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Read the press release here.

City Introduces 9/11 Curriculum for Schools

By Tuan Nguyen | September 1, 2011 6:57pm
“The tenth anniversary will be an emotional, difficult time for many New Yorkers, so it’s important that our students understand what happened that day,” said Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott in a statement.
“The tenth anniversary will be an emotional, difficult time for many New Yorkers, so it’s important that our students understand what happened that day,” said Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott in a statement.
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www.911memorial.org

MANHATTAN — Just days before the 10th Anniversary of Sept. 11, the city Department of Education released a new curriculum to help schools discuss the terror attacks with their students.

Developed jointly by the DOE and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the curriculum focuses on, among other things, the sacrifices of first responders and context of the event.

“The tenth anniversary will be an emotional, difficult time for many New Yorkers, so it’s important that our students understand what happened that day,” said Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott in a statement. “We’ve created a guide to discussing these events with students in a meaningful way that is also academically rigorous.” 

In a letter to school officials, Walcott said, “We have a responsibility to help them learn that the attacks of 9/11 were an attack on all New Yorkers, our nation as a whole.”

The materials can now be downloaded from the 9/11 Memorial website and a resource page can be found on the DOE website

Teachers are encouraged to integrate the lessons into their curriculum for the school year in Social Studies, History, English Language Arts, and Art.

The lesson plans, written with the help of New York City public school teachers, are divided into four categories: Historical Impact; Community & Conflict; Heroes & Service; and Memory & Memorialization.

While they are designed to give context to the 10th Anniversary commemoration ceremonies, the lessons also focus on improving writing and critical thinking for students in all grades.

“We hope these lesson plans will not only teach children about the history of 9/11, but also about the responsibility of being an American and maintaining the very freedoms that terrorists sought to destroy ten years ago,” said 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels.