September 11 Lesson Plans

WTC United Family Group focuses on education

Six states this year will be adding the September 11 lesson plans to their curriculum. The September 11 Lesson Plans were created by the September 11 Education Trust to teach kids about the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The group is directed by victims' families, survivors, rescue workers and educator.

The September 11 Education Trust is the current evolution of the World Trade Center United Family Group, founded in 2001. The September 11 lesson plans include video footage and information from 70 interviews of eyewitnesses, family members of victims and politicians such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Officials say the lesson plans contain a wide range of viewpoints, including some from Muslim scholars.

Who pays for Sept. 11 lesson plans?

The September 11 Education Trust isn’t funded by payday lenders or other forms of credit. It’s a non-profit organization funded mostly by donations. You can donate to the cause and read about September 11 lesson plans at the September 11 Education Trust web site.

The group’s web site says “The September 11th Education Trust produces comprehensive, flexible, and engaging 9/11 and civic literacy education programs that are personalized and enriched through first-hand accounts, filmed oral histories, and authentic, primary archival materials to permanently record this shared historic event in a way that is not stagnant, but inspiring and relevant to the nation's youth.”

Taking advantage of technology

September 11 lesson plans are not limited just to traditional classroom teaching methods. There’s a interactive web site built around the curriculum. Professors and students are encouraged to share their own videos and lesson plans as well as discuss the questions raised in their classrooms.

The Associated Press reports that the September 11 lesson plans also includes an interactive exercise in which students use Google Earth to map terrorist activity.