
minutes)
1)
Have students meet in groups
of four (10 minutes). Ask students in each group to refer to their
notes as they take turns sharing with each other the 9/11 stories
they got from the interviews. Each group should choose one of
the stories to share with the whole class.
2)
Reconvene the class for group reports (10 minutes). One student
from each small group shares an adult's 9/11 story with the class.
Lead the class in applause after each student presents.
3)
Facilitate a class discussion (10 minutes)
Here
are some questions to guide the discussion:
- What
do you want to say about the stories?
- How
was it to interview an adult?
- What
did you learn about September 11th by doing this?
Evaluation
and Closing
Ask
students to talk in pairs about one thing they want to remember
from these two lessons about September 11 even if they forget
everything else. Give a couple of students a chance to share with
the class.
Additional
Activities
Creating a book of 9/11 stories
Work
with your students to turn their interview notes into drafts and
then finished pieces. Gather the finished pieces into a book with
illustrations by students.
Think Differently
This is an activity you can use throughout the year to encourage
students to share their opinions on a variety of topics and listen
respectfully to each other's points of view. Students love it,
and it sharpens their thinking. It uses controversy to increase
engagement with learning.
Remind
the students that in our classroom we want to respect each other's
needs and opinions. Ask, what is an opinion? Elicit that it's
a strong belief that people have, sometimes based on fact and
sometimes not.
Designate
one corner of the room for "strongly agree," the opposite
corner for "strongly disagree," and the middle for "not
sure." Make signs if necessary. Tell the students that you'll
say a statement. They are to go to the appropriate place according
to whether they agree with the statement, disagree, or aren't
sure. Try to think of statements on which students will have a
range of opinions. Once the students have taken their places,
ask for volunteers from each location to explain their opinion.
Remind them of the rules for talking and listening: no interrupting,
no put-downs, pay good attention when someone is speaking. Encourage
some dialogue among students with differing opinions. If students
change their minds in the course of the discussion, they can change
places. If the dialogue gets heated, remind them of the rules
and ask them to paraphrase what the other person has said before
making their point. Here are some suggested statements you might
use to introduce students to the process:
-
Vanilla ice cream is the best.
- Spring
is the best season of the year.
- Basketball
is the best sport.
Once
the students have practiced "Think Differently" with
these simple issues, you can introduce statements on more important
matters, e.g. "The main cause of the American Civil War was
slavery" or "Plants make their own food using sunlight"
or "Invading Afghanistan was the right thing to do after
9/11."
Fireboat
Middle
school students enjoy being read to. Consider reading the book
Fireboat:
The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman
to your students. The book (available in many school libraries
and from Amazon) tells the dramatic story of the fireboat that
served New York City after the 9/11 attacks. For a summary of
the story and a discussion and activity guide, see the lesson
for Grades 3-5 above.
Classroom
Activities for High School
Lesson
1 is designed to take place before the weekend in which September
11 occurs this year. Lesson 2 is designed to take place early
in the week after September 11.
Lesson
1
Objectives
Students will:
- share
knowledge, experiences, feelings, and questions about September
11
- correct
misinformation and increase their understanding
Materials
Needed
- Agenda
posted on chart paper
- Chart
paper and markers
Gathering
(5 minutes)
Ask
students to talk with a partner about something new and good in
their lives. After a minute or two, give several students a chance
to share their "new and good" with the group.
Check
agenda (10 minutes)
Ask if the students know what important anniversary is coming
up this weekend. Some of them will probably be aware that it's
the tenth anniversary of September 11. Lead the class in a brief
review of what happened on September 11, 2001, eliciting as much
of the story from the students as possible.
Here's
an overview of the basic facts:
A group
of men hijacked two planes and flew them into the World Trade
Center, a pair of skyscrapers in downtown Manhattan (New York
City). After several enormous explosions, both buildings collapsed,
killing almost 3,000 people. On that same day, two additional
planes were hijacked by members of the same group. One was flown
into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, killing 125 people, while
the other crashed in a field in Pennsylvania killing all on board.
Though it was never proven, that last plane was thought to be
on its way to the White House or the Capitol.
People
throughout the United States were shocked by these attacks on
American soil. They came together, asking how this could have
happened and what it meant. In New York City people consoled and
supported each other. They set up impromptu memorials to remember
the victims, including some that called for peace and no war.
People from other parts of the country, including children and
young people, sent cards and gifts, and some came to the city
to help out. It was a difficult time for Muslims and Arab-Americans,
because the men who carried out the attacks were Arabs and Muslims
(most of them citizens of Saudi Arabia) who said they were waging
a holy war against the United States. As a result, some Americans
took out their anger on Muslims and Arab-Americans who had had
nothing to do with the attacks. Some children were teased or harassed
in school; Muslims and Arab-Americans were threatened; in Texas
three Muslims were killed. Political leaders, including then President
George W. Bush, cautioned that 9/11 should not be an excuse for
discriminating against anybody.
The
site where the Twin Towers came down has been known as Ground
Zero ever since. It has become a place for people to go and honor
and remember those who were killed that day.
The
September 11th attacks changed the course of history. They led
to other events that affect our lives today. Airport security
has been tightened. Congress passed laws aimed at preventing further
acts of terrorism, which critics say have infringed on our civil
liberties. And as a result of 9/11 the United States initiated
two wars - in Afghanistan and Iraq - in which hundreds of thousands
have died.
Explain
that today's class and one that will follow next week will focus
on September 11. Students will have a chance to share what they
know, ask questions, and deepen their understanding of this important
event.
Community
Agreements (5 minutes)
At
the beginning of a school year, and whenever you introduce a potentially
controversial and emotional topic, it's appropriate to establish
"community agreements"- guidelines for creating a safe
space for sharing opinions and feelings. It is especially important
to do this when discussing 9/11. You may have students in your
class who have been deeply affected by 9/11. For instance, they
may have family members who were killed on 9/11, have family members
who were part of the 9/11 rescue/recovery/cleanup effort (and
who may be ill as a result), have family members who are serving
in Iraq or Afghanistan or were killed or injured in those wars,
or have family members who were targeted after 9/11 because they
are Muslim or for some other reason. These students may need special
support before and after the tenth anniversary observances. Before
doing a lesson on 9/11, you may want to tell your students that
anyone who fits into the above categories - or is sensitive about
the topic for any reason - should feel free to talk with you privately.
You should mention that because some students may have been personally
affected by 9/11, it's essential that the class establish and
abide by some community agreements.
Ask
the students to reflect for a moment about what they need so that
they can participate freely in class and be fully present. Then
ask them to share ideas for guidelines they'd like the students
in the class to agree to. Chart their ideas. Your list might look
something like this:
COMMUNITY
AGREEMENTS
- One
mike (speak one at a time)
- No
put-downs, verbal or nonverbal
- Listen
respectfully
- Agree
to disagree
- Speak
from your own experience; avoid sweeping generalizations about
groups of people
- Use
I-statements, not you-statements
Once
you've completed your list, take each item in turn and ask the
students to raise their hands if they're willing to agree to it.
If some students balk at any of the proposed agreements, discuss
it and try to come to an agreement. Post the agreements and remind
students of them each time you meet. You can add additional agreements
as needed throughout the year.
Web:
September 11 (10 minutes)
To
give students a chance to share what they know about September
11, write September 11 in the middle of a piece of chart paper
and ask students to free associate, sharing any words, thoughts,
images that come to mind when they think of September 11. There
are no wrong answers. As they share their free associations, chart
them, eventually drawing lines from "September 11" in
the middle to students' associations, forming a web, as illustrated
below:
Continue
as long as interest remains high. When you come to a stopping
place, ask students to look at the web. What do they want to say
about it? What are their observations, comments, thoughts?
At
this point, if students have shared some associations you don't
understand or want to know more about, ask the class or the person
who shared the association to say more. Your aim is to provide
a safe place for students to share their current understandings,
so accept what students have to say at this point.
After
clarifying any of the students' associations that need more explanation,
correct in a matter-of-fact way any factual misinformation that
the web activity has revealed, e.g. "Just so you know, Afghanistan
is not in Africa. Let's find it on the world map."
Ask
the students if, in thinking about September 11, feelings have
come up that they would like to share. Listen while students share
their feelings.
Asking
questions (10 minutes)
Explain
that a good way to deepen one's understanding of a topic is to
think of good questions and then try to find the answers. That's
what we'll be doing over the next couple of days on the topic
of September 11.
Ask
the students to talk in pairs for a minute or two and come up
with at least one question about 9/11. What would they like to
know more about? Ask each pair to share their question. Chart
the questions on chart paper.
Homework Assignment (5
minutes)
Ask
what the students think will be happening on Sunday, September
11, 2011. Elicit that there will be ceremonies to remember those
who died in the attacks and honor those who did what they could
to help during that difficult time.
Explain
that their homework is to experience those ceremonies - either
by attending in person, watching them on TV or the Internet, watching
the news or reading about them in the newspaper. As they experience
the ceremonies of remembrance and related news stories, they should
keep their question(s) in mind. They are to write a one page response
to their experience. First, they should describe what happened
as though they were explaining it to someone who hadn't seen it.
Second, they should describe what impact it had on them - what
thoughts, feelings, and questions came up for them. Next week
they'll have a chance to share their responses with their classmates
and discuss them.
Evaluation
and Closing (5
minutes)
Ask
students to talk in pairs about one thing they're taking away
from the lesson today. Give a couple of students a chance to share
what they learned with the class.
Lesson
2
Objectives
Students
will:
- share
their responses to the 9/11 remembrance ceremonies and/or related
news coverage
- discuss
9/11 and the meaning it has for their country and themselves
Materials
Needed
- Agenda
posted on chart paper
- Chart
of "Community Agreements" from Lesson 1
- Chart
paper and markers
Gathering (5 minutes)
Ask
students to talk in pairs for a minute or two about something
they did over the weekend that they enjoyed. Give a couple of
students a chance to share what they did with the class.
Check
agenda and review community agreements (5 minutes)
Explain
that today they'll work in small groups to share their responses
to 9/11 ceremonies. A class discussion will follow.
Referring
to the chart, review the community agreements established in Lesson
1
Sharing
9/11 stories (30
minutes)
1)
Divide
the class into groups of four.
The students will take turns reading their one-page responses
to each other in their small groups. (10 minutes)
2)
Facilitate a class discussion (20 minutes). Here
are some questions to guide the discussion:
-
What do you want to say about the remembrance ceremonies you
experienced or learned about?
- What
seemed to be the main point of these ceremonies?
- Did
anything you saw or heard connect with you personally? Were
you moved?
- Was
there anything missing from the ceremonies that you would like
to have seen?
- Did
anything you saw or heard shed light on any of the questions
we asked last week?
Evaluation
and Closing
Ask
students to talk in pairs about one thing they want to remember
from these two lessons about September 11 even if they forget
everything else. Give a couple of students a chance to share with
the class.
Additional
Activities
1) A Time of Gifts
Have
your students read and discuss "A
Time of Gifts" by Stephen Jay Gould.
On
September 26, 2001, the New York Times published an essay
by the renowned zoologist Stephen Jay Gould. Gould, who died of
cancer in 2002, was a master essayist. This short essay expresses
Gould's view, confirmed by his experiences after September 11,
that ". . .every spectacular incident of evil will be balanced
by 10,000 acts of kindness, too often unnoted and invisible as
the 'ordinary efforts of a vast majority."
"We
have a duty, almost a holy responsibility," Gould asserts,
"to record and honor the victorious weight of these inscrutable
little kindnesses." In the essay, he tells how he joins with
countless others to help out after the destruction of the twin
towers. A restaurant offers a gift of 12 apple brown bettys ("our
best dessert, still warm") and Gould promises to distribute
them to the rescue workers. "Twelve apple brown bettys into
the breach," he jokes, at first disparaging their significance
when compared with the need. But when he sees the reactions of
the weary rescue workers to the gift, he realizes that "these
trivial symbols in my initial judgment turned into little drops
of gold within a rainstorm of similar offerings for the stomach
and the soul, from children's postcards to cheers by the roadside."
The
main message of the essay: ". . .let those few depraved people
finally understand why their vision of inspired fear cannot prevail
over ordinary decency."
Note:
An "apple brown betty" is an American dessert made with
layers of spiced and sweetened apples and buttered bread crumbs.
It's similar to a cobbler or bread pudding.
Discussion
questions:
- What
do you want to say about the essay?
- Did
any sentences or phrases stand out for you? If so, which ones?
Why?
- What
does the essay tell us about the mood of the city and what was
going on after the September 11 attacks?
- What
view of human nature does the essay express?
- Do
you agree with Gould's assertion that "every spectacular
incident of evil will be balanced by 10,000 acts of kindness"?
Why do you agree? If you don't agree, why not?
- In
this essay Gould focuses on the ways people came together to
help each other in the days and months following the attacks.
Now that ten years have passed since 9/11, what does the balance
sheet look like? Has that spirit of kindness prevailed? If Gould
were alive to write an essay now, would he have such a positive
view? If yes, why? If no, why not?
- Gould's
essay is widely considered to be an excellent example of the
essay form. Why do you think that is? What are the specific
qualities that make "A Time of Gifts" a great essay
in the view of many people?
2)
Asking good questions - and answering them
a)
Developing good questions
Explain
that if we're going to use questions to guide our efforts to deepen
our understanding, we need to be sure that the questions are good
ones. (A main purpose of this exercise is to help students understand
that questions are instruments of perception, that the nature
of a question determines the nature of an answer, that not all
questions are equal, that question-asking and analysis are essential
ingredients in critical thinking.)
Lead
the students in examining the questions they generated in Lesson
1 above:
- Do
any contain assumptions? (e.g. the question Why do Muslims hate
the US?)
- Which
are questions of fact? (e.g. How many people were killed?)
- Which
call for opinions? (e.g. Was it right for the US to invade Afghanistan
in response to the attacks?)
- Are
there words we need to define before we can answer the question?
(e.g. How can we combat terrorism?)
- Are
some questions impossible to answer and therefore useless for
inquiry? (e.g. When will we ever learn to stop fighting each
other?)
Work
with the class to reword some of the questions as necessary to
make them into good instruments for inquiry.
b)
Research and reporting
Ask the students to consider: How can we get answers to our questions?
Where will the facts come from? Whose opinions will be considered?
If an expert's, what qualifies this person? What biases may he
or she have? Can we assume that everything we read in a newspaper
or find on the Internet is true? What are some ways we can decide
if an information source is reliable?
Offer
special credit for students who want to research the answers to
some of the questions and report on their findings to the class.
3)
Collecting 9/11 stories: developing a questionnaire
Explain
that from time to time a major event occurs that makes a big impression
on all those who live through it. 9/11 was one of those events.
Most adults are likely to remember where they were when they got
the news, what they did, how they felt. This activity involves
interviewing adults to elicit their September 11th stories.
Reporters (for newspapers, TV, and the Internet) interview people
all the time to get information. The students are going to act
like reporters and see what they can learn.
To
prepare for the interviews, lead the students in developing a
questionnaire of six or so questions. Remind them of the distinction
between open-ended questions and questions that can be answered
with a simple yes or no. Explain that the best interview questions
are open-ended ones because they provide more information. Chart
the questions you and the students come up with. A typical set
of questions for the questionnaire might be:
- Ten
years ago on September 11, how did you learn about the attacks?
- What
were you doing at the time and what were your first reactions?
- What
was the rest of that day like for you?
- What
feelings did you have?
- What
are the images that have stayed in your mind from that day?
- Ten
years later what do you want to say about September 11?
Tell
the students that after the interview, they should be sure to
thank the person for their time.
Once
you've agreed on the questions, choose one of the students to
interview you using the questionnaire, and share your own September
11 story. Ask the rest of the students to listen carefully and
jot down notes of the interview. When the interview is over, ask
students to summarize what they heard. They can refer to their
notes if they want to.
Finally,
give students time to copy down the questions, leaving space between
each question for notes. Or you may prefer to type up the questions
to create an interview form, make copies, and hand it out to your
students the next day.
For
homework, the students conduct the interviews.
In
a subsequent class, they can share the stories with their classmates
in small groups, and each group can select one story to present
to the class as a whole. Discussion follows. Here are some suggested
questions to guide the discussion:
- What
do you want to say about the stories?
- How
was it to interview an adult?
- What
did you learn about September 11th by doing this?
4) Think Differently
This is an activity you can use throughout the year to encourage
students to share their opinions on a variety of topics and listen
respectfully to each other's points of view. Students love it,
and it sharpens their thinking. It uses controversy to increase
engagement with learning.
Remind
the students that in our classroom we want to respect each other's
needs and opinions. Ask, what is an opinion? Elicit that it's
a strong belief that people have, sometimes based on fact and
sometimes not.
Designate
one corner of the room for "strongly agree," the opposite
corner for "strongly disagree," and the middle for "not
sure." Make signs if necessary. Tell the students that you'll
say a statement. They are to go to the appropriate place according
to whether they agree with the statement, disagree, or aren't
sure. Try to think of statements on which students will have a
range of opinions. Once the students have taken their places,
ask for volunteers from each location to explain their opinion.
Remind them of the rules for talking and listening: no interrupting,
no put-downs, pay good attention when someone is speaking. Encourage
some dialogue among students with differing opinions. If students
change their minds in the course of the discussion, they can change
places. If the dialogue gets heated, remind them of the rules
and ask them to paraphrase what the other person has said before
making their point. Here are some suggested statements you might
use to introduce students to the process:
-
Vanilla ice cream is the best.
- Spring
is the best season of the year.
- Basketball
is the best sport.
Once
the students have practiced "Think Differently" with
these simple issues, you can introduce statements on more important
matters, e.g. "The main cause of the American Civil War was
slavery" or "Plants make their own food using sunlight"
or "Invading Afghanistan was the right thing to do after
9/11."
Please
give us feedback and share your experiences with other educators!
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