The Nine Eleven Memorial

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

In 2001, on September eleventh, New York City faced a horrible tragedy.

Terrorists attacked the Twin Towers, resulting in the tragic loss of children, men, and women. The loss of the Twin Towers and the lives of the people within the towers and the planes made the whole country grieve. It was a very sad moment in America's history. In honor of the people who lost their lives in this tragedy, the Nine Eleven Memorial was made.

The Nine Eleven Memorial was constructed by Michael Arad. Two square pools where the two towers once stood were constructed. These pools are surrounded by a small forest of trees. There is also a museum on the grounds with artifacts from September eleventh. The project was completed on September 11^th, 2011.

^{Image by The Pancake of Heaven!, via Wikimedia Commons, is licensed under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.}

There is a special tree in the Nine Eleven Memorial. A Callery pear tree can be found growing here. This tree was recovered from the rubble after the attack on the Twin Towers. It was cared for until it was healthy again. This tree is now called the Survivor Tree and it represents resilience, survival, and rebirth. It is living a healthy life within the Nine Eleven Memorial. You can see the Survivor Tree pictured below:

^{Image by Cody escadron delta, via Wikimedia Commons, was released into the public domain.}

Since the memorial opened in 2011, the memorial has had over twenty-three million visitors. The visitors come to pay their respects to the people who lost their lives during the terrorist attack on September 11^th, 2001.

Tell your parent or teacher two facts you learned about the Nine Eleven Memorial, then move on to the Got It? section.