The terror attacks on the United States has had profound impact on our nation. As we examine the event, what lesson do you think is most important for our nation to learn in order to prevent future aggression, and at the same time, preserve what U.S. Constitutional ideals.

Your task for this project is to answer this question and present your conclusion in the form of a graphic novel using the program Comic Life. Please follow these steps as you complete your project:

STEP 1 - Read the suggestions made by the 911 Commission. Download the suggestion section of either the hs_2.uaschools.org or cs.uaschools.org server. You may also view the entire report online at the following URL: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/

Upon finishing your reading, which three recommendations do you think are most important? Why?

OVERVIEW OF COMMISSION

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up in late 2002 "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks.

The Commission was also mandated to provide recommendations designed to guard against future attacks. Given its significant importance in investigating one of the most important events in American history and providing recommendations to defend the U.S. against future terrorist attacks, some have compared the Commission to that of the Warren Commission of 1963–1964 in its mammoth global and national significance.

Chaired by former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, the Commission was comprised of five Democrats and five Republicans. The Commission was created by Congressional legislation, with the bill signed into law by President George W. Bush.

The Commission's final report was a lengthy book, based on extensive interviews and testimony. Its primary conclusion was that the failures of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) permitted the terrorist attacks to occur and that had these agencies acted more wisely and more aggressively, the attacks could potentially have been prevented.

After the publication of its final report, the Commission closed on August 21, 2004.


STEP 2 - Search for a news periodical article that analyzes the attack and our country’s response. Write a one page reflection that includes a summaries the article.

A good strategy to follow is to look for issues published on the anniversary of the attacks. Use the research data base link in the left hand column to make online research easy. eLibrary or Opposing Viewpoints probably are your best bet.

STEP 3 - Determine what is the most important lesson based on your research.

STEP 4 - Storyboard the lesson. Plan on what picture and words can be combined and decide how they should be laid out.

STEP 5 - Use Comic Life to make your project.

Every Community School student has Comic Life on their laptop. Use the program to make your project. If you need help using either the help menu on the program’s menu bar, or Atomic Learning’s web site for assistance.

Try using www.atomiclearning.com on your favorite web browser. This web site provides tutorial movies on how to use most programs. Log in using the user uahs and password bingo to access the site. From there, enter comic life in the search window and click on the link for comic life. Now you are in business!

STEP 6 - Export your project to jpeg format and email it as an attachment to syant@uaschools.org. This format will work well for presentation in class.

FINAL STEP - Present your lesson before the class. Attach your laptop to the class projector and share your work. Use the zoom feature of OS X to focus attention on each cell as you make your presentation.

When you finish, be prepare to defend your lesson. The class will ask questions and have discussion that you will lead.


Ask Mr. Yant if you have any questions. Good luck!