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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2002

News Release

NEA Develops 'Remember September 11' Web Site

Today, the National Education Association and NEA's Health Information Network released a new Web site, "Remember September 11." Designed to be a comprehensive resource site for teachers, educational support professionals and parents, it includes more than 100 age-appropriate lesson plans to commemorate the first anniversary of this tragic day in U.S. history. These study guides mirror themes of democracy, patriotism and freedom.

Each lesson plan is geared to a specific age group: kindergarten through second grade, second through fifth, sixth through eighth and grades 9-12. Each plan also is divided into four chapters: one that encourages students to face their personal feelings and another that provides facts about terrorism and war. A third chapter, entitled "Do Something," encourages students to be constructive in their communities. "Does your school or community have a disaster plan?" it asks. A final chapter, "In addition..." includes more than 60 links to additional resources and support material. These links will include information on how Americans plan to remember Sept. 11, a debate on how to rebuild at Ground Zero, the current state of the war on terrorism and information for parents. A media section includes a schedule of major Sept. 11 broadcasts.

"Teachers can pick and choose from the available material," says Jerry Newberry, executive director of NEA's Health Information Network. "Some teachers may wish to devote many classroom sessions to specific lesson plans. Others may ask a few questions, then opt to move on."

In addition to the lesson plans, the site will also feature the Patriot Pack - text from freedom inspiring documents like the Gettysburg Address, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Another link, Voices of the Past, Visions for Tomorrow will include excerpts from some of America's most famous speeches, among them Roosevelt's Four Freedoms, Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream, and Cesar Chavez's United We Stand.

"Our goal is to show the history of the United States, to highlight American values of tolerance, democracy and freedom," Newberry says.

Among the lesson plans on the new site is one designed for middle schools students (grades 6-8) called "Let It Begin With One", which shows how a single act of kindness reaches epidemic proportions if repeated twice by each recipient. A kindergarten class could send Liberty and Faith, two patriotically themed stuffed bears - and a journal - to find out how students in the other parts of the country responded to 9/11. A lesson plan for high school students encourages them to visit Web sites remembering the uniformed heroes of 9/11.

The lesson plans were submitted by NEA members and gleaned from special disaster response programs developed by the American Red Cross, the National Association of School Psychologists and several other NEA content partners. The Web site is funded in part by a generous grant from Johnson & Johnson.

NEA president Bob Chase praised the 'Remember September 11' site. "This is a terribly difficult time for all Americans. NEA joins with our fellow citizens to honor our heroes and our country on this day. We hope this Web site offers help in navigating the challenges teachers face in the classroom with addressing this sensitive topic. Our goal is to provide age-appropriate information for them to use as needed."

"Remember September 11" can be accessed via the NEA's portal for members, www.OWL.org, and on the NEA Web site at www.nea.org. Content will be updated throughout the month. After September 11, the new site will serve as an ongoing resource that teachers can use during other times of crisis, tragedy and remembrance.

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.