Teaching Elementary Students about 9/11

Yesterday was September 11th, a day that makes all American adults pause and remember. Most of you know that I teach 4th grade, that means that I am currently teaching students that were not alive in 2001. They only know the story of the World Trade Center Attacks as just that, a story. So the question is, how do we handle 9/11 with kids so young?

To start this conversation I ask my kiddos to tell me what they know about 9/11. We listen and talk. As the conversation turns into more questions than facts I play a video from BrainPOP. The video is normally the featured video on Sept. 11th, so even if you don't have a BrainPop subscription you can still show the video for free.

After the video the kids and I read the story Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey. The students and I talk about the book, and how normal people became heroes that day. Fair warning to read it first before you read it to your kids...I get choked up every year.

Then we read September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right. This book was written by a first grade class. It shares how the students knew everything would be okay. Many of you know that I am in a private school, so I am able to share with the kids that we can trust in God when bad things like this happen. I remind them that it isn't a surprise to God, and that even though we don't know why He allows bad things to happen we can trust that He will help us through it. It's a good lesson for me to remember too.

How do you explain 9/11 to your students? What are your favorite activities to do with your kiddos to help them deal with such a heavy topic?