This year is the 20th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. Can you believe it has been 20 years??? I remember that day. I was in 3rd grade. I lived in Ohio at the time, so I was already in school at the time of the attacks. I remember our teachers were told what happened, but they weren't allowed to tell us what happened. We were supposed to ask our parents when we got home. It was a scary day, full of many unknowns, for me and so many others.
Every year, my family always takes time to commemorate the events of that day. We usually listen to Lee Greenwood sing "God Bless the U.S.A.". (click here)
We also love this A Cappella version by Home Free. (click here)
As a first grade teacher, I was usually off-track during the month of September (year-round school), but I did learn about some great resources to teach (even very young) children about the events of 9/11. One of my favorite books to teach children is called Fireboat (click here).
The author tells the events of September 11th, as she tells the true story of the John J. Harvey fireboat that actually helped put out the fires in New York City that resulted from the terrorist attacks. I like the way the author focuses the story on the many (sometimes unseen) heroes of that day and the way people came together in response to something terrible.
For older children, I would recommend America is Under Attack: September 11, 2001 (click here). It is an incredibly written and illustrated book by Don Brown (who is famous for his nonfiction books about world events). It shows some of the events from the perspective of not only the people who were watching, but people inside the Twin Towers.
I'm so grateful for the heroes of that day. I'm sad that those devastating events occurred, but proud of the amazing way that our country came together that day and every day since.
I would love to hear what you do to commemorate Patriot Day. Comment below!