Ed. Note: A special post from the Pentagon Memorial Fund, a Verizon Thinkfinity partner, offers a first-hand look at the new website which provides educational materials about the attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Highlights include interactive maps, lesson plans and a virtual tour of the Pentagon Memorial.
In May of this year, the Pentagon Memorial Fund (PMF) successfully launched its newly redeveloped website, offering a vast collection of valuable educational materials for parents, students and teachers. This project, funded by the Verizon Foundation, began in Fall 2010 with the intent to create a website that reflects PMF’s new focus on providing information, resources and educational materials to the general public. Included in these resources is an interactive map, lesson plans and activities, interactive timelines, and an audio tour that leads users through a virtual tour of the Pentagon Memorial.
The interactive map is a great resource for educators who want to orient themselves and their students with the lay-out of the Memorial and its unique symbolism. Users can click on any of the black pentagon icons to learn about the various elements that are part of the Memorial. For example, the Zero Line, depicted by a black pentagon icon found at the entrance of the Memorial, is described as a granite line inscribed with the date and time of the attack, "September 11, 2001 9:37 AM." In addition to explaining the elements of the Memorial, the interactive map introduces users to each of the 184 victims lost at the Pentagon on September 11. Each individual has a bench dedicated to them within the Memorial. The memorial benches are represented by rectangular symbols on the map, which users can click on to learn about the hero that the bench is dedicated to.
In addition to the map, users will discover a collection of valuable lesson plans and activities that were created by PMF's Educators' Leadership Group and other 9/11 partner organizations. One lesson plan, "A Nation Remembers: Honoring Lives Lost," developed for students in grades 6-12, focuses on the construction methods and symbolism found at the Pentagon Memorial, as well as the family members impacted by the events of September 11. The goal is to help students understand the idea of memorializing and the importance of remembering certain events.
Users are also provided an interactive timeline that provides descriptions, images, audio and video of the events that occurred on September 11 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, New York City, and at the Pentagon. For those who are curious about the reconstruction of the Pentagon after 9/11, you can visit the Phoenix Project timeline for an interactive look at this eleven month process. To learn about the process of building the first national 9/11 memorial from groundbreaking to completion, visit the Memorial timeline for a close-up look.
For those who are too far away to visit the Pentagon, the most valuable resource will be the Pentagon Memorial audio tour, which provides educators with the unique opportunity to take a virtual fieldtrip to the Memorial. Lasting twenty-five minutes, this online audio tour is accompanied by a video that explains the history of the Pentagon, the events that occurred there on September 11, and the various elements that are contained within its design. For those who visit in-person, you can call the audio tour on your cell phone at the entrance of the Memorial for a walking tour of the park.
Overall, the redeveloped website offers educators with the valuable resources to help teach about 9/11 in the classroom. We encourage you to visit the site yourself and take advantage of these resources during the upcoming school year and 9/11 commemoration.
