This year marks the tenth anniversary of a pivotal moment in US history, 9/11.  Like many people, I still remember exactly where I was standing and what I was doing when I heard the news about the Twin Towers crumbling.

History.com will be showing a program on 9/11 that documents events of the day; it will be available at that site beginning at 8:46 am and throughout the day.  Below is a brief description:

"As the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded in New 
York City, some witnesses were frozen with shock, 
some stopped to help those in need, and others ran for 
safety as the world tried to make sense of the growing 
disaster. Some onlookers grabbed their video cameras 
to record history as it happened; despite the chaos 
and danger, many of them kept their cameras rolling 
throughout the catastrophe. With no voiceovers or 
commercial interruption, 102 Minutes That Changed 
America is a seamless historical record that retraces the 
events of that tragic morning through real-life camera 
footage from more than 100 individual sources. 
With carefully compiled amateur and professional
footage presented in chronological order, 102 Minutes 
That Changed America serves as a permanent 
historical archive for future generations to see.
Educators and students can use this program to 
discuss the role of the professional media and amateur
journalists in recording the events at the World Trade 
Center as they happened, and to consider the ongoing 
ramifi cations of that tragic day."

This is suitable for mature students high school age and above.  I will probably preview it before showing it to my older kids to be sure they can handle it.  A teacher’s guide is available here.  There are also other short videos and materials on topics related to the day that might be more suitable for a middle school age student.

Avivah