Skip to Main Content

News

Resources for Teaching 25 Years After 9/11

September 3, 2026

Today’s high school students (and even the youngest classroom teachers) weren’t even born when the 9/11 attacks happened in 2001. As the United States approaches the 25th anniversary of that day, the PBS LearningMedia team is offering this curated list of resources for educators who want to teach students about this milestone in U.S. history.

PBS LearningMedia’s U.S. History collection has new offerings for grades 6-12, featuring an interactive lesson and videos examining how the terrorist attacks changed the nation and the world:

Adjacent Resources for Grades PreK-5

Offer younger students an age-appropriate message of hope and resilience with a special video from Reading Rainbow. The program begins with a reading of The Tin Forest, the story of an old man who creates a forest from trash. Then LeVar Burton visits an elementary school just blocks away from Ground Zero and talks to students about that day. The Tin Forest | Reading Rainbow Stories.

Help children learn how to find aid and comfort by introducing them to “helpers” and explain the role they play in emergency situations. Meet the Helpers | Meet the Helpers | PBS LearningMedia

Teach children about what firefighters do with help from Daniel Tiger. What is a Firefighter? | Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood | PBS LearningMedia

More resources for Grades 6-12

Older students can learn more about the attacks that day, the aftermath, and how 9/11 changed domestic and foreign policy with these resources from PBS programs like Frontline.

Older students can also learn how to analyze news coverage and photos of the tragedy.