The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education is pleased to release Remembering September 11: A K-12 Teaching Toolkit for Arkansas Educators. This resource supports teachers in addressing September 11 in age-appropriate, meaningful ways while connecting instruction to Arkansas Academic Standards.

What's Included

The toolkit consists of four companion documents. The K-12 Overview provides the instructional framework, including grade-level considerations, classroom practices, content strands, and standards alignment. Three additional guides are organized by grade band:

• Grades K-4: Community helpers, service animals, and ways individuals contribute to their communities
• Grades 5-8: Memorials, memorial design, remembrance, and oral history
• Grades 9-12: Historical inquiry, foreign policy, civil liberties, public service, and civic engagement

Standards Connections

Each grade-band guide includes connections to Arkansas Academic Standards. The standards alignment reflects the developmental focus of courses within each band. High school materials connect directly to standards addressing September 11 and civic understanding. Middle school materials emphasize disciplinary literacy skills and historical inquiry, while elementary materials connect through geography, community response, and civic responsibility.

Additional Resources

Each guide begins with practical classroom supports, including recommendations for age-appropriate instruction, guidance on the use of images and sensitive content, family communication considerations, and strategies for responding to student questions.

To help connect national events to Arkansas history, the toolkit highlights Arkansas-specific resources and stories, including Arkansans who lost their lives on September 11, military deployments connected to the state's National Guard and Air National Guard units, and memorials across Arkansas that incorporate steel from the World Trade Center.

Questions about the toolkit may be directed to the contacts listed above.