On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. They crashed the planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City; the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia (outside Washington, D.C.); and a field in Pennsylvania. The world was changed forever.

Dear Teachers,

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, challenged the core of our humanity. The impact was felt across the world.

Americans have only begun to comprehend the national and global implications of 9/11. As a global community we try to make sense of what happened and why, and how it could have occurred. We rely on eyewitness accounts, the media, and personal dialogue for answers.

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, The Path to 9/11 (an ABC miniseries that details the historical events leading up to 9/11, beginning with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) will air as a nationwide broadcast. This dramatization of events is based on The 9/11 Commission Report, published in July 2004. Created by Congress and President Bush, the 9/11 Commission was a bipartisan group charged with providing an account of the events surrounding 9/11 and recommendations for preventing future attacks.

The Path to 9/11 offers your students and their families important information regarding the causes of and events leading to that tragic day. Encourage your students and their families to watch The Path to 9/11 and use the accompanying Resources and Discussion Guide pages to:

• Track the historical time line of events before, during, and after 9/11
• Lead critical discussions about these events
• Use critical-thinking skills and analysis in classroom debate

It is important to look back over the past five years and consider the events that have occurred, what led to those events, and how they impact the future of our nation and the world.

Objectives:

• To encourage students to gain a global understanding of communities and cultures
• To engage critical-thinking and critical-viewing skills
• To encourage student political awareness and involvement through discussion and debate
• To promote media literacy to remind students to view what they absorb from the media with a critical eye

Materials:

Resource Sheets and Discussion Guide: Easily downloadable PDFs within this site!

Set Up And Prepare:

Thursday, September 7
Friday, September 8
Teacher Note: Distribute Student Resource Sheets 1 and 2 and review the terms and definitions as a class. As students prepare to watch Part 1 of The Path to 9/11, remind them to refer to these sheets for background information.

Student Resource Sheet 2 (PDF)

Sunday, September 10
8:00 P.M., E.T.: The Path to 9/11, Part 1

Monday, September 11
8:00 P.M., E.T.: The Path to 9/11, Part 2

Teacher Note: Distribute the Classroom Discussion & Debate Sheet (Part 1) for students to complete. Discuss their responses as a class.

The Path to 9/11, Part 1: Classroom Discussion & Debate (PDF)

Tuesday, September 12
Teacher Note: Distribute the Classroom Discussion & Debate Sheet (Part 2) for students to complete. Encourage students to continue the dialogue at home with friends, study groups, or family members by using the Beyond the Classroom Discussion and Debate Sheet.

The Path to 9/11, Part 2: Classroom Discussion & Debate (PDF)

Beyond the Classroom Discussion and Debate (PDF)

Sensitive Discussion Topic: The topics covered in The Path to 9/11 mini-series and accompanying Discussion Guide are sensitive. We advise you to inform students of the topic before teaching this material. Some students may choose to opt out of watching or discussing the content.

Directions:

Distribute the Resource Sheets and Discussion Guide Sheets (see PDFs above) as you prepare your class to watch The Path to 9/11 and discuss the events detailed in The 9/11 Commission Report.

Related Resources