THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
Rescue Recovery Response
TEACHER GUIDE
New York State Museum
This exhibition has been made possible by:
George E. Pataki, New York State Governor
New York State Office of General Services
New York State Department of Correctional Services
Office of the State Comptroller, New York
New York State Police
Division of Military and Naval Affairs
New York Army National Guard
New York City Fire Department
The firefighters and families of Engine Company 6
of the Fire Department of New York City
New York City Police Department
New York City Department of Sanitation at the Fresh
Kills Landfill
New York City Office of Emergency Management
The New-York Historical Society
The Museum of the City of New York
The New Jersey Historical Society
AmeriCare
The Salvation Army
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Aon Corporation
Phillips & Jordan Inc.
Christina Steel Inc.
Gould Erectors
Iron Workers Local No.12
The New York State Museum is especially grateful to
The World Trade Center Fresh Kills Landfill Recovery Operation. Special
thanks to
NYPD Fresh Kills, Incident Commander Inspector James Luongo,
Lt. Bruce
Bovino and the NYPD Staten Island Landfill Recovery Team, Richard Marx
Special Agent, FBIÊand the Federal Bureau of Investigation Forensic
Evidence Recovery team. Dennis Diggins, Landfill Director.
LETTER TO EDUCATORS
Dear Educators,
The New York State Museum is proud to present this
guide for teachers in conjunction with our exhibition, The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response. Normally many
years go by before museums tell the history of such an event. Never in the
history of this Museum did curators and exhibitions’ staff move so
intently to preserve the elements of history unfolding around us. We share
with you the fascinating story of how current history is documented, collected and preserved.
We use images and artifacts to tell the compelling
stories of what happened on September 11, 2001 and the days that followed.
Although the average visitor saw extensive media coverage of the attacks,
not as much detailed information was available to provide context or a
history of the site. The objects and images in the exhibition are powerful
ways to tell this story unique to a museum setting.
Before the World Trade Center exhibition opened to the
public in the State Museum’s galleries, we were unsure about public
response. Would children understand and take away something meaningful from
the exhibition? After seeing the exhibition, does the visitor know more
about the history of the WTC and the scope of the attacks? After the
gallery opened, it was clear that visitors of all ages had a strong
interest in examining this history. We have witnessed a strong and
continued response to the exhibition.
Our guide will provide you with methods for recording
and documenting the story of current events. You are provided with tools
you can use in your classroom. Activities in the guide correspond to New
York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum, so they can be
incorporated easily into units you are already teaching. Before each
activity, the specific Learning Standards and Core Curriculum concepts are
listed. You will find that each activity can be tailored to any grade level
and students have an opportunity to demonstrate several skills. We hope
that you find this guide a valuable resource as you outline your lesson
plans for the year.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication in
bringing excellent educational opportunities to America’s children.
Mark Schaming
Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs
New York State Museum
INTRODUCTION
During the 1960s, the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey began work on an ambitious new project to provide a headquarters
for international trade. The Authority chose Lower Manhattan as the site
for this new center for world trade, and it named Minuro Yamasaki architect
for the project. The Port Authority required twelve million square feet of
office space on a site sixteen acres in size. Yamasaki eventually settled
on twin towers after rejecting over 100 other designs. By the time
constructiohad begun in 1968, the plan called for the World Trade Center to
be the world’s tallest buildings.
The World Trade Center opened for business in April of
1973, and for the next twenty years carried out its mission as a center for
World Trade. Then in February 1993, terrorists attacked the Twin Towers
with a truck bomb placed in an underground parking facility beneath the
site. While the bomb caused extensive damage to the garage, it did not
succeed in bringing down the towers as planned. Following the attack, the
Trade Center implemented new security measures to stop a truck bombing from
happening again.
Few could imagine that on September 11, 2001
terrorists would again strike the World Trade Center, this time using
hijacked commercial passenger jets as missiles. Two planes struck the Twin
Towers, and within hours the World Trade Center had collapsed. On that day
2,819 people died in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
and the crash of a hijacked jet in a Pennsylvania field.
The wreckage of the Twin Towers was sent to the Fresh
Kills Landfill on Staten Island so workers could search for human remains,
personal objects, and evidence of the attacks. The landfill had closed in
March 2001 but was reopened for the World Trade Center debris. Fresh Kills
was a suitable location for the recovery operation because of its
accessible location, its proximity to the resources of the New York City
Department of Sanitation, and its ability to be secured.
The World Trade Center: Rescue Response Recovery is an exhibition by the New York State Museum. It documents
the attacks on the World Trade Center and the days and weeks that followed.
The exhibit is divided into three parts. Rescue
tells the story of the emergency workers at the
Twin Towers in the first 24 hours after the attack through the eyes of the
New York Fire Department’s Engine Company 6, which lost four
firefighters in the towers’ collapse. Recovery documents the painstaking process of sifting through the
1.8 million tons of World Trade Center debris at Staten Island’s
Fresh Kills Landfill. Response presents some of the many ways people from throughout
New York, across the country, and around the world reacted to the attacks.
The objects in this exhibition represent a broad
spectrum of material from the World Trade Center collapse uncovered from
the mountains of debris by the dedicated workers at the Fresh Kills
landfill. This hidden history provides remarkable insight into the World
Trade Center tragedy.
ABOUT “FRESH KILLS”
The word “kill” is Dutch for small stream.
As the Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in the New York City area,
many place names reflect this Dutch heritage. The New York City Department
of Transportation lists bridges in the area that cross waterways that use
this Dutch term: Arthur Kill, Dutch Kills, Fresh Kills, and English Kills.
Explore with your students the names of local
waterways. What do their names tell us about the people who named them?
EXHIBIT GOALS
The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response
exhibition brings the story of September 11, the World Trade Center, and
the attacks to the public in order for the visitor to experience these
historic events with greater clarity and dimension. Through objects and
images from the various sites, films, interactive computer terminals and a
changing gallery of sympathy material, the visitor will have a memorable
visit and leave with not only a history of the events of 9-11 but also
about the epic recovery and renewal in the days and years after.
EXHIBIT CONTENT
While viewing the exhibit, there are many activities
you can do with your class in addition to the pre- and post-visit
activities suggested in the exhibit guide that follows. Some are listed
below:
These activities are designed to coordinate with a
visit to the three sections of the exhibit, Rescue, Response, and Recovery. In addition, there are also two comprehensive activities that
cover the entire exhibit. Each activity contains a vocabulary list,
suggestions for further reading, and a listing of the New York State skill
goals, content goals, and learning standards it meets. All definitions have
been adapted from the Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com) and the Library of
Congress.
Exhibit
Exhibit items:
• Artifacts from the WTC
• Photographs
• Interactive computer stations
• Motion picture
Exhibit sections:
Introduction—a brief
overview of the World Trade Center construction
and history
Rescue—the first 24
hours following the attack with timeline, and artifacts
Recovery—the
operation at Fresh Kills including artifacts and photographs
Response—the public
reaction to the attack, including artifacts,
film, and oral history
Social Studies
Activities
Follow the story of the first 24 hours after the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Trace sequence of recovery efforts from Ground Zero to
Fresh Kills.
NYS Learning Standards
1.2—understanding chronological ordering;
creating timelines.
Activities
Discuss the need for health and safety precautions
used by recovery workers.
NYS Learning Standards
1.4—identifying cause and effect; drawing
inferences, making conclusions.
Activities
Should objects from the tragedy be preserved in a
museum? Explain.
NYS Learning Standards
1.2—significance of historical evidence; primary
source material.
English Language Arts
Activities
Summarize what the artifacts tell us about daily life
at the World Trade Center.
NYS Learning Standards
1.1—condensing information; organizing data.
Activities
Objects provide clues to answer questions. Discuss
objects that show the occupations of people from the World Trade Center.
NYS Learning Standards
3.2—identifying attributes; discriminating among
variables.
Activities
Make a list of some of the special terms that are used
in this exhibit. Use the glossary provided to find definitions.
NYS Learning Standards
1.2—developing vocabulary.
Activities
Evaluation: in your journal write a description of
memorable objects you saw in the exhibit.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
These activities are designed to coordinate with a
visit to the three sections of the exhibit, Rescue, Response, and Recovery. In addition, there are also two comprehensive activities that
cover the entire exhibit. Each activity contains a vocabulary list,
suggestions for further reading, and a listing of the New York State skill
goals, content goals, and learning standards it meets. All definitions have
been adapted from the Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com) and the Library of
Congress.
Rescue
New York City’s Engine Company 6 was the first
to respond to the World Trade Center site September 11, 2001. Their pumper,
on display at the Museum, was especially designed to push water all the way
to the top of the 110-story towers. Rescue tells their story against a timeline of the events of
that day.
In the Rescue Exhibit:
Students can explore the interactive kiosk comparing
the September 11th with other disasters to hit the United States.
ACTIVITY: Evacuation Plans
(suggested for grades K-6)
Background:
• During your visit to the Rescue section, students can
examine the rescue equipment on display. Each piece had a specific job to
do in the event of an emergency. Students can think about what each piece
was used for.
• The Fire Helmet protected the fireman’s head.
• The Fire Engine brought firefighters to the fire and pumped water to help put it
out. The engine on display was especially
designed to pump water to the top of the 110-story World Trade Center.
• The Stand Pipe provided water for hoses on each floor of the World
Trade Center.
• The Fire
Extinguisher was used to help put out
small fires with a chemical that cut off the oxygen supply a fire needs to
burn.
• The In Case of
Fire sign showed emergency escape routes.
• The Backboard was carried on ambulances and fire engines and was
used to carry sick or injured people away from danger. Straps held people
onto the board.
• The Air Tank, called a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA),
similar to a scuba tank, delivered clean air to firefighters in a smoky
fire. It weighs thirty pounds.
Skill Goals:
• Write to transmit
information.
• Present
information clearly, concisely, and comprehensibly.
Content Goals:
• Organize
information according to an identifiable structure.
Learning Standards:
• English Language
Arts 1.2
Vocabulary:
Equip: to make ready for service or action.
Equipment: materials a person or thing needs for a specific job or
task.
Evacuate: to leave a place in an organized way especially for
protection.
Rescue: to free from confinement, danger, or evil.
Activity:
Students can create an evacuation plan for their
school. Students should think about the steps necessary to get out in the
event of an emergency. Then draw a map with two possible routes out of the
building and write step-by-step instructions for other members of the
class. Students should trade instruction sheets and maps with one another
to try out each other’s escape routes. The instructor should time the
students while they try to get out following their classmates’
instructions. See which route or routes are the fastest. Compare
students’ routes to the official school evacuation plan.
Further Reading:
Dee Ready. Community
Helpers: Fire Fighters. Bridgestone Books:
1997.
Overview of firefighting geared for
2nd and 3rd graders. Offers photos and vocabulary.
Gina Kinton Gorell. Catching
Fire: The Story of Firefighting. Tundra:
1999.
A book geared especially for middle
school students presents a history of firefighting, how to fight fires,
and the many different types of fires, including several famous blazes.
Recovery
Immediately after the attacks, officials reopened the
Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island to receive World Trade Center debris.
Workers at the landfill sorted through 1.8 million tons of debris to
recover human remains, personal effects, and evidence of the terrorist
attack. Recovery
tells the story of the recovery operation that lasted from September 12,
2001 to June 28, 2002.
In the Recovery Exhibit:
Students can view the Recovery section to see everyday
items from the World Trade Center. Read the gallery panels to learn about
what was inside the Twin Towers.
ACTIVITY: A Small Town
(suggested for grades K-8)
Background:
The World Trade Center was very much like a small
town, and it had much in common with a town or a city. Each day 50,000
people worked in the World Trade Center, more people than live in most of
New York’s towns or live in any one of
thirteen of New York State’s 62 counties. The complex housed Manhattan’s largest mall, a large hotel, and many
restaurants. There were over 75 retail stores and parking for 2,000 cars.
The World Trade Center had its own police, fire, and security force, and
army of maintenance staff, countless electricians, a huge air conditioning
plant, and a steam plant to generate heat. In fact, the World Trade Center
used more electrical power in one day than most small American cities.
Skill Goals:
• Investigate why people and places are located
where they are.
• Use research skills to locate and gather
information about geography.
• Interpret and analyze information from
nonfiction books and reference materials.
• Develop arguments with effective use of
details and evidence.
Content Goals:
• Analyze questions and issues using the six
essential elements of geography.
• Acquiring, organizing, and analyzing
geographic information.
• Read to acquire information, collect facts,
and discover relationships.
• Present opinions and judgments on ideas and
information clearly and logically.
Learning Standards:
• Social Studies 3.1
• English Language
Arts 1.1 & 3.2
Vocabulary:
Population: the whole number of people in a country or region.
Trait: a feature used to tell something apart from others.
Activity:
Using an atlas, students can identify several towns or
cities in New York State with populations around the same size as the World
Trade Center. (Examples include the city of Binghamton at 47,380 and
Hamburg at 56,259). Choose one town and describe the traits it has in
common with the World Trade Center. What is different? Students can
identify and list several things that are the same and several things that
are different. They can then compare and contrast their chosen town with
the World Trade Center as either an oral exercise or an essay.
This activity has been adapted from the History
Channel’s extensive World Trade Center teacher’s guide.
http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/guides/wtcfinal.pdf
Further Reading:
Albert Lorenz. Metropolis. Harry N. Abrams: 1996.
A
book for ages 9-12 giving an overview of the development of cities.
Ann Heinrichs. New York (America the Beautiful Series)
2nd
edition. Children’s Press, 1999.
A book geared to middle-school students covering the
geography of New York State.
Written before the attacks on the World
Trade Center.
New York State municipal populations, 2000
Census.
http:
//www.nylovesbiz.com/nysdc/census2000/corrections/pltab1.pdf
A PDF file of municipalities in New York with their 1990 and
2000 populations.
ReSPONSE
In the wake of the tragedy, people from all over
America and the world created unprompted memorials as an outlet for grief
and to comfort aid workers. Others opened their hearts and their buildings
to workers. Response presents a rotating display of the many ways people reacted to the
attacks.
In the Response Exhibit:
Students should think about the many different types
of materials on display and make a list of the different ways the museum
conveys information.
ACTIVITY: How a Museum Works
(suggested for grades K-12)
(You may want to use this activity as preparation for the Build an Exhibit in Your Classroom activity below.)
Background:
The New York State Museum began working with other
museums and government agencies to help salvage important materials within
weeks after the destruction of the World Trade Center. The Museum also
collected over 100,000 memorial objects created by people from all over the
world to express sympathy and grief over the events of September 11, 2001.
Each piece collected in the Museum was an important piece of evidence to
help tell the story of September 11. Museum staff had to make many
difficult decisions about what items to collect and even harder decisions
about what items to display. The staff had to consider the importance of
each object, the reaction visitors might have to each item, and how each
item would help tell the story of the World Trade Center.
Skill Goals:
• Understand how different experiences, beliefs,
values, traditions, and motives cause individuals and groups to interpret
historic events and issues from different perspectives.
• Consider the sources of historic documents,
narratives, and artifacts and evaluate their reliability.
• Develop arguments with effective use of
details and evidence.
• Listen attentively to others and build on
other’s ideas in conversations with peers and adults.
Content Goals:
•Explain the significance of historical
evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence.
• Present opinions and judgments on experiences,
ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically, and persuasively.
• Talk with people of different ages, genders,
and cultures.
Learning Standards:
• Social Studies 1.4
• English Language
Arts 3.1, 3.2 & 4.1
Vocabulary:
Debris: what is left when something is broken down or destroyed.
Evidence: something that provides proof.
Museum: a place that gets, cares for, studies, and displays objects.
Salvage: property saved from destruction (like from a wreck or fire);
something taken from a place (like from the trash) that is valuable or
useful. Explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the
importance, reliability, and validity of evidence.
Activity:
Students can imagine they are workers in a local
museum. Discus why do we have museums? What is inside a museum? Select an
event (like local history, birthdays, etc.) and decide what types of items
a museum could collect to display this event. What process should a museum
use to decide what items to show for significant events? Choose which items
are important or interesting and explain why. Students can think about and
discuss with each other what they need to do to tell a story so that
visitors will understand.
Further Reading:
Jason Cooper. Museums
(Great Places to Visit Series). Rourke Book
Company: 1992.
An introduction to museums,
the kinds of museums, and what they contain.
Saul Rubin. Offbeat
Museums: A Guided Tour of America’s Weirdest and Wackiest Museums. Black Dog & Leventhaul, 2001.
From the Museum of Bathroom Tissue to the Cockroach Hall of Fame,
this book is sure to provide fodder for discussion about just what a makes
a museum.
COMPREHENSIVEACTIVITY 1: Oral History
(suggested for grades 7-12)
At the Museum:
Students should view one or more oral history videos
located in the viewing room of the World Trade Center exhibit. Each video
presents the eye-witness account from someone who saw the events of
September 11 firsthand.
Background:
Oral history records the impressions, ideas, and words
of people who experienced events first-hand. It forms an important record
of the event as seen through the eyes of people who were there and
experienced it in different ways. Oral history is the oldest type of
history. It existed long before the written word. Native American groups
used oral history to record their past for thousands of years. Beginning in
the 1940s, historians began to use tape recorders to record the exact words
of eye-witnesses to history, everything from major events to descriptions
of everyday life. These archives preserve a view of history that is not
always recorded in books, especially concerning the role of women and
minorities, who have been historically underrepresented in history
textbooks.
Skill Goals:
• Categorize types of information that can be
learned from oral interviews and audio presentations.
• Understand that within any group there are
many different points of view depending on the particular interests and
values of the individual.
• Compare and contrast several interpretations
of key events in New York State history.
• Describe historic events through the eyes and
experiences of those who were there.
• Write an essay.
• Listen attentively to others.
Content Goals:
• Listen to acquire information and
understanding.
• Evaluate criteria from a variety of
perspectives and recognize the difference in evaluations based on different
sets of criteria.
• Understand the importance of changing and
competing interpretations of different historical developments.
• Talk with people of different ages, genders,
and cultures.
Learning Standards:
• English Language Arts 1.1, 3.1, and
4.1
• Social Studies 1.3, 1.4
Vocabulary:
History: a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a
nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes.
Oral history: historical information obtained in interviews concerning
personal experiences and recollections; also :
the study of such information.
Activity:
Take notes on the oral history videos and write down
how each person experienced September 11, 2001. Interview friends or
relatives about where they were on September 11, 2001. Write an essay
comparing and contrasting the different perspectives of that day and
consider why the people had different experiences on September 11.
Further Reading:
Donald A. Ritchie. Doing
Oral History, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press,
2003. This book provides a highly detailed
guide to doing oral history. Written for the college student or
professional.
Dean Murphy. September 11:
An Oral History. Doubleday, 2002.
This book presents stories of September 11 as told by the
people who were there.
On the Web:
Listening to History
A
lesson plan for grades 6-8 from the National Endowment for the Humanities
EdSiteMent
website. This is a very detailed plan for preparing,
conducting, and reporting oral histories.
http:
//edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=299
The Oral History Association
A group dedicated to oral history; provides standards for oral
historians.
http:
//omega.dickinson.edu/organizations/oha/
COMPREHENSIVE ACTIVITY 2: Build an Exhibit in Your
Classroom
(can be adapted for grades
K-12)
Background:
We do not usually think about everyday objects and
current events as future history, but they are. Students’ concert
tickets and programs, clothing, computer games, and CDs could someday be
the artifacts displayed in museum exhibits about life at the beginning of
the 21st century.
Events they live through could be the topics of those exhibits.
Some events will not be recognized as historic when
they happen. Other events will be immediately recognized as such. The
exhibition World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery
Response uses artifacts, photographs,
videos, and oral histories to document the history of September 11, 2001
and to tell how the items were recovered after the towers fell. These items
are important for what they tell us about the World Trade Center: what
happened there daily; the people who worked at the WTC; the responding
rescue crews; why the buildings fell; and the recovery process and the
people who conducted it.
Skill Goals:
• Compare and synthesize information from
different sources.
•Use a wide variety of strategies for
selecting, organizing, and categorizing information.
• Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant
information.
•Evaluate the sources of historic documents,
narratives, or artifacts.
•Understand individual perspectives on historic
events.
Content Goals:
• Read to acquire information.
• Collect data, facts, and ideas.
• Produce a record
that can be transmitted to others.
• Explain the significance of historical
evidence.
Learning Standards:
• English Language Arts 1.1
• Social
Studies 1.4
Vocabulary:
Artifact: an object
created by humans remaining from a particular period.
Chronological: arranged in
or according to the order of time.
Crosscheck: to check
information in different sources to make sure it is correct.
Delegate: to give
responsibility or authority to someone else.
Docent: a person who leads guided tours especially through a museum or art
gallery.
Exhibit: to show or
display publicly.
Primary Source: a
source which shows firsthand knowledge about a particular historical event;
an actual record that has survived from the past such as a letter,
photograph, oral history, sound recording, film or videotape, or artifact.
Secondary Source:
information about historical events that is not firsthand or information
about primary sources or discussing primary sources, like history books,
web pages, and documentaries.
Theme: a subject or
topic of discussion or of artistic representation.
Activity:
This activity can be done in its entirety, in parts,
or be adapted to the needs of the class. For example, the teacher can
easily change the sequence of activities or use them as parts of other
lessons. The teacher may instead choose to have students simply discuss how
research is conducted, how sources are evaluated, or how exhibits are
built. This can be done in class before or after your visit to the Museum,
or while viewing the exhibit. Students can research museum careers and
determine which staff members are responsible for each step of exhibit
production.
There are many steps to producing an exhibit in the
classroom. The best way to get ideas is to visit a museum to observe and
analyze different types of exhibits. Once you and your students have
decided to produce an exhibit, here is a suggested process to follow.
1. Choose a theme for your display.
• Has there been a recent event in your area or
project at your school that you want to tell others about? What are you
studying that you want to know more about? Will your topic interest other
students or your parents?
• What types of resources can you use? What
objects might be available at school and at home to use in making a display
of your theme?
• Will you be able to gather enough information
about this theme? If not, you may have to change your theme.
2. Write a timeline with deadlines for all stages of
research, planning, and production. Make a chart of the process you will
follow.
3. Do the research.
• Locate related objects, photographs, etc. that
might be available to use for the duration of the exhibit. Get as much
information about each item as possible. Write a paragraph that includes
what the object is, how it connects to the theme, how it is used, what it
is made of, who owns it, etc.
• Use libraries and the internet to gather
information. Take notes on all the information you gather. Make a record of
all your sources for a bibliography.
• Evaluate the sources, decide whether they are
primary and secondary sources, and determine how reliable they are. If
possible, crosscheck the accuracy of all information collected. Have a
teacher, a librarian, or a parent or guardian help you.
4. Organize the exhibit.
• Decide what you want your visitors to see or
learn. Write a list of objectives or goals.
• Choose how to organize the information. Should
you organize geographically, chronologically, by making comparisons, or by
creating a storyline?
• Make an outline your exhibit content before
you set it up. Choose the information that you want to include. List which
objects, photographs, etc. you will use to illustrate each point.
• Decide how to present your ideas. Should you:
place artifacts in an exhibit display case; build a model; construct a
timeline; build a period room? To interpret your exhibit, will you reenact
an event; use interactive components; present information using exhibit
labels; use additional brochures; use background music; train guides; or
use a combination of formats?
6. Plan the production of the exhibit (design,
construction and all writing and programming).
• Work as a group to divide and to delegate
responsibility to smaller groups or individuals for each stage of planning
and production.
Design and plan construction
• Decide whether display objects need to be
protected inside an exhibit case or will be touchable; how much space you
have to work with; and whether you will need electrical power.
• Draw a floor plan. Make sure the exhibit is
accessible to all visitors and no exits are blocked.
• Determine where objects and labels will be
placed in the display.
• Make a list of all the materials and equipment
you will need for construction.
• Write labels that explain what you are
showing.
7. Build and install the exhibit.
• Follow your production timeline. Make a
checklist for all jobs.
• If you use guides, write a script so they know
what to say at each stop in the exhibit.
8. Hold an opening and welcome visitors.
9. Evaluate the success of the exhibit.
• From the perspective of students: What went
wrong? What went right?
• Is there anything you would do differently if
you did this again?
This outline has been adapted from the extensive Young
Curators curriculum of the Cotsen Children’s Library at Princeton
University.
http:
//www.princeton.edu/~cotsen/education/young_curators/curriculum/
Further Reading:
Stuart A. Kallen and Julie Berg. The Museum (Field Trips). Checkerboard
Library: 1997.
Describes different types of
museums and what’s inside.
John L’Hommedieu. Working
at a Museum (Working Here). Children’s
Press: 1999.
Kids’ guide to careers
working at a museum.
Keith Goddard and Andrea P. A. Belloli. Make Your Own Museum. Ticknor
and Fields, 1994.
Interactive book for
children introduces them to museums with text about the many kinds of
museums and a punch out museum to build and reusable works of art to
place inside.
COMPREHENSIVE ACTIVITY 3: Document Based Questions
Discussing September 11 Through Symbols
Skill Goal:
• Investigate key turning points in New York
State and United States history and their significance.
• Present arguments for certain views or actions
with reference to specific criteria.
Content Goal:
• Illustrate the connections of people and
events from a variety of perspectives.
• Writing for critical analysis and evaluation.
Learning Standards:
• Social Studies 1.2
• Language Arts 3.2
This task is based on the accompanying documents (1-
6). Some of these documents have been edited for the purposes of this task.
This question is designed to evaluate your ability to work with historic
documents. As you analyze the documents, take into account both the sources
of the document and the author’s point of view.
Directions: Read the
documents in Part A and answer the questions after each document. Then read
the directions for Part B and write your essay.
Historical Context: On
September 11, 2001, terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon. Another plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Both towers of the
World Trade Center collapsed in the attack, and another skyscraper fell
later in the day due to heavy damage. After the attack, many people tried
to make sense out of what went on that day. Both the media (newspapers,
magazines, television, and the internet) and an exhibit at the New York
State Museum used symbols to help the public understand what happened.
Task: Write an essay
to explore the way the media and the New York State Museum use symbols to
discuss the events of September 11, 2001.
Part A: Short Answer
The documents below relate information about the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from the media the day after the
attacks and from the New York State Museum today. Examine each document
carefully, and then answer the question that follows it. These answers will
help you in part B.
Document 1 – Newspaper Account of September 11
New York: A City Turned Upside Down
Fires Rage, Hospitals Appeal for Help; National Guard Fans Out
in Manhattan.
NEW YORK, Sept. 11—The symbol of the
nation’s financial might was a smoldering wreck tonight as a third
tower collapsed at the World Trade Center and the realization came that
thousands likely lay dead in the rubble of two of the world’s tallest
buildings...
Life in the city turned upside down. The roller-blade
paradise of Liberty Park in Lower Manhattan was transformed into a triage
[medical priority] center, and Chelsea Piers, an upscale body-toning center
on the Hudson River, became a makeshift morgue. President Bush declared the
city a major disaster area.
—Michael Powell
Washington Post, September 12, 2001
According to the document, why did the terrorists
choose to strike the World Trade Center?
Document 2 – Editorial Cartoon about September
11
How does the cartoonist depict American emotions
following September 11?
Document 3 – Magazine Article about September 11
If you want to humble an empire it makes sense to maim
(hurt) its cathedrals. They are symbols of its faith, and when they crumple
and burn, it tells us we are not so powerful and we can’t be safe.
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, planted at the base of Manhattan
Island with the Statue of Liberty as their sentry (guard), and the
Pentagon, a squat, concrete fort on the banks of the Potomac, are the
sanctuaries of money and power that our enemies may imagine define us. But
that assumes our faith rests on what we can buy and build, and that has
never been America’s true God.
—Nancy Gibbs
Time Magazine, September 12,
2001
Why does the author believe symbols can’t define
America?
Document 4 – NY State Museum Wall Text Panel
About the World Trade Center
The World Trade Center is a living symbol of
man’s dedication to world peace… beyond the compelling need to
make this a monument to world peace, the World Trade Center should, because
of its importance, become a representation of man’s belief in
humanity, his need for individual dignity, his belief in the cooperation of
men, and through this cooperation, his ability to find greatness.
—Minuro Yamasaki
Chief Architect of the
World Trade Center Complex
Opening Ceremonies and Dedication April 4,
1973
Identify at least three qualities the author hoped the
World Trade Center could symbolize.
Document 5 – NY State Museum Artifact Display
and Text Label
Engine Company 6 was located in various places in
lower Manhattan until it found its current home at 49 Beekman Street. Due
to its proximity to the World Trade Center, the engine had a specially
built pump that could push water to the top of the 110 story towers.
Firefighters from Engine 6 were first responders on September 11 and hooked
into a Trade Center standpipe [fire hydrant] on West Street. The collapse
of the North Tower destroyed the pumper.
How does the fire engine help people understand what
happened September 11?
Document 6 – NY State Museum Artifact and Text
Label
The flag hanging directly above you was flying at the
World Trade Center when it collapsed. It was discovered in the debris by
the evidence recovery teams. Following the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001, Americans used their most powerful symbol of freedom in an act of
patriotic solidarity as our flag was seen in unprecedented [not seen
before] numbers.
Why did the recovery teams save the flag to display in
the Museum?
Part B: Essay Task:
Using the documents above, your answers to the
questions in Part A, and your knowledge of social studies, write a
well-developed essay that includes an introduction, support paragraphs and
a conclusion. In your essay, explore the various ways the media and the New
York State Museum use symbols to discuss the events of September 11, 2001.
Further Reading:
Magnum Photographers and David Halberstam. New York September 11.
Powerhouse Books, 2002.
A visual history
with photographs documenting September 11 and its aftermath.
Internet Resources:
New York State Archives: Educational Resources
http:
//www.archives.nysed.gov/a/nysaservices/ns_educational.shtml
This selection of educational resources from the New
York State Archives includes information on how to use historical records
in the classroom.
The History Channel World Trade Center Teacher’s
Guide
http:
//www.historychannel.com/classroom/guides/wtcfinal.pdf
The guide provides a guide to the History Channel
documentary “The World Trade Center.” It includes questions and
answers about New York City and September 11, 2001 and a worksheet for
students.
9/11: The Book of Help Teacher’s Guide
http:
//www.911bookforteens.com/tg.html
This teacher’s guide talks about the power of
the written word and provides guidelines especially for teenagers on how to
write about their feelings about September 11, 2001.
PBS: The Center of the World Teacher’s Guide
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/newyork/tguide/
This guide was produced in conjunction with the film
“The Center of the World” about the World Trade Center. It
includes activities in several subject areas including civics, history,
geography, and economics. It is aimed at secondary students.
WORLD TRADE CENTER
Rescue, Recovery, Response
Teacher Guide Evaluation
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Additional Comments:
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Thank you for your participation in this evaluation.
Please fax or mail this evaluation to:
Director of Museum Education
New York State Museum
Cultural Education Center 3029
Albany, New York 12230
FAX: 518-473-8496
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