Teaching New York in the Advanced EFLClassroom Reflecting on 911

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Teaching New York in the Advanced EFL-Classroom
Reflecting on 9/11
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Overview

• 1st/2nd lesson
• Elaboration of a field of emotions (by means of
  different points of view of people involved in
  9/11)
• 3rd lesson
• the President addresses Americans on a day of
  remembrance
• 4th/5th lesson
• Reflecting different reasons for war
• 6th/7th lesson
• Poetry as a way of reflection

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Educational Objectives

• Students will analyze the problems or issues of a
  critical moment or time in the past.
• Students will analyze the multiple perspectives
  and values surrounding a problem.

• Critical reading
• Empathy writing
• Reflective writing
• Written expression

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1st/2nd lesson

• Slide show - Emotions
• 9/11 different perspectives
• Groupwork
• Presentation of the results

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Slide Show

• http//www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/09/11/us/200
  60911_GROUND_SLIDESHOW_1.html
• Task While looking at the following
  photographs, please, write down words that
  describe either your own feelings or the
  emotions of the persons on the pictures.

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• Collection of Words

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9/11 - Different Perspectives

• Groupwork
• Instructions
• Form five groups (A, B, C, D, E, ) of five
  persons.
• Read and/or listen to the following text and take
  notes.

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Questions

• How did the person in the text experience 9/11?
• What were her/his feelings and thoughts?
• What were the consequences of this event on
  his/her way of life? In how far was his/her life
  influenced?

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Further Instructions for the Groupwork

• Discuss your reactions to the text in the group.
• Design a poster with keywords answering the
  questions. You can also add suitable photos from
  the internet. Be creative.
• Everybody should be able to present the results
  of your groupwork in the end.

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Passer-by

• Rodney R Rollins
• he lives one city block
• and a half from the south tower
• he has heard the first crash
• He went down on West St where a cop asked for for
  sheets from anyone who lived in the neighborhood
  so he could cover the body parts in the street.

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Luck smiled down on me twice that day.

• As he returned home to get
• the sheets,
• he was not directly under
• the south tower when the second plane hit it
• he was moving away from the path of the second
  explosion

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His Life Now

• Today I am in the light jet aviation business.
  No small feat given what I witnessed and went
  through. I wanted to change the way people
  travelled by air. I wanted to make it safer. I
  have. My story didn't end on West St. My
  aviation career began there.

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Politician

• Condoleezza RiceUS national security adviser
• "What a strange accident."
• Listen to the interview
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/word/02/se
  ptember_11/where_were_you_when/html/15.stm

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The Pentagon
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Survivor

• Daria Coard
• she was at work in Building 1 on the 88th floor
  of the World Trade Center when the first plane
  hit
• First she took the elevator, then the stairs
• she walked over dead bodies in the stairwell
• a stranger handed her identification to Daria,
  asking that Daria tell the woman's family that
  she loved them.

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Words cannot describe the depth and complexity
of emotions
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Her Life Now

• She is still full of profound sadness and anger.
• Shes against the war
• I survived. I don't want my 18- and 19-year-old
  sons to die in a war. There's been enough killing
  already.
• Despite her trauma of being a survivor life does
  go on.

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Hero - firefighter

• Lou Cacchioli
• Like a hero, he risked his life to save others,
  never once thinking about himself at a time when
  one wrong a turn, a slight move in the wrong
  direction, meant sure death.
• Although he survived, a little bit of Lou
  Cacchioli died that tragic morning in the north
  tower.

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• Cacchioli found one of the only functioning
  elevators, one only going as high as the 24th
  floor, a twist of fate that probably saved his
  life.
• Looking back if it was one of the elevators
  that went higher, I wouldnt be here talking
  today
• It seemed like every move I made that morning
  was the right move, said Cacchioli. I should
  have been killed at least five times.

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His Life Now

• after 9/11 he seriously considered suicide
• he never worked another day for the FDNY after
  9/11 due a pulmonary condition from the 9/11
  contaminants
• he tries to stay in touch with the fire
  department he loves
• I know the whole
• truth hasnt come
• out yet.

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15-year-old Schoolgirl

• Katie HochbaumStuyvesant High School
• 'It didn't seem real'
• No-one should have to see that more than once.
  Even once is more than enough.
• Listen to the interview
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/02/sep
  tember_11/where_were_you_when/html/6.stm

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Presentation of the Results

• Gallery work

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Educational Objectives

• Students will widen their word field concerning
  emotions
• Students will learn how to deal with unfamiliar
  authentic texts
• Students will improve human and social skills
  like solidarity, empathy, compassion,

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3rd Lesson

• Warm-Up
• Poetry Writing
• Textual WorkWar on Terror a Struggle for
  Civilization, Bush Says

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Warm-up activity

• the following slideshow is shown
• http//www.usnews.com/usnews/photography/0911/slid
  eshow/
• in the meantime a paper goes around, which they
  have to complement
• Procedure
• Each person is allowed to view the previous line
• All other lines are covered by a folder
• Each person is allowed only to write one line
  (phrase, word, idea, rhyme,)

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Twin Towers edited by Claudia Alick

• Editors note
• Imagine it is a crisp fall evening, just cold
  enough to need a jacket. Maybe you pause to smoke
  a cigarette outside the doors. Maybe you enter
  The New School Tishman Auditorium. Are you one of
  the performers? Are you a famous or powerful
  person there to give your time? Are you a working
  poet? Are you the sister of a fireman who can not
  come tonight because of Anthrax emergencies? Are
  you a little girl who will read the poem that
  will make the audience cry? Are you a struggling
  artist very excited to be in the same space as a
  personal hero? Are you an African drummer? Are
  you a confused New School student who just
  happens to be in the building and you dont know
  whats going on?

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Twin Towers edited by Claudia Alick

• By the people at Words that Comfort Benefit
  Readings to Support the World Trade Center Relief
  Fund 10/17/01
• 1. What can we say 2. Eyes twitch nervously 3.
  deliberately 4. Perhaps its allergy season 5.
  Please Bridge the Allergys to a standstill 6.
  Think, Peace, Speak Peace, Pray for Peace, Live
  in Peace 7. Believe in man. 8. Blue, Blue, as he
  is. 9. Much Love...Much Style 10. Wait awhile
  11. Without 12.

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Textual WorkWar on Terror a Struggle for
Civilization, Bush Says
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Textual WorkWar on Terror a Struggle for
Civilization, Bush Says

• Procedure
• Reading the text
• Clarify unknown vocabulary questions to content
• Homework
• Re-read the text analysing Bushs
  reasoning/argumentation of going to war in Iraq

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Educational Objectives

• Poetry Writing
• introducing the subject matter
• reference to the emotional semantic field
• Preliminary for the last lessons

• Textual Work
• Skills, expertise general information
• Critical reading
• Analysis (argumentation)

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4th/5th Lesson

• I Bushs Reasons for War
• II Brainstorming Different Reasons for War
• III Group Work (letter writing)

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I Bushs Reasons for War

• maintaining the way of life enjoyed by free
  nations
• "struggle for civilization"
• fighting terrorism/ a "global network of
  extremists driven by a perverted vision of Islam"
  
• safety of the U.S.
• helping the Iraqi people build a democracy

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II Brainstorming Reasons for War

• gt military
• gt political
• gt economic
• gt ideological

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(No Transcript)
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III Group work (letter writing)

• Task
• Understanding that each of these characters will
  have a different perspective of reasons to go/not
  go to war it is your job to write a letter
  explaining those reasons to either a colleague or
  peer. Remember, your character may have several
  arguments to engage/not engage in war, so be sure
  to prioritize those perspectives in your letter.

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Pay attention to

• your audience (colleague/peer/)
• making a reference to at least two significant
  historical events that helped to shape your
  characters perspective on going/not going to war
  
• introduction identifies the character, states
  his point of view on war
• main body paragraphs ideas in a logical sequence
  and supporting details
• conclusion restates point of view

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The students

• take notes in their original groups
• put themselves in the different characters
  positions
• discuss their characters attitude towards war

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Educational Objectives

• adopting different points of view
• (justifications for war)
• critical approaches to media/ critical reading
• reading for main ideas
• analysing a situation
• improving written expression
• improving creative and structural writing

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6th/7th Lesson

• Warm-up Poem Twin Towers
• Poem Billy Collins The Names

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Twin Tower

• 1. What can we say 2. Eyes twitch nervously 3.
  deliberately 4. Perhaps its allergy season 5.
  Please Bridge the Allergys to a standstill 6.
  Think, Peace, Speak Peace, Pray for Peace, Live
  in Peace 7. Believe in man. 8. Blue, Blue, as he
  is. 9. Much Love...Much Style 10. Wait awhile 11.
  Without 12.

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Twin Tower - continuation

• 12. Knowledge There is no Understanding of 13.
  Above and youll find nothing there 14. The
  substance which lingers lives in our eyes 15.
  Burrows down into my belly, building a house 16.
  and what bird said truth? 17. A table. a chair. a
  Love. a window. 18. it all meant more, this time,
  the window. 19. next time the giraffe 20. win
  defeat the lion 21. No! Blakes lamb O skin
  skinless we? 22. No Joke is Jokings fee 23.
  except to let go, free 24. to be what? To be
  normal? Are you kidding? 25. its a joke if you
  want it to be 26. the only thing that is normal
  is change. 27. And our understanding of normal
  will never be the same

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The Author

• Billy Collins
• a native of New York City
• first anniversary of the destruction of the twin
  towers
• mentions three groups
• Individuals
• families
• people who serve the country
• ? gives the name a face

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6th Lesson

• Listening and reading comprehension
• http//pbs-newshour.onstreammedia.com/cgi-bin/vise
  arch?userpbs-newshourtemplateplay220asf.htmlqu
  erysquery2BClipID3A72BVideoAsset3Apbsnh09
  0602inputField20ccstart3112045ccend3314547
  videoIDpbsnh090602
• Task
• Listen to the poem.
• What did you understand? What is the poem about?
• ? They get the text and have to listen to the
  poem again

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6th Lesson

• Discussion about the poem
• What do you feel when you hear the poem?
• What mood does it create?
• ? Give the student some facts about the poem
• ? Leads to the analysis of the poem

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7th Lesson

• Analysis and interpretation of the poem
• Why are the names used?
• What might be the aim of the author?
• Do you like the way the poem is written?

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Educational objectives

• Acquaint students with poem analysis
• Practice comprehension and reading skills
• The use of a literary text
• How does literature deal with this topic?
• - underlines the emotion subject

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Bibliography

• http//www.usnews.com/usnews/photography/0911/slid
  eshow/
• http//www.uwgb.edu/teachingushistory/images/pdfs/
  2004_lessons/iraq_decision_doc.pdf
• http//poetry.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi
  1/XJsdnpoetrycdneducationtm42f00sup897.3
  .336.ip_tt2bt1bts1zuhttp3A//www.jacketmag
  azine.com/15/hereisnyc.html
• http//www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/Se
  ptember/20060911220404JMnamdeirF0.3696863.html
• http//www.uwgb.edu/teachingushistory/images/pdfs/
  2004_lessons/iraq_decision_graphic_organizer_reaso
  ns_war.pdf
• http//www.uwgb.edu/teachingushistory/images/pdfs/
  2004_lessons/iraq_decision_assessment_rubric.pdf
• http//www.uwgb.edu/teachingushistory/images/pdfs/
  2004_lessons/iraq_decision_assessment.pdf
• http//www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/09/11/us/200
  60911_GROUND_SLIDESHOW_1.html
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/word/02/sept
  ember_11/where_were_you_when/html/15.stm
  http//old.911digitalarchive.org/seiu/details/55
• http//old.911digitalarchive.org/seiu/details/2802
  8
• http//www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2005/2007
  05twistedwords.htm
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/02/sep
  tember_11/where_were_you_when/html/6.stm
• http//pbs-newshour.onstreammedia.com/cgi-bin/vise
  arch?userpbs-newshourtemplateplay220asf.htmlqu
  erysquery2BClipID3A72BVideoAsset3Apbsnh09
  0602inputField20ccstart3112045ccend3314547
  videoIDpbsnh090602