Educators Use Projects, Technology To Teach About 9/11

WOODSTOCK, GA -- With the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks just days away, educators in Georgia are well-aware of their duty to explain this history-altering event to their students.

And these teachers, recognizing that many of their students have little to no experience with what happened during those terrifying hours, are using their skills to break down that day's events to their pupils.

In Georgia, steps will be taken to ensure the "study of this tragic event" will be included in state instructional standards.

Matt Cardoza, spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Education, said the current and recently revised social studies standards that will be implemented for the 2017-18 school year will cover the topic.

"It is up to local school districts to determine instructional resources and daily lesson plans that are based on the standards," he added.

Georgia DOE resources include a program called Teacher Notes, which provides educators with the pertinent information needed to help them teach about that day's events in a detailed manner. That resource, Cardoza added, is available at GeorgiaStandards.org.

In the Cherokee County School District, educators are using unique ways to teach their students -- many of whom were not even born when the terrorist attacks struck America -- about 9/11.

At Bascomb Elementary School in Woodstock, fifth-grade teacher Suzy Gebhart said she focuses on the official name for Sept. 11: Patriot's Day. She works to explain how the day got its name "by connecting it was what they learned in fourth grade about the patriots and the difference."

Students are also given mini apple pies, mini hot dogs, and a small cup of Coke while listening to the 9-11 tribute version of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless America." Gebhart also shows a kid-friendly PowerPoint that explains the events, and "I help guide the facts."

"We all wear red, white, and blue and create a flag made of linked construction paper strips to demonstrate 'United We Stand'," she added.

Fellow fifth-grade teacher Cortnie Freeman of Ball Ground Elementary School said the lesson she outlines to her fifth-grade students help them understand the significance of the event.

"I focus on heroes of the day, and how we can all be heroes in our lives by helping others even if in small ways," Freeman said. "I try to focus on how we can use negative events and find positive ways to heal from them."

The youngsters in Sandi Price's class at Knox Elementary School in Canton take a different route. Price said she has her students conduct three brief interviews during the week leading up to Sept. 11. These students can talk to their parents, family friends or distant relatives about 9/11.

"This allows discussions at home to help build background knowledge for our class lesson/discussion," Price stated. "They love being able to share about these discussions with their partners, table groups, and class.

To the west at Cartersville High School in Bartow County, video broadcasting teacher Tyler Putnam had his students interview several teachers as well as Mayor Matt Santini. The students asked the educators what they remembered about 9/11.

Putnam said the students completed the interviews and edited the recordings on their own, with the goal of showcasing their project Sept. 9.

"I think the students had a great experience working on this project," Putnam added. "They were able to hear from people they know who actually remember and lived through the attacks on 9/11. The students who are in school today were either very young or not born at all. I hope that this project will help them better understand the events that took place that day and how it affected the world we live in today."

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