How do you explain history of an event just ten years old to younger children?
Those now in school were not yet born or too young to remember what happened on September 11, 2001. I have not seen recent history books for school students, but it is likely that this event is not covered until the end of the chronology if at all. What can you do to help a generation raised on phrases "9/11," "terrorism," "extremists," and other related phrases? How do you link this event to what has happened since?
In my thesis (on an unrelated topic) I indicated that children are capable of understanding more than they are often given credit for, but it has to be presented in a manor they can understand. For that project I gave mostly books relating to segregation as examples, but I have recently discovered another, aired on a major commercial television station of all places, and mostly devoid of the sensational photographs and voyeurism of the events of the day. Those of us that are my age (and our parents) may remember a fairly regular series on Nickelodeon called Nick News, which at the time covered everything from President Clinton's sex life (in the middle of the Lewinsky affair) to segregation. Because of all the confusion for small children around the 10th anniversary, Nick News has returned (as it does from time to time) with a special half hour broadcast.
Ellerbee and Nick News have developed a program that covers the facts without punditry or sensationalism. It puts into "conversation" (I use quotes because this special does not have the gathering of people face to face that many Nick News episodes did) children today with both experts including the former chief of the 9/11 Commission, a former assistant secretary of DHS, among others including Ari Fleischer. To put the tragedy in ways that kids might understand without showing the horrible pictures of burning towers and people jumping (no mention of the latter is even made) it starts with the experiences of real teenagers, who when they were 7-10 years old, lived or went to school in the shadow of the WTC.
Although it does not show pictures, it has children (scripted or not) ask tough questions, and answered by the experts mentioned before. These questions include the root of terrorism, and the basics of why the U.S. attacked Afghanistan, and what motive that the terrorists had for attacking.
It even covers the invasion of Iraq and the intelligence debacle (please note that I am not commenting on the need for the war, but simply the consensus that the intelligence was wrong). The special even covers the alternative to Osama Bin Laden and terrorists method of regime change, the mostly peaceful revolution in Egypt.
The full special is available free via Nick-on-Demand and also free through I-tunes. Below is a sneak peek of the video, opening with a series of myths about the event. The full special starts with Ellerbee exhorting children to get their parents and siblings and watch together, and then discuss.
The special is important, but it is the discussion afterward, using information and the q&a from the special as a starting point, each child will probably have their own fears and questions about what should we do now?
