Interview with Amanda Mummery, New York, New York, October 26, 2001 and Interview with Nkechi Okoro, New York, New York, November 16, 2001

Strategy By
Erin Deerman
Link/Citation
Source Type:
Oral HistoriesSound Recordings
Suggested Grade Level and Audience: Grade 9, Grade 10
Instructional value of primary source for the curriculum and/or classroom

These interviews introduce students to the genre of audio sources and provide a vehicle for students to practice critical listening skills and analysis of an audio text. Students also receive valuable first-hand accounts of the historical events of September 11, 2001 and the impacts that the terrorist attacks had on two individuals living in New York City.

Summary/Description
  • Interview 1: Amanda Mummery, a fifth-grader, was told about the September 11 attacks while attending a school assembly. She recalls being afraid. She talks about the school day and watching the news on television when she went home. Amanda believes that things are improving and people have to move on, however, she is having a tough time doing that.
  • Interview 2: Nkechi Okoro heard the first plane hit the World Trade Center but thought it was a train derailment. She was on the phone trying to contact a friend in the World Trade Center annex when the second plane hit the south tower. She describes how she made her way out of the building and across the Brooklyn Bridge. She also discusses how the attacks have changed her life and how she does not go anywhere without her bible.
Context for the Primary Source

These interviews were conducted in the months following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At this time, Americans were still learning to cope with the tragedy and adjusting to a new sense of normalcy. Many Americans had deep fears and anxieties about their futures. These interviews give listeners insights about how Americans were feeling in the months following the attacks as well as provide first-hand accounts of the events of September 11.

Focus Question(s)
  • How did the events of September 11 impact the lives of Americans?
  • How do different people view the same event?
  • What makes someone a credible source?
  • How do choices in recounting an event impact the story told?
Standards Connections

Alabama(link is external) State Standards

ELA21.9.6: Compare and/or contrast the perspectives in a variety of fiction, nonfiction, informational, digital, and multimodal texts produced from diverse historical, cultural, and global points of view, not limited to the grade-level literary focus.

  • Students compare and contrast the interviews of Amanda and Nkechi, two people living in New York City on September 11, 2001.

ELA21.9.8: Through active listening, evaluate tone, organization, content, and non-verbal cues to determine the purpose and credibility of a speaker.

  • Students establish the tone of the speakers in both interviews and compare their tones. Students also look at the way each speaker chooses to organize their telling of events (chronologically) and analyze the effectiveness of this organizational choice.

ELA21.9.13: Interpret a digital audio source to determine its subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

  • Students discuss the credibility of both interviewees, establish the subject of their stories, and determine their purpose and effectiveness in achieving that purpose.

ELA21.9.23: Use audio sources to obtain useful and credible information to answer a question, solve a problem, or defend a position.

  • Students learn about important events of September 11 from a first-person account

 

Suggested Teaching Approaches

After giving students context for the two pieces, have them listen to the two interviews and take notes as they hear each story.

Suggested Questions for Interview 1 (Amanda):

  • Is Amanda a credible source? Why or why not?
  • What was life like for Amanda in the weeks after the attack? Cite evidence from the recording to support your inferences.
  • Describe Amanda’s tone as she tells her story of the events of 9/11. Why might she use this tone?
  • What is Amanda’s purpose in telling her story? Does she successfully achieve her purpose?
  • How does Amanda organize her story? Is it an effective manner of communicating the events of the day?

Suggested Questions for Interview 2 (Nkechi)

  • Is Nkechi a credible source? Why or why not?
  • What was life like for Nkechi in the weeks after the attack? Cite evidence from the recording to support your inferences.
  • Describe Nkechi’s tone as she tells her story of the events of 9/11. Why might she use this tone?
  • What is Nkechi’s purpose in telling her story? Does she successfully achieve her purpose?
  • How does Nkechi organize her story? Is it an effective manner of communicating the events of the day?

Suggested Questions for both texts:

  • How does the difference in the age of the interviewees impact the way they tell their stories?
  • At the end of her interview Amanda says, “We can’t let [the attacks] ruin our lives.” What do you think she means? How does her comment connect to Nkechi's admission that she “doesn’t take the subway anymore”?
  • Do the speakers have the same tone in recounting their experiences?
  • Amanda admits that after the attacks she was “scared to go anywhere,” and Nkechi says that she is “a lot more cautious about things.” Why do you think both speakers share this common fear? What, if anything, does this fear say about the impact of the attacks on the American way of life?
Potential for Challenge
  • Some may argue that these texts may upset listeners because they provide first-hand accounts of a tragedy. Amanda’s interview may be particularly controversial because she is only in grade 5 when interviewed and expresses her fear and anxiety related to living in New York on September 11, 2001. Some may argue that the first-hand accounts of the day and the aftermath make the event too personal for younger listeners and may lead to them being uncomfortable or fearful.

Links to resources for approaching those topics

Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources
  1. [Interview with Carol Barber, Fort Dodge, Iowa, October 3, 2001]
    • Carol is an English teacher in Iowa. Although she previously lived in New York, she was not in New York on the day of the attack so her story is more removed from the tragedy. Her responses are also more polished and less raw than the first-hand accounts: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc911000058/(link is external)
  2. [Interview with Allison Treutler, Arlington Heights, Illinois, November 23, 2001]
    • Allison, a high school student in Illinois, watched the World Trade Center attacks at school. She discusses other students’ reactions and the impact the attacks had on them. Because she was not in New York on the day of the attack, her accounts are less vivid. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc911000055/(link is external)
  3. [Interview with Meghan Eilbeck, Orlando, Florida, September 20, 2001]
Additional References
  1. ReadWriteThink Lesson: “Responding to Tragedy: Then and Now”: Students read and discuss the personal responses of four different poets, focusing on the relationships between language and meaning. They then compose a poem of their own that includes a section addressing their initial responses to the tragedy and their response to it in the present. Finally, they reflect on what they have learned.
  2. ReadWriteThink Lesson: Patriot Day Activities
  3. Alan Gratz's book Ground Zero would be an excellent companion text for this primary source.
Subject:
Journalism/News , Recorded Sound , Social Studies/Social Sciences/History/Geography
Topics:
History , Informational Text , News, Journalism , Nonfiction/Informational Text , Oral Histories
Year/Date of Creation or Publication
2001