Resources: Social Studies

Social Studies Resources

Instructional Resources

ADE does not endorse or support any particular resource or curriculum. The following links are to resource options that local education agencies may choose and select from when making the best decisions for their students. 

In 2022, HB2325 requires that September 11 of each year shall be observed as 9/11 Education Day. Each public school in the state shall dedicate a portion of the school day to age-appropriate 9/11 education. This list of resources can be used to meet this requirement. 

  • Arizona PBS Our Voices: 9/11 Arizona Oral Stories
  • 9/11 Memorial Museum Lessons
  • 9/11 Memorial Museum Oral Histories
  • 9/11 and the Constitution
  • Library of Congress 9/11 Documentary Project
  • National Archives 9/11 Commission Report
  • Smithsonian: 9/11 Resources and Lessons
  • National Park Service 9/11 Memorial
  • PBS NewsHour Extra - 9/11 Resources for middle and high school
  • Bringing 9/11 in the Classroom - Useful Lessons
  • Choices Program - Oral History and 9/11
  • Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: Teaching Resources and Essential Questions
  • Book List 
    The Little Chapel That Stood - Beautifully illustrated book tells of the historic chapel less than 100 yards from the Twin Towers that miraculously survived on 9-11. Firemen hung their shoes on the fence and raced to help the people in the towers: Oh what gallant men did we lose/Who never came back to get their shoes. The story of terror overcome by courage and bravery that teaches us no one is too small to make a difference. Preschool through 3rd grade.
    September Roses - On September 11, 2001, two sisters from South Africa are flying to New York City with 2,400 roses to be displayed at a flower show. As their plane approaches the airport, a cloud of black smoke billows over the Manhattan skyline. When they land, they learn of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. All flights are canceled; the sisters cannot go home, and they are stranded with boxes and boxes of roses. In the days that followed September 11, Jeanette Winter was drawn to Union Square and saw, among the hundreds of memorial offerings, twin towers made of roses. In the pages of this small and vibrant book, she tells a moving story. Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
    14 Cows For America - This New York Times Bestseller, from award-winning author Carmen Agra Deedy, is a true story of hope and generosity, and the gift a small Kenyan village makes to the people of America. Grades 2 and above.
    American at War - In this ever-timely collection of more than fifty poems and paintings divided into eight sections, one of America’s most distinguished poets and anthologists, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and internationally acclaimed painter and printmaker Stephen Alcorn trace emotions of warfare from the American Revolution to the Iraq War. Grades 3-7.
    We the People: September 11 - On a bright sunny morning on September 11, 2001, hijackers took control of four U.S. commercial airplanes. This book tells the facts from 9/11 in a way that children can understand. Grades 3-6.
    With Their Eyes: September 11 - The View from a High School at Ground Zero - Tuesday, September 11, seemed like any other day at Stuyvesant High School, only a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. The semester was just beginning, and the students, faculty, and staff were ready to start a new year. Within a few hours that Tuesday morning, they would experience an event that transformed all their lives completely. Here, in their own words, are the firsthand stories of a day none of us will ever forget. Grades 7 and above.
    Messages From Ground Zero: Children Respond to September 11th - This is a collection of letters, poetry, and art by children in response to September 11th. All were sent to other children reflecting innocent support, outreach, and caring. This book is an archive of what children were thinking and feeling through their honest and heartfelt messages.
    102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers - Eight weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and translated into a dozen languages, 102 Minutes is a gripping narrative that is also investigative reporting of the first rank—”in a class by itself,” according to Reader’s Digest. Dwyer and Flynn reveal the decisions, both good and bad, that proved to be the difference between life and death on a day that changed America forever. Newberry Book Award Finalist.
    Report From Ground Zero - The tragic events of September 11, 2001 forever altered the American landscape, both figuratively and literally. Immediately after the jets struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Dennis Smith, a former firefighter, reported to Manhattan’s Ladder Co. 16 to volunteer in the rescue efforts. In the weeks that followed, Smith was present on the front lines, attending the wounded, sifting through the wreckage, and mourning with New York’s devastated fire and police departments. This is Smith’s vivid account of the rescue efforts by the fire and police departments and emergency medical teams as they rushed to face a disaster that would claim more than five thousand lives.
    Last Man Down - On September 11, 2001, FDNY Battalion Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto answered the call heard around the world. In minutes, he was at Ground Zero of the worst terrorist attack on American soil, as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center began to burn - and then to buckle. This is the harrowing true story of a true American hero, a man who thought nothing of himself - and gave nearly everything for others during one of New York City’s-and the country’s-darkest hours.

 

In 2004, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia included key provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of Fiscal Year 2005 designating September 17th of each year as Constitution Day and requiring public schools and governmental offices to provide educational programs to promote a better understanding of the Constitution.  

ARS 15-710.01 On Sandra Day O'Connor civics celebration day, each public school in this state shall dedicate the majority of the school day to civics education.

Sandra Day O'Connor Biography

Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy

Economics in Children’s Literature

Early Childhood/Pre-K Resources:

Grades K-2 Resources:

Grades 3-5 Resources:

Grades 6-8 Resources:

High School Resources:

ADE does not endorse or support any particular resource or curriculum. The following links are to resource options that local education agencies may choose and select from when making the best decisions for their students. 

Oral History Teacher Guide - This guide comes complete with guiding essential questions, instructional techniques, projects, evaluations, and more. 

Oral Histories in the Arizona Social Studies Standards

Using Oral Histories and the Arizona Social Studies Standards Guide

Arizona PBS Our Voices: Arizona Oral Histories

9/11

Conflicts

Korean War

Vietnam

Veterans

World War II

Congress

Genocides

Holocaust

Indigenous Voices

Local Histories

Political Ideologies

Presidents

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Professional Resources

 

Social Studies Professional Learning Opportunities

 

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