Here are some resources to help share the book and to support educators and other caring adults in guiding student understanding, helping readers dig deeper into the past, and fostering rich and meaningful conversations.

Discussion Guide
Get kids talking about Ground Zero with Scholastic’s Discussion Guide which includes questions for group discussion, extension activities, and recommended reading.

 

 

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Book Trailer
Spark student interest in Ground Zero with Alan Gratz’s video trailer for the book.

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Alan Gratz’s Ground Zero Book Talk
In this book talk, Alan Gratz introduces his middle grade novel Ground Zero and talks about his inspiration and research for the book.

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Scholastic Reads Podcast: The Day Our World Changed: Remembering 9/11 with Alan Gratz
Alan Gratz discusses the 9/11 attacks and the how the world changed after that fateful day in this podcast.

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Lessons and Teacher Resources

National September 11 Memorial Museum: Lesson Plans
Interactive lesson plans for students in grades 3 to 12 that address the 9/11 attacks, their ongoing repercussions, and the history of the World Trade Center.

9/11 Day: Lesson Plans
A collection of education resources to help educators teach and talk about the events of 9/11 and the September 11 National Day of Service & Remembrance.

Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility: 9/11 Anniversary Teaching Guide
Tools to set the stage for discussion of 9/11 in K-12 classrooms along with lessons and additional classroom activities to deepen student understanding of the September 11 attacks.

Scholastic Magazines+: Resources for Teaching 9/11 for Grades 3 – 12
Articles, videos, and lesson plans to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

University of Pennsylvania: Teaching Beyond September 11th
A curriculum for high school educators and students about the ongoing global impact of 9/11, focusing on the years 2001-2021.

Companion Reading and Viewing

America Is Under Attack: September 11th 2001: The Day the Towers Fell written and illustrated by Don Brown

The Breadwinner (series) by Deborah Ellis

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks written and illustrated by Don Brown

Eleven by Tom Rogers

Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy

“From Terror to Hope” by Kristin Lewis, Scholastic Scope

Just a Drop of Water by Kerry O’Malley Cerra

Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

“What Happened on September 11” (HBO Family documentary introducing the events to a young audience)

Additional Resources

September 11 Digital Archive
Presents the history of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and the public responses to them

Library of Congress: September 11, 2001, Documentary Project
Captures the reactions, eyewitness accounts, and diverse opinions of Americans and others in the months that followed the terrorist attacks

Smithsonian National Museum of American History: September 11
Shares objects and stories that include diverse experiences, not only recording and exploring the day and immediate aftermath of September 11, but also the longer-lasting and varied effects on people’s lives.

Youth Service America: September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance
Offers resources to help young people reflect on 9/11 and serve to remember.

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Rachael Walker has more than 30 years of experience developing partnerships and educational products with nonprofit organizations, corporations, and public agencies to benefit at-risk children and families. She launches national campaigns, coordinates special events, and develops original content for the National Education Association, Random House Children’s Books, PBS, and WETA’s Learning Media initiatives (Reading Rockets, Colorín Colorado, and AdLit.org).