Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Blog Post: Essential Questions for Teaching September 11"

September 11, 2001

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:37:49 GMT

September 11, 2001 was a shocking day in American history. By using this OurStory module from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, children and adults can start discussing the events of that day through children's literature, museum objects, and hands-on activities. Focused around The Little Chapel that Stood a work of children's literature about a Ground Zero chapel that became a hub of rescue and recovery efforts, the module includes links to hands-on activities and a list of recommended readings for further exploration.

September 11: Bearing Witness to History

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:37:06 GMT

This online exhibition commemorates the tragic events of September 11, 2001. It includes highlights of the exhibition that was on display at the Museum from September 11, 2002 until July 6, 2003, including selected objects, photographs, personal stories and video. Students can also search over 100 objects related to the event from the Museum's collections, listen to oral histories of curators as they tell stories about collecting the objects, and have the opportunity to link to the September 11 Digital Archive in order to read unedited first-person accounts of the events of September 11 and then share their own memories. Some of the material included in the archive may not be suitable for young children.

September 11: Teaching Contemporary History Online Conference

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:39:17 GMT

In August 2011, the National Museum of American History, National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Pentagon Memorial Fund, and Flight 93 National Memorial, offered an online conference, September 11: Teaching Contemporary History, for K-12 teachers. This website includes the conferense sessions, which highlighted resources available at each organization, provided background information on September 11, and encouraged conversations on how to document, preserve, and interpreted recent history and current events. The site also includes frequently asked questions about September 11 and the memorial sites, K-12 resources from the Museum and the memorial sites, timelines of the events at each site, and access to an online community group for further discussion about September 11.