9/11 Unit Outline

Grades 6-12: Language Arts/Social Studies/History/Journalism:

The Day That Changed America: Remembering 9/11
REMEMBERING 9/11:
 Through research and first-hand accounts attained by conducting interviews, students
will understand and gain perspective of the events of September 11, 2001, and the
aftermath of the even that changed America.
 3 weeks

COMMON CORE & NJ CONTENT STANDARDS:

 6.1 U.S. History: America in the World: D: History, Culture and Perspective, 6.1.12.D.15d;
6.1.12.A.16.a;
 6.2 World History/Global Studies: Contemporary Issues. 6.2.12.A.6c;
 NJSLSA.R7-10 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas;
 RH 6-8.1, RH9-10-1, RH 11-12.1;
 ELA Stnadards: Speaking and Listening: Literacy.SL.6.1
 ELA Standards: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: 6.4-.6
 ELA Standards: Key Ideas: RI 6.1-.3, RI 6.7
 ELA Standards: Research to Build and Present Knowledge: W.6.7-8, 6.9B, 6.10

BIGIDEAS/ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS: ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

 This lesson will help students make  Many journalists coined 9/11 as “the day
connections between historical events that changed America,” and defined it as
and their own lives, learn how 9/11 “the day that changed the world”. Why?
impacted Americans forever, gain a  Is there any way one can prepare for a
more profound understanding of a life-changing event like 9/11? How does
moment in history through eyewitness one move on?
accounts and understand the
importance of first person accounts to  Did 9/11 unite or divide Americans?
historical records.  How did 9/11 change our perspective of
 It is recommended to send notification our world?
to parents prior to presenting the lesson  What misconceptions and tensions have
and documentaries to class as some resulted from 9/11?
images may be too intense for younger
viewers.
 The subjects interviewed may still be
emotional and sensitive to the topic; it is
important to teach students to be
prepared, aware, supportive and
understanding during their interviews.
CONTENT:
 Students didn’t experience 9/11,
however the aftermath of the day is
still felt today and affects their lives
forever. This lesson will help students
understand what happened on
September 11, 2001 and also
comprehend the call for our military
presence in the Middle East.
 Students may have been influenced or
wrongly informed of the events by
conspiracy theories and/or biased with
misguided anti-Islamic beliefs. This
lesson will teach students to be
knowledgeable, responsible citizens as
well as historians researching for
factual accounts of the event.
SKILLS:
 Gather relevant information from
multiple sources
 Demonstrate effective interrogatives
 Demonstrate effective interview and
presentation skills
 Develop active listening skills
 Develop critical thinking skills
 Analyze and reflect on content
presented in diverse formats to build
knowledge of historical facts

VOCABULARY/KEY TERMS:

 TERRORISM; EXTREMISTS; JIHAD; AL-QAEDA; MIDDLE EAST; HIJACKED; “WAR AGAINST TERROR”

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE AND ACTIVITIES:

PRIOR TO DISCUSSION ON 9/11, REFER TO THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES PRESENTED BY PENTAGON

MEMORIAL (SEE RESOURCES):

HTTPS://PENTAGONMEMORIAL.ORG/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/EDUCATIONAL-
RESOURCES/N911MM_TEACHING911GUIDELINES.PDF

INITIAL ASSESSMENT : ACTIVATE AND ASSESS BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE AND HELP STUDENTS ENGAGE
IN THE LESSON WITH A KWL CHART:

HTTPS://WWW.EDUPLACE.COM/GRAPHICORGANIZER/PDF/KWL.PDF

THE 3 COLUMNS OF THE KWL CHART ARE: (K) WHAT I KNOW, (W) WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, (L) WHAT
I LEARNED.

ASK: WHAT DO THEY KNOW? WHAT DO THEY NEED TO RESEARCH PRIOR TO THEIR INTERVIEW?

As President Obama told Kids Press Corps reporters in an exclusive interview, "I
think it's important for us to realize that, as terrible as that day was, it brought
America together and it reminded us that we're all one people."
ASK: HAVE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES IN YOUR LIFE BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TOGETHER WITH FAMILY AND
FRIENDS?

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: (NOT APPLICABLE)

FINAL PERFORMANCE TASK:

STUDENTS WILL CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW WITH SOMEONE THEY KNOW WHO HAS LIVED THROUGH THE
EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. THEY COULD HAVE EXPERIENCED IT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY AS
WITNESSES.

REFER TO STORYCORPS.ORG FOR A VIDEO TUTORIAL AND DISTRIBUTE THE “HOW TO CONDUCT A
JOURNALISTIC INTERVIEW” ON SCHOLASTIC.COM:
HTTPS://WWW.SCHOLASTIC.COM/TEACHERS/ARTICLES/TEACHING-CONTENT/HOW-CONDUCT-
JOURNALISTIC-INTERVIEW/ (SEE RESOURCES)

REVIEW THE STEP BY STEP GUIDE WITH STUDENTS.

STUDENTS WILL SUPPORT THE INTERVIEW WITH RELEVANT, HISTORICAL, FACTUAL INFORMATION
BEFORE, AFTER AND/OR DURING THE INTERVIEW.

THE INTERVIEW MUST BE PRESENTED VIA PODCAST/AUDIO RECORDING OR VIDEO RECORDING VIA
SKYPE/FACETIME/FACE TO FACE. SHOW A VIDEO INTERVIEW FOR REFERENCE/EXAMPLE:
HTTPS://WWW.SCHOLASTIC.COM/TEACHERS/VIDEOS/TEACHING-CONTENT/MEMORIES-911-TEN-YEARS-
LATER/

PERFORMANCE IS ASSESSED BY A RUBRIC. PROJECTS ARE EVALUATED FOR CONTEXT, CLARITY, CONTENT
QUALITY AND OVERALL INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES.

A TYPED TRANSCRIPT OF THE PODCAST WITH CITATIONS OF SOURCES USED FOR RESEARCH IS REQUIRED
AND WILL ALSO BE GRADED FOR ORGANIZATION AND CITATIONS/REFERENCES FOLLOWING APA FORMAT.
RESEARCH SHOULD BE NO LESS THAN TWO PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED.

AFTER THE PODCASTS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED, COMPLETE KWL CHART: (L) WHAT I LEARNED. DISCUSS
AND REFLECT ON HOW STUDENTS FEEL AND THEIR OPINION ON HOW 9/11 CHANGED AMERICA.
LEARNING PLAN & ACTIVITIES:
1. After initial assessment, distribute background information on 9/11 from Scholastic
Grolier Online: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-
content/september-11-2001/ (see Resources)
Prior to reading as a class, share your personal experience/memory of that day.
Explain that many people remember where and when they were when America was
attacked on that day.
As a class, read the brief summary on the events and aftermath of September 11,
2001.
2. Present two videos on whiteboard, both of which summarize the events of 9/11.
Discuss as a class what they learned and how they feel after watching the videos:
The first video is a 9/11 timeline (5min), presented by the History Channel,
https://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks/videos/911-timeline
The second video is also a timeline presented through a compilation of clips of live
news coverage from various news sources as the day unfolded. Each clips averages
40 seconds and should be viewed as a whole as it chronicles the day from 8:30am to
5:23pm, https://archive.org/details/911#videosummary
3. Guide students through an assembled learning resource center designated for
exploration and research on 9/11, including print books, both fiction and non-
fiction, that appeal to various literary needs. Have them rotate in groups from books,
to articles, to computer stations. Encourage students to write on index cards what
they learned at each learning station. Students should spend up to one full class
period on each station.
Books to consider:
What were the Twin Towers?, by Jim O’Connor; 9/11: Artists Respond: Vol 1 & 2, by
Will Eisner; With Their Eyes: September 11th – The view from a highschool at
ground zero, edited by Annie Thoms; On That Day: A book of hope for children, by
Andrea Patel; 10 True Tales: Heroes of 9/11, by Allan Zullo; Chicken Soup for the
Soul of America, by Jack Canfield; I Survived #6: I Survived the attacks of Sep 11,
2001; The 9/11 Commission Report; nine, ten: A September 11 story, by Nora
Raleigh Baskin; Surviving 9/11, by Paul Challen; The 9/11 Report: A graphic
adaptation, by Sir Jacobson and Ernie Colon; Understanding September 11, by Mitch
Frank; The New York Times: A Nation Challenged, by The New York Times
Company;

Print copies of the following articles:

I Was 11 on 9/11: An Eyewitness account of September 11, 2001, by Laura
Modigliani, Scholastic New Edition 5/6
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/i-was-11-911/
Empty Sky: A Personal History of September 11, 2001, by Suzanne McCabe, Junior
Scholastic, September 5, 2011
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/empty-sky/
 Bush Order 9/11 Changes, by Suzanne Freeman
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/bush-orders-911-
changes/
Are We Safer Since 9/11?, by Senator Graham and Tom Ridge
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/are-we-safer-
911/

Set up digital devices, computers/iPads, with the following websites for

further reading, interactive learning, and visual and audio files:
http://amhistory.si.edu/september11/collection/index.asp?seed=901123&offset=4
https://timeline.911memorial.org/#Timeline/2
https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/resources-teaching-and-learning-
about-911-with-the-new-york-times/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
http://www.newsweek.com/day-changed-america-148319

Print the following newspaper web front pages from NYTimes:

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/11/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/12/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/14/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/15/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/16/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/17/
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/indexes/2001/09/18/

4. As students rotate and take notes at each station, stand at one station for presenting
New Yorker cover pages. At this station, students will be prompted with questions
about their reactions and thoughts regarding the messages conveyed in these
powerful covers. Show the following covers on the whiteboard or print (see
Resources) and print/distribute the accompanying questions. This entire activity
and questions were retrieved from https://www.911memorial.org/lesson-plans-
cover-stories

 9/11/01
Display or distribute copies of The New Yorker cover entitled, 9/11/01.
Ask students to look at the cover and write down observations .
Conduct a guided inquiry using the following questions: (note: each question has
the same follow-up question designed to get students to support their responses
with evidence).
What do you notice on this cover? What else do you see? (Repeat this question until
all observations are made.)
 Why do you think this color choice was made? What makes you say that?
How does the use of color convey the mood? What makes you say that?
When was this cover published?
Tell students that the cover was created by Françoise Mouly, the art
editor of The New Yorker since 1993 and her husband, Art
Spiegelman, the cartoonist known for the graphic memoir, "Maus."
Share the following quote from Françoise Mouly.
"…I felt that images were suddenly powerless to help us understand what
had happened. The only appropriate solution seemed to be to publish no
cover image at all — an all-black cover. Then Art suggested adding the
outlines of the two towers, black on black. So from no cover came a perfect
image, which conveyed something about the unbearable loss of life, the
sudden absence in our skyline, the abrupt tear in the fabric of reality.”

 STREET SCENE
Display or distribute copies of The New Yorker cover titled Street Scene.
Ask students to look at the cover.
Lead a guided inquiry by asking the following questions (note: follow-up questions
are designed to get students to support their responses with observations).
Who: Describe the people you see on the cover. Who else do you see?
What: What are the people doing? What objects do you notice? What makes you say
that?
When: When was this made? Why might that be important?
Where: Where does this take place? What makes you say that?
Recap the recorded responses from students. Tell students this cover is connected to
the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Ask students how they would describe what’s going on in the cover to someone who
cannot see it. How does the cover or what’s happening on it make them feel?
Share the following timeline of events with students. Ask them why these events might
be important:
 Sept. 13, 2011: Broadway theater performances resume, with dimmed marquees
honoring the 9/11 victims.
 Sept. 17, 2001: Starting with a moment of silence, the New York Stock Exchange opens
for the first time since the close of business on Sept. 10. Members of the FDNY, NYPD
and PAPD ring the opening bell.
 Sept. 17, 2001: After being canceled for six days, Major League Baseball resumes when
the New York Mets play in Pittsburgh, Pa. Defying league regulations, Mets players
wear NYPD and FDNY caps throughout the season.
 Oct. 9, 2001: Students at Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan return to their
school building.
 Oct. 20, 2001: Celebrities and many in the entertainment industry participate in The
Concert for New York City, a five-hour benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden
 and broadcast internationally.
 Nov. 4, 2001: The New York City Marathon takes place as scheduled.
Share with the students that a big question after 9/11 was “How do Americans
move on with their lives?” and that there is no right or wrong answer to this
question. Conclude by having a discussion with students framed by the following
questions: Why is it important to move on after a tragic event? What might be the
consequences of forgetting?

 Tourist
Display or distribute copies of The New Yorker cover titled Tourist by Edward Sorel.
Tell them that you are going to work together to discover how this cover connects to
both 9/11 and today.
Ask students to look at the cover for one minute and write down what they notice
on a sheet of paper. If working in small groups, ask students to look at the cover and
share their observations.
Lead a guided inquiry by asking the following questions:
Where: Where does this take place? How can you tell?
Who: Who do you see? What makes you say that?
What: What is happening in this image? What are people doing? What makes you
say that?
Why: Why do you think the reactions to the central figure are so different?
Review all student responses to questions and share the following background
information with students:
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, U.S. citizens were deeply concerned about safety.
As a result, the government increased law enforcement’s ability to investigate
suspected terrorists by passing the USA PATRIOT Act and creating the Department of
Homeland Security. After 9/11, many people had a hard time differentiating between
Islam and Islamist-Extremism—the ways in which Muslims and Muslim Americans
were perceived drastically changed after 9/11. Citizens were also encouraged to
watch out for each other and be proactive to prevent another terrorist attack. For
example, the “If you see something, say something” campaign became very prominent
in post-9/11 life.
The title of this cover is Tourist by Edward Sorel. Ask: When was it published?
(March 3, 2003)
What changed in the two years after 9/11? What point do you think the artist is
making with this cover? (Responses may include concerns about security subsiding
over time because people are not paying attention, or increased suspicion of people
perceived to be Muslim.)
What role do you think U.S. citizens should play in preventing future terrorist
attacks? Are there any positive or negative consequences to placing that
responsibility in the hands of citizens?
  Holiday Travel
Display or distribute copies of The New Yorker cover entitled, Holiday Travel. Do not
reveal the title to students.
Ask students to look at the cover for one minute and write down all of the things
they notice on a sheet of paper. If viewing on individual laptops or tablets,
encourage them to use the zoom function.
After one minute, tell students you are going to work together to discover how it is
connected to 9/11 based on their observations.
Lead a guided inquiry by asking the following questions: (Note: each question has
the same follow-up question designed to get students to support their responses
with evidence.)
What people do you see on the cover? Who else do you see?
Where does this take place? What makes you say that?
What is happening on the cover? What makes you say that?
When was this cover created? What makes you say that?
How: How is this cover connected to 9/11?
Tell students that the cover is featured in an exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial
Museum entitled, "Cover Stories: Remembering the Twin Towers on The New
Yorker." There are five sections of the exhibition, Covering the Twin Towers,
Covering 9/11, Covering the Aftermath, Covering Commemoration and Covering the
New World Trade Center. Ask students: Which section would you place this cover in?
Why?
Share the background information about the cover with students:
The U.S. Congress created the Transportation Security Administration in November
2001. Airports around the country implemented rigorous security screening
procedures for passengers and luggage in an effort to prevent future attacks. Security
measures were taken so seriously that The New Yorker suggested an exception could
not be made even for Santa Claus and his bundle of holiday presents.
What does this response by the U.S. government tell you about the concerns of the
country immediately after 9/11?

EXTENDED ACTIVITY:
 Propose a field trip to Liberty State Park (visit 9/11 Memorial and view
skyline. Show skyline photo of NYC before 9/11). Take ferry to NYC 9/11
Memorial and Museum where students can hear first hand accounts and
view artifacts.
RESOURCES:
https://www.911memorial.org/lesson-plans-cover-stories
https://archive.org/details/911#videosummary
https://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks/videos/911-timeline
https://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/kwl.pdf
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/encountering-history-911-lesson-
plan/
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/search-results/?search=1&filters=&text=9%2F11

Retrieved from https://pentagonmemorial.org/sites/default/files/educational-

resources/N911MM_Teaching911Guidelines.pdf

Guidelines for Discussion about 9/11

Discussion about the events of 9/11 has the potential to inspire strong emotions and trigger intense
memories for some students and educators. The challenge is complicated by the diversity of students,
their respective ages, and their various associations with, and prior knowledge of, 9/11. For example,
high school students may need opportunities to discuss their questions and concerns, while upper
elementary and middle school students may have less knowledge of the basic facts and how 9/11 is
relevant to their lives.

To Structure Classroom Conversations:

BE CLEAR ABOUT THE VARIOUS GOALS FOR ANY CLASSROOM DISCUSSION ABOUT 9/11: • To
acknowledge the anniversary of 9/11. • To provide students an opportunity to discuss their memories of
9/11. • To offer students a safe environment to ask questions about the events of 9/11. • To help students
recognize, articulate, and perhaps channel strong and complicated feelings that surround the anniversary
of 9/11 into productive and meaningful actions.

PREPARE FOR CLASSROOM DISCUSSION. • Be aware of your own reactions to the subject matter, and
recognize any images and/or words that you find distressing or meaningful. • Think about how you want
to acknowledge your own memories and emotions in discussion with students.

CREATE A SHARED UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE EVENTS OF 9/11 • With students, define the scope of
what happened on 9/11. Not every student will have clear memories of the event, and many will have
basic factual questions. • Our website, www.national911memorial.org, has information about the events
of 9/11, including a brief film (9/11: Stories of Survival and Loss) that offers first-person testimony about
the events of the day. In addition, there are features on the historical origins of the attacks and expert
analysis of ongoing issues. Please visit our website to find downloadable timelines, webcasts, images and
articles to support teaching about 9/11, in addition to recommended links to other 9/11 teaching
resources. • Be honest about what happened: nearly 3,000 people died - on the planes, at the Pentagon
and at the World Trade Center in NYC; of the approximately 17,400 people who were in the North and
South Towers of the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, 2001, approximately 15,000
people evacuated safely; there are signs everywhere of safety measures and emergency planning
procedures that were put in place after the events of 9/11.
BE PREPARED TO LISTEN TO STUDENTS AND LET THEM ASK QUESTIONS • Young adults appreciate the
opportunity to talk about their feelings and concerns. They welcome respectful discussion about serious
topics, and value the thoughtful perspectives of adults and peers. • Reactions among students may vary
from no evident response to intense emotion. Use simple discussion prompts to initiate conversation:
What do you remember of the days surrounding September 11, 2001? What are your thoughts about the
events of September 11, 2001? Why do you think people choose to honor this day? • Some students may
simply welcome the opportunity for discussion prompted by the stories on the film or in the news; in
other classrooms, this may be the beginning of further units of inquiry and/or classroom activity.
• While some groups may respond with spontaneous conversation, others may prefer to engage through
writing, drawing or other activities.

BE AWARE THAT STUDENTS WHO HAVE A HISTORY OF TRAUMA ARE MOST VULNERABLE. • Students
who witnessed the events of 9/11 firsthand, who were close to a victim or a survivor of the attacks, who
have a parent or family member in the military, whose daily routines were disrupted, or who have a
history of violence or abuse may experience extreme emotions around the anniversary or as a result of
discussion. • While reactions among students may vary, pronounced aggression, indifference, or
withdrawal may indicate that a student is feeling overwhelmed. • Students need reassurance and support.
They may need time to compose themselves and they may need teachers and peers to reinforce their
sense of being in a safe environment for strong emotions. • Erratic behavior, energy level and school
performance are often associated with adolescents, but extreme behavior that persists beyond a week
may indicate acute distress. If this is this case, contact both the school counselor and the child’s parent or
guardian to ensure that the student is further assessed.
Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/september-11-2001/

A brief summary on the events of the day and its

aftermath
 Grades
3–5

F RO M

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked, or took control of, four airplanes in the
United States. They flew two of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center
in New York City, causing the towers to catch fire and collapse. Another plane destroyed
part of the Pentagon building (U.S. military headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. The
fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All told, nearly 3,000 people were
killed in the attacks. The events of September 11 (often called "9/11") have been
described as the worst-ever terrorist attacks against the U.S.
Investigations revealed that the hijackings were carried out by 19 men — five on each of
the first three planes and four on the last. All 19 were reportedly linked to the terrorist
group Al Qaeda (ahl KAY-dah). The group's leader, Osama bin Laden, operated out of
Afghanistan. The U.S. government identified bin Laden as the main planner of the
attacks.
It was not the first time that bin Laden was held responsible for attacks on the U.S. The
U.S. government implicated him in the earlier World Trade Center bombing of 1993 and
in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
In response to the September 11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush proclaimed a
war on terrorism. Bush demanded that the Taliban, the Islamic group that ran
Afghanistan's government, hand over bin Laden. The Taliban refused. On October 7,
2001, the United States began air strikes on targets in Afghanistan connected to bin
Laden and Al Qaeda. That launched the Afghanistan War. U.S.-led forces soon toppled the
Taliban and helped build a more democratic government in Afghanistan.
About 100,000 U.S. troops are now serving in Afghanistan. More than 2,100 U.S. soldiers
have been killed there since 2001. Since the war began, many top Al Qaeda leaders have
been captured or killed. But until recently, bin Laden could not be found. He was
suspected of hiding out in the mountains near the border of Pakistan.
On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced that U.S. military forces located
and killed Osama bin laden in Pakistan.
September 24, 2001
9/11/01
By Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly
Courtesy of The New Yorker © Condeé Nast
October 1, 2001
Street Scene
By Edward Sorel
Courtesy of The New Yorker © Condeé Nast
March 3, 2003
Tourist
By Edward Sorel
Courtesy of The New Yorker © Condeé Nast
December 3, 2001
Holiday Travel
By Istvan Banyai
Courtesy of The New Yorker © Condeé Nast
The U.S. Congress created the Transportation Security Administration in November 2001. Airports
around the country implemented rigorous security screening procedures for passengers and
luggage in an effort to prevent future attacks. Security measures were taken so seriously that
this New Yorker cover suggests an exception could not be made even for Santa Claus and his
bundle of holiday presents.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/how-conduct-journalistic-interview/

Proper research and preparation are essential to a

successful interview.
Gra –5, 6–8

F RO M

One of the hardest skills for a young reporter to master is interviewing. It takes
preparation and persistence to conduct a good interview. Follow these steps and learn
how to interview like a pro.

Step 1: Research, Research, Research

Then research some more. The only way to come up with good questions is to know
everything there is to know about your subject.

Step 2: Contact the Person You Wish to Interview

Ask when a good time would be to do the interview. Be polite. Say "please" and "thank
you." Try to set up the interview in person. If this isn't possible, then set up a phone
interview.

Step 3: Read Over Your Research and Brainstorm a List of 15

Questions
The more specific your questions are, the better. And never ask questions that can be
answered with a simple yes or no. Make your interviewee talk.
Be sure to write all your questions down in a notebook, then practice asking them with a
partner. Become very familiar with your questions before you go into the interview.

Step 4: Come Prepared

You will want to bring:

 A pencil

 A notebook

 A list of good questions

 A recording device (always ask permission before

recording an interview)

Step 5: Be on Time
Arrive at your interview with plenty of time to spare. If you’ve never been to the place
where your interview is taking place, go early and scout it out. There is nothing more
unprofessional than a reporter who is late.
You can also use the time you are waiting to make notes about the surroundings. You
won’t remember details later, so write them down.

Step 6: Conduct Your Interview in an Organized, Timely Manner

During the interview:

 Be courteous to your subject.

 Always take time to ask for an explanation about things

you don't understand.

 Don’t be afraid of uncomfortable silences and pauses.

 Let the interview take its natural course.

 Look the person in the eye when asking questions.

 Always listen carefully to the answers. Each answer could

lead to more questions or include an answer to a question
you haven’t asked yet. Don't ask a question that has
already been answered. Your subject will know you weren't
listening and be insulted.

 Don't read through your questions one right after another

like you can't wait to be finished. Conduct your interview
like a conversation. One question should lead naturally
into another. If you are LISTENING to the answers this will
come naturally.
  Also, take notes on what the person looked like, what the
person was wearing, where he or she sat. If the interview
is in an office, make notes of what is on the walls and on
the desk. The objects people surround themselves with
hold important clues to their personalities. Ask about any
object that interests you. You’ll find some good stories.

Step 7: Even If You Are Recording an Interview, Take Notes

Don't try to write every word said. It will slow down the interview. Just take down the
highlights.
After the interview, while the details are still fresh in your mind, write everything down
you can remember about the person you interviewed. Don’t forget to make note of the
sounds in the background. Take note of what was happening around you. Write it all
down as soon as possible.
At home, expand your notes by following up on things you learned in your interview with
more research.

Step 8: Review Your Research and Your Interview Notes

Circle or highlight quotations that you think will be good for your article. Now you're
ready to begin writing.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/bush-orders-911-changes/

Bush Orders 9/11 Changes

By Suzanne Freeman

 By Suzanne Freeman
In 2004, President George W. Bush signed four
executive orders, the first steps in meeting the
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report.
Grades
3–5, 6–8
President George W. Bush signs executive orders and directives on Friday, August 27,
2004, in the Oval Office.
(Photo: © White House photo)
Friday, August 27, 2004 —Four executive orders issued today by President George W.
Bush could be the first steps in meeting the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission
Report. In an election year, however, the effectiveness of those steps has become the
center of a heated argument.
The Bush Administration says the President has gone as far as he can under the law.
Congress will need to act to finish the job. Critics of the executive orders say Bush did
not go far enough soon enough. They also accuse him of acting in his own best interests
rather than the nation's.
"If George W. Bush were serious about intelligence reform, he'd stop taking half-
measures and wholeheartedly endorse the 9/11 Commission recommendations and work
for their immediate passage by Congress," said Rand Beers, the national security adviser
for the John Kerry campaign.
A senior White House official praised the President's actions, saying he went as far as he
could without congressional action.
"These executive orders and presidential directives make good on the President's
commitment to the 9/11 Commission Report," said a senior White House official in a
conference call with reporters. "This will push intelligence reform and strain the limits of
his executive power. It will strengthen the foundation we can build on with Congress. This
is a down payment on the President s enduring commitment."

The Details
The first of the four executive orders expands the powers of the director of the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA). The 9/11 Commission has recommended that a national
intelligence director be appointed to oversee the nation's 15 intelligence agencies. The
new antiterror director should have complete control of the agencies' budgets, which
total $40 billion a year.
"[Bush] gave the director of central intelligence right now every power he was capable of
giving him, within the limits of his executive authority," the senior White House official
said. "By law, he can't go further than that right now, and that's why we want to work
with Congress."
Currently, the CIA is headed by acting director John McLaughlin. He replaced George
Tenet, who stepped down in July. Bush has nominated Representative Porter Goss, a
Republican from Florida, to the position. Goss, who was the former House intelligence
chief, will face Senate confirmation hearings this month.
The second order calls for the creation of a counterterrorism center. The center, which
would be run by a presidential appointee, would collect information on suspected
terrorists. It would also coordinate the different agencies involved in gathering and
acting on intelligence information.
The intelligence agencies must share information with one another, the President
demands in his third executive order.
The fourth order creates an appointed board to investigate charges of civil rights
violations by intelligence agencies. The board would recommend changes in operating
procedures to the President in an effort to safeguard citizens' civil liberties.
Bush's Democratic challengers, Senators John Kerry and John Edwards, say the orders are
not enough.
"Expanding the powers of the existing director of central intelligence is a far cry from
creating a true national intelligence director with real control over personnel and
budgets," said vice-presidential candidate Edwards.
Leaders of a congressional committee appointed to respond to the 9/11 Commission
Report welcomed the executive orders. Senators Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine,
and Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, issued a joint statement about the
orders.
"Executive orders are only steps and ultimately will not be able to substitute for the
legislation we hope to move in a bipartisan fashion through our committee in
September," the statement read.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/are-we-safer-911/

Are We Safer Since 9/11?

By Senator Graham, Tom Ridge

 By Senator Graham, Tom Ridge

The government has taken steps to improve
security, but disagreement exists over their
effectiveness.
Grades –8

Yes
From airports to sports arenas, most Americans have experienced some of the security
measures implemented since Sept. 11, 2001. Yet color-coded threat announcements and
magnetometers at concerts are only part of homeland security after 9/11.
America is safer today thanks to comprehensive efforts behind the scenes. We continue
to increase the layers of security and strengthen information sharing at all levels of
government and in the private sector.
One example of new technologies is the Homeland Security Information Network, a
computer-based system designed to strengthen the two-way flow of threat information.
This initiative includes a 24/7 operations center — the primary national nerve center for
incident management operations. For the first time, first responders and private-sector
partners have real-time communications with officials and lawmakers nationwide.
The Homeland Security Advisory System is our much-publicized color-coded system,
which not only indicates changes in the threat level to the public, but triggers extensive
protective actions in communities nationwide.
Students, their families, and all Americans can assist professionals by remaining vigilant,
being patient with new security measures, and visiting www.Ready.gov or calling 1-800-
BE-READY for more information about being prepared.
These new tools help thwart the terrorists and defend America. While there is still much
to be done, we continue to work together every day to protect and prepare our great
nation.
—Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security

No
Three years after the devastating 9/11 attacks, the government has not done enough to
protect Americans against terrorists.
Because this is such a large country and we pride ourselves on being a free and open
society, we will never be able to guarantee against another terrorist strike. But there is
much that we can do to lessen the odds.
The biggest problem has been the war in Iraq. President Bush diverted military and
intelligence resources from Afghanistan to Iraq before we finished the job against Al
Qaeda. Osama bin Laden and other top operatives remain free. As a result, Al Qaeda has
regenerated and launched deadly strikes in Spain, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and
elsewhere.
Our long occupation of Iraq and incidents like the Abu Ghraib prison abuse have inflamed
anti-American feeling in the Muslim world. Terrorist networks have been able to recruit
new members at an alarming rate.
At home, our highest priority should be reform of the intelligence community, which
includes the CIA and a dozen other agencies that must function as our early-warning
system.
Several panels of experts have found serious problems in the way our intelligence is
gathered, analyzed, and used. Former CIA Director George Tenet said he recognized the
threat Al Qaeda posed in 1998 — and that he declared war against it. But few inside the
CIA, and no one at other agencies like the FBI, responded to that battle cry.
Overhauling the intelligence community has been recommended for years, but there has
been little, if any, real action.
—Senator Bob Graham, Democrat of Florida

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/i-was-11-911/
"I Was 11 on 9/11": An Eyewitness Account of September 11, 2001
By Laura Modigliani

 By Laura Modigliani
A student from New York City tells what it was like
to live through the tragic day.
Grades
3–5, 6–8

September 11, 2001, was Emily Sussell’s fourth day of sixth grade. She attended
Intermediate School 89 in New York City, four blocks away from the World Trade Center.
The school stood in the shadows of two 110-story skyscrapers known as the Twin Towers.
As she sat in social studies class at about 8:45 a.m., Emily heard a loud crash.
“We felt the building shake a little bit and heard a shattering boom,” she says.
An airplane had flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Emily and her
classmates quickly evacuated their school. A family friend came to pick up Emily. As they
went outside, Emily looked up at the towers.
“It looked like a giant hole through the top of the tower, filled with flames,” she says. “I
could feel the heat of the fire on my face, even four city blocks away.”

Running for Her Life

The family friend took Emily a few blocks to Public School 234, where Emily’s mother
worked. As they waited for instructions on what to do next, a second plane hit the south
tower. Emily and her mom soon left the school — just as the south tower collapsed. They
ran to escape the huge cloud of smoke and debris.
“I remember thinking that these kinds of things happen only in movies, not to me,” Emily
says.
At 10:28 a.m., the north tower crashed to the ground. By then, Emily and her mom were
safely in another school about two miles from the World Trade Center.

A National Tragedy
Like many people, Emily first thought the crashes were an accident. That changed when
she learned what had happened near Washington, D.C. A third plane had slammed into
the side of the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The five-sided building is the headquarters
of the U.S. military.
As news reports soon revealed, terrorists had hijacked, or taken over, the planes and
flown them into the buildings on purpose. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Many people believe it was headed for the White House or the
U.S. Capitol.
The events of September 11, often called 9/11, stunned the nation and the world.
In just a few hours, close to 3,000 people had been killed. More than 400 of them were
firefighters and police officers who were trying to rescue people in the Twin Towers.

The Aftermath
Following 9/11, the U.S. government took many steps to try to make the country safer. It
tightened security at airports and in public buildings. Within a month of the attacks, the
U.S. would go to war to hunt down the people who had planned the attacks.
Like many Americans, Emily recovered from the tragedy slowly. Clouds of toxic dust from
the disaster hung in the air in her neighborhood. Her family couldn’t return home for
nearly two weeks. She and her classmates had to attend another school for almost six
months.
Today, Emily, 21, is in her final year of college at the State University of New York at New
Paltz. She says 9/11 is still a big part of her life.
“It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me, and I survived it, so I think that
I’m braver now,” she says.
“It’s definitely made me more grateful for all of the things in my life.”

This article originally appeared with the title “I Was 11 on 9/11” in the September 5,
2011, issue of Scholastic News Edition 5/6.
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/empty-sky/

"Empty Sky": A Personal History of September 11, 2001

By Suzanne McCabe
 y Suzanne McCabe
An editor for Junior Scholastic recalls how the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, changed
her family — and the nation.
Grades
3–5, 68

On the evening of September 11, 2001, six dads from my hometown of Rumson, New
Jersey, didn’t come home from work. Their cars sat empty in the parking lot of the
commuter ferry they’d taken into Manhattan that morning. Their seats at the dinner
table have been empty ever since.
My brother Mike was one of those dads. He and more than 2,700 other people were killed
at the World Trade Center in New York City when ten members of Al Qaeda, an Islamic
terrorist group, crashed two hijacked planes into the Twin Towers.
The 9/11 attacks were the deadliest on U.S. soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor
in December 1941, and they would change the nation profoundly.
I was on a commuter ferry headed to downtown Manhattan when the first plane struck
the North Tower. It was 8:46 a.m. I knew that my brother, who had started a job as an
equities trader at Cantor Fitzgerald a week earlier, would already be at his desk. I would
soon learn that he was on the 104th floor of that 110-story building.
“As you can see,” the ferry captain said over his bullhorn, “a plane just crashed into the
World Trade Center.”
We could see the Trade Center and the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan — still 40
minutes away — with aching clarity. As Mike, an avid bodysurfer, surely would have
noted, it was a perfect beach day, crisp and cloudless.
I tried him on his cell phone several times but couldn’t get through. Service had already
become sporadic so I couldn’t reach his wife, Lynn, or any other family members either.
As the ferry continued across the Hudson River to New York, we watched smoke spewing
from the upper floors of the North Tower.
At first, it seemed as if the crash had been some terrible accident. Then, just 17 minutes
later, a second plane sliced through the top of the South Tower.
Everyone gasped. America, we realized, was under attack.
Still, we sailed on. We passed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, all eyes glued to the
two towers. While smoke billowed from one, orange fireballs ringed the other.
Paper and shards of glass began to rain down on the streets, and thick black soot coated
much of the sky. I tried to picture Mike and his best friend, Michael Tucker, or “Tuck,” who
also worked at Cantor, racing down the stairs to safety.
When our ferry docked in Lower Manhattan, we were instructed not to get off. Instead,
we would take on people who had fled the Trade Center and nearby office buildings, and
head back to New Jersey.

Other Attacks
I looked for my brother and Tuck in the crowd on the pier. If anyone could escape that
building, I thought, it was those two guys. Mike had lifted weights since high school and
was a great basketball player. And Tuck was as big and strong as the guys on the
Syracuse University football team he once roomed with. As we sailed back to New Jersey,
the smell of death and burning plastic began to fill the air. But nothing prepared us for
what happened next. We watched in stunned silence as the South Tower collapsed in a
massive swirl of ash. It was 10:05. Less than a half-hour later, the North Tower fell,
leaving us, in the words of Bruce Springsteen, with nothing but an empty sky.
We soon learned that there had been other attacks. Shortly after 9:30 a.m., hijackers had
crashed a plane into the Pentagon, the U.S. military headquarters outside Washington,
D.C., killing 189 people. And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, passengers on a fourth plane,
known as Flight 93, brought down their hijacked jet in a field when they realized it was
headed for either the White House or the Capitol. All 44 people onboard died.
That morning, my brother’s three children and thousands of others were called from their
classrooms. My niece Regan, then 8, remembers an unfamiliar teacher arriving at the
door during art class.
“Come with me, please,” he said, “and bring your belongings.” When Regan and her
brother and sister got home, their mom was in the driveway, her face ashen.
They went inside and turned on the TV. “I’d never seen those two buildings before,”
Regan says. “Flames and chunks were tumbling down. ‘Your father is in there,’ my mom
managed to say. Then she burst into tears.”
A decade later, those memories are still raw for everyone who lived through that day.
“Any time I hear ‘9/11,’ it just brings everything back,” says John Pollinger, who was the
police chief of Middletown, New Jersey, in 2001. His town of 68,000 lost 37 people that
day.
Pollinger was at the ferry landing when my boat got back. “People were shell-shocked,
stunned, covered with dust,” he says. “I told my detectives, ‘Get on the ferry. Go over
there. See what you can do.’”
In the end, there was little anyone could do besides tend to grieving families and try to
recover the bodies of those who had died.

Life Without Dad

My brother’s children have had to grow up without their dad. He has missed their field
hockey games, skateboarding competitions, proms, and graduations. He didn’t live to
see their funny texts or Facebook posts.
Most important, he’s missed seeing the extraordinary young adults they’ve become.
Thousands of other families have faced the same heartbreaking loss.
More than 400 firefighters and other rescue workers who went into the burning buildings
to try to save people like Mike and Tuck also died on 9/11. Countless others spent months
at the site, which came to be known as Ground Zero, searching through the rubble for
bodies, trying to give families some measure of peace. Often, all they found were bone
fragments.
Many Ground Zero workers have since developed severe lung ailments from the
pollutants they inhaled. Some have died. Those remaining live with the trauma of what
they saw.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that our friends and people we didn’t even know were there
to look out for us. They stuck by us when we needed them most. My family and so many
others lost a lot on 9/11. We also incurred a debt that we can never repay.

This article originally appeared with the title “Empty Sky” in the September 5, 2011,
issue of Junior Scholastic.