Use this activity during a unit about 9/11, civics, public service, or character education. For grades 5-8. Approximate time needed is 20-25 minutes.
Before beginning the activity, organize students into small groups. Ask students what the words
service and
sacrifice mean. Ask students to take 60 seconds to read the words silently and write down any thoughts or words that come to mind. Student groups should then take a few minutes to discuss their words and thoughts and write a shared definition.
Discuss students' definitions and then share dictionary definitions of the words. For example:
Service: The action of helping or doing work for someone
Sacrifice: An act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy
Explain to students that they will examine two documents from the life of Cyril Richard "Rick" Rescorla: one from his military service in Vietnam, and one from his security work at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Explain that, though these documents are from decades apart, there are similarities that reveal aspects of Rick's understanding of service and sacrifice.
Present the activity to the entire class.
Model careful document analysis. Prompt students to carefully examine the two documents with the discussion questions provided. Remind them to click on the magnifying glass for further detail. For each document, they should answer the following:
- Who wrote it?
- Who read/received it?
- When is it from?
- Where is it from?
- What is it talking about?
- Write one sentence summarizing this document.
- How are the actions of Rick Rescorla in Vietnam similar to his actions on 9/11? Explain.
Note: As students read, make sure they realize that Cyril R. Rescorla and Rick Riscola [sic] are referring to the same person.
Discuss students' findings. Then direct then to the "When You're Done" section. Share the following historical context:
As vice president for corporate security for the financial firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., Rick Rescorla was in charge of safety for approximately 2,700 employees in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Following the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, Rescorla began to develop an emergency evacuation plan and had staff regularly practice evacuating the building.
On 9/11, his planning and actions that day helped save nearly all 2,700 employees. Rick Rescorla was last seen heading up the stairs of the South Tower to make sure that everyone had made it out. He was one of the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives that day.
