The September 11th Education Program

This incredibly comprehensive two-disc examination of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is intended to help students understand the impact of the event and its place in American history. The first disc begins with a 12-minute “Remembrance Presentation,” which consists of interviews with relatives of some of the victims, followed by video support for the seven curriculum units encompassed by the program. Lesson one, for example, titled “Visualizing 9/11,” features conversations with two on-the-spot photographers, then–New York senator Hillary Clinton, and survivor Brian Clark, in addition to a brief slideshow (which includes a ghastly image of a man falling to his death). Disc two presents a timeline of the day's events, with up to half a dozen video segments tied to each significant moment, beginning with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani recalling how beautiful the morning was, continuing with the first plane slamming into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. through the structure's collapse at 10:28 a.m., and ending with reactions throughout the rest of the day. In addition, we witness accounts of many who escaped death because they stopped to vote in the city's primary election or took their children to school and were therefore late to work. The set includes a 167-page packet with reproducible student handouts for the seven lessons, “Remembrance Presentation” discussion questions, a Google Earth file, and the complete 9/11 Commission Report. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H. (J. Whiting)