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1
Famous People
9/11 Heroes
Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions
1. Who do you think qualifies as a hero of September
11th?
2. Which workers are usually first on the scene of an
emergency?
3. Do you know the meaning of in jeopardy?
4. What do you think boat operators in New York City
did on September 11th?
5. Why might some animals be considered heroes after
an emergency?
COMPREHENSION !
A. True or False. Read the statements below. If the
statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is
false, write F. If it is false, correct the information.
1. Construction workers were the first to respond to the
9/11 emergency.
2. Hundreds of firefighters died on September 11th, 2001.
3. Many survivors emerged from the World Trade Center
on September 12th.
4. A dog discovered the last survivor in the rubble.
5. The final hijacked plane crashed into the White House.
On September 11th, 2001, the US was attacked by terrorists.
Almost 3000 people died, including more than 400 emergency
workers. This tragedy could have been much worse.
Thousands of lives were spared thanks to brave people who
put their own lives in jeopardy to save the lives of others.
New York City firefighters were the first responders after a
hijacked jet hit the World Trade Center on September 11th.
Some firetrucks arrived within minutes of the attack. As people
tried to flee the burning buildings, firefighters ran in. When the
South Tower collapsed, many of the firefighters kept working.
They did not hear the call to evacuate the North Tower. 343
firefighters died at the scene. Many were killed by falling
debris.
60 police officers were killed as a result of the September 11th
attacks. Unlike the people who ran for their lives from the
smoke, the police remained at the scene to close down roads,
direct foot traffic, and keep the media informed. In the days
and weeks following the attacks, police squads across America
provided support to New York.
Medical personnel were also heroes of 9/11. They rushed to the
World Trade Center to set up emergency clinics. Nurses,
doctors, and volunteers worked throughout the day to care for
the wounded. By evening, their hope for survivors diminished
and they took down their makeshift clinics. Along with the
firefighters and police, a number of paramedics died in the line
of duty that day.
The passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 were also heroes
that morning. The hijacker in the pilot seat rocked the plane
back and forth to try to keep the passengers out of the cockpit.
Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Many believe the
plane was headed for the White House.
The maritime community stepped in to help New Yorkers the
moment the first plane hit. All of the vessels in the Port of New
York were used. At least half a million people were evacuated
by water on September 11th. The only other way out of the
rubble was by foot.
It wasnt only humans that helped save lives on September
11th. About 400 dogs were used in the search and rescue
efforts. Trakr, a German Shepherd from a K-9 unit, found the
last survivor of 9/11. This rescue dog became famous and was
cloned after the disaster. Five new search and rescue puppies
were born to help humans in future disasters.
Construction workers spent thousands of hours cleaning up
Ground Zero. It took months of sweat and tears to clear the
area. They recovered human remains and belongings and built
a memorial and museum. These efforts helped the victims
loved ones come to terms with the great loss.
9/11 Heroes

Copyright 2011, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL-library.com in accordance with membership terms. 2
TIMELINE
Place the following in chronological order (1-8).
___ A dog rescued a woman from beneath the rubble.
___ Medical personnel closed down their emergency clinics.
___ Firefighters responded to the emergency.
___ The South Tower collapsed.
___ A memorial was built.
___ A commercial jet flew into one of the Twin Towers.
___Many firefighters were hit by debris from the North Tower and killed.
___ Firefighters were told to evacuate the North Tower.
DISCUSS
1. Could you ever work as a firefighter? Why or why not.
2. Many travel security features changed after 9/11. Do
you agree that every passenger should go through an X-
ray machine?
3. Why do you think the passengers onboard Flight 93 are
considered heroes?
4. What would be the hardest part about being a loved one
of a person who died in the Twin Towers?
5. Is firefighting a more dangerous job than policing?
What parts of each job are dangerous?
6. Why might some of the heroes of 9/11 not consider
themselves heroes?
7. Do you think any of the emergency workers quit their
jobs after 9/11? Why or why not?
8. Which heroes were left out of this reading? Can you
think of other people or workers who were 9/11 heroes?
Questions
What questions would you have for a
firefighter who responded to the 9/11
emergency? Work together as a class
to come up with as many questions as
possible. Can you predict what any of
the answers might be?
SUMMARIZE
Work as a class (or in small groups). Take turns telling
about how one group of heroes helped save lives on
September 11th. Dont look at the timeline or the reading
passage as you summarize the events. How long can you
stretch out the story? Can you use some of the vocabulary
below? Make sure each person gets a turn to add a point.
Firefighters
Police
Boat captains
Medical personnel
Airline passengers
Animals
Famous People
9/11 Heroes
Did you Know?
At the Pentagon, military workers and
emergency personnel worked quickly to
evacuate the building when the third hijacked
plane hit the building. 125 people in the
Pentagon died, including many military workers
and all of the people on Flight 77. More than
2500 emerged safely. Learn more about the
Pentagon in our Famous Places lesson plan.
Vocabulary
evacuate
collapse
clinic
debris
in jeopardy
memorial

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Thank a Hero
It is easy for everyday people to move on with their lives after a tragic event. It is
only on anniversaries that we take time to think about the loss. People who lost loved
ones or those who responded to an emergency never forget days like 9/11. They don!t
need an anniversary to remember how an event changed their lives.
Here is an activity you can do in honor of the heroes who save lives every day. Write a
thank you note to a police ofcer, a doctor, or a reghter. If someone helped you
personally in a time of need, write a thank you note to him or her.
You can send your letter, share it with classmates, or keep it to yourself. You can also
share your letter with ESL-Library and we!ll share it on our blog! info@esl-library.com
Famous People
9/11 Heroes
VOCABULARY REVIEW
Fill in the blanks with one of the words from the list on the right. Some of the words
will not be used.
1. Emergency workers often put their lives _________________________ to save others.
2. The _________________________ arrived within moments of the terrorist attack.
3. Before the tower _________________________ people took orders to evacuate.
4. Hope of finding survivors _________________________ by nightfall.
5. The September 11th _________________________ site opened on the 10th anniversary
of the attacks.
6. On September 11th, New Yorks _________________________ community helped
evacuate people by ferry and boat.
7. The rescue dog that saved the last 9/11 survivor was
_________________________.
8. Many of the emergency personnel were killed by falling
_________________________.
collapsed
diminished
in jeopardy
cloned
memorial
maritime
debris
hijacked
evacuate
rst responders

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ANSWER KEY
[Description: In this lesson, students are reminded about all of the efforts that were made to save lives on September
11th. Students discuss the various roles of the emergency workers and write a thank you note to a local hero.]
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
A. True or False
1. False. Firefighters were the first to respond to the 9/11 emergency.
2. True.
3. False. Hope of finding survivors diminished on September 11th.
4. True.
5. False. The final hijacked plane may have had the White House as its target, but it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
B. Timeline
7 A dog rescued a woman from beneath the rubble.
6 Medical personnel closed down their makeshift centers.
2 Firefighters responded to the emergency.
3 The South Tower collapsed.
8 A memorial was built.
1 A commercial jet flew into one of the Twin Towers.
5 Many firefighters were hit by debris from the North Tower.
4 Firefighters were told to evacuate the North Tower.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
1. in jeopardy
2. first responders
3. collapsed
4. diminished
5. memorial
6. maritime
7. cloned
8. debris

Famous People
9/11 Heroes