Explaining 9/11 to kids?

Question

I'm a school teacher, and every year we have a 9/11 remembrance ceremony, where we have a moment of silence and then sing "America". Now that it's been a some years, and most of the kids don't remember what happened, what is a short simple way to explain it to them?

Answer 1

Play them the song by Lee Greenwood. Explain to them that many lives were lost as a result of terrorism. Explain terrorism to them as people who aren't happy with America. I would obviously leave out anything religion wise as you don't want them to develop their own sterotypes.

Btw, Proud to be an american was the song we listened to for weeks on the morning announcements in the wake of 9/11. That memory instilled pride and patriotism in me back in elementary school.

Answer 2

I don't know if you actually want to explain what happened, but if you ask me, you shouldn't.  Personally, I think you should just explain what 9/11 means to America now. It is a day where we all come together and remember hard times that as a country, we were able to overcome. It is a day of patriotism. I guess you could just say that a plane crashed into a building (don't mention the deaths, etc), but if you ask me, that's just going to make kids scared of flying on planes. Just don't focus on the actual accident.

Answer 3

Keep it simple...maybe "some bad people decided to attack us on this day, 7 years ago".  If you could find a picture of the twin towers, perhaps put that up and say that we lost them and, more importantly, many people as a result.

Answer 4

Im surprised that an elementary school would have such a remembrance it seems to me that explaining it to the children would probably scare them. not only that, but since they dont remember it, they wont full grasp what 9/11 actually means.

  

Answer 5

tell them its a special day that lots people were in an accident and idk.