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9/11 Ideas for the Middle School ELA Classroom

September 11 Ideas

for the

Middle School ELA Classroom

9/11 Themes

Focus on the Helpers & Volunteers, Sacrifice, Service, Kindness, Peace

The Man in the Red Bandana video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWKPjSirbcU

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Online Articles

Text Sets available at www.newsela.com (free— just sign up, login, and search for “September 11, 2001” or “Patriot Day” to find many choices for your grade level.

Leveled texts also found at www.commonlit.org, specifically at 

https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts?searched_from=sidebar&query=9%2F11

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Short Stories

Read the picture book Fireboat aloud (Puffin, 2002).

YouTube read-aloud & images located at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39KcDdCW6I8

Read aloud this one for a different perspective:

Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 by Julie A. Gassman, Steve Moors

Accompanying YouTube / History Channel documentary

“BOATLIFT, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience” located at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOrzF7B2Kg

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Read aloud the picture book Fourteen Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

YouTube read-aloud & images located at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QVhwCHeIX8

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Poems

“The Names” poem by Billy Collins

See / hear him read it aloud as he connects it with reflections of 9/11

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/poetry-names

Poem text located here:

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-names-3/

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Song Lyrics & Videos

Listen: “Our City, Our Story” 9/11 Series 

Listen & choose ahead of time

A summary of each episode is included to help you decide!

https://www.911memorial.org/our-city-our-story-podcast-series

Or, just do a search in your Podcast APP (itunes, stitcher, etc.)

Compare the tone of these two songs (original & remake)

Simon & Garfunkel: “The Sound of Silence” video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLfCnGVeL4

Disturbed: “The Sound of Silence” video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Dg-g7t2l4

“The Sound of Silence” Lyrics:

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+sound+of+silence+lyrics&oq=the+sound+of+silence+lyrics&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64.162673j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

“Into the Fire”

Bruce Springsteen’s video “Into the Fire”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylt1ZqPZYOc

Song lyrics found here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=bruce+springsteen%27s+lyrics+into+the+fire&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjClcjM2abdAhUL2qwKHX20AjAQBQgmKAA&biw=1279&bih=627

View lyrics / listen to the song “Believe” by Yellowcard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq0wkNt7r5g

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Thought-Provoking 9/11 Memorable Quotes

Use in a gallery walk with writing and discussion as a way to close the unit

https://www.success.com/13-thoughtful-quotes-to-remember-911/

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