Student Work 1

ELA

Performance Task

6.1 Final

Standard(s):

Writing

E2c The student produces a narrative (fictional or autobiographical) account that:

E2c.2 establishes a situation, plot, point of view, setting, and conflict (and for

autobiography, the significance of events and of conclusions that can be

drawn from the events).

E2c.3 creates an organizing structure

E2c.4 includes sensory details and concrete language to develop plot and character

E2c.5 excludes extraneous details and inconsistencies

E2c.7 uses a range of appropriate strategies, such as dialogue, tension or suspense,

naming, pacing and specific narrative action, e.g., movement, gestures,

expressions

E2c.8 provides a sense of closure to the writing.

Conventions, Grammar and Usage of the English Language

E4a. The student independently demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work, and selects the structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context of the work. The student demonstrates control of:

E4a.1 grammar

E4a.2 paragraph structure

E4a.3 punctuation

E4a.4 sentence construction

E4a.5 spelling

E4a.6 usage

Task:

The events of September 11, 2001 provided us with historical accounts of individuals who showed extraordinary strength and courage in the face of tragedy. How would you define strength? How would you define courage? What attributes would an individual described as “strong and brave” display? What is a hero?

Read or view accounts of heroic efforts during the 9-11 Terrorist Attack on America (http://www.google.com/search?q=personal+accounts+of+the+tragedy+on+9-11-01 ). One of the Literacy Place Grade 6 mentor videos features Cesar Rivera, the founder of DART-Disaster Assistance Response Team-New York, NY. He was working on September 11^th and lost many friends and co-workers. A sixth grade teacher from Okinawa wrote to him after 11 September to see if he was ok. Her letter and his response are at the end of this packet.

Interview heroes that you know personally. Analyze the information you gained to list the characteristics of a hero… someone who is strong and brave, someone who does more than is expected, etc.. You will us your notes and insights to create an autobiographical narrative.

Everyone has had to be strong or brave at one time or another. Recall a time when you were a hero. Think about the situation and what you did that required strength or courage. Think about how you felt during that time.

Write an autobiographical narrative that describes the event and what prompted you to be brave and courageous. Include your point of view regarding the situation, the reasons for your heroic effort, and other details that enhance and support the experience.

Your narrative will be included in a collection of Grade 6 American heroes. Use your analysis of the characteristics of a hero to reflect on what you have written. How have you displayed the characteristics in your narrative?

Note: For submission to DoDEA commentaries on student work, submit notes from interview and final copy.

Circumstances of Performance:

The student work is produced under the following conditions:

X	Alone		In a group
X	In class	X	As homework
	With teacher feedback		With peer feedback
	Timed	X	Extended project
	No opportunity for revision	X	Opportunity for revision

Criteria for Success:

1. Takes notes and summarizes information.

2. Narrative address event, point of view and reasons for heroic behavior selected by student.

3. Includes heroic characteristics in the narrative

4. Creates an organizing structure.

5. Uses sensory details to engage interest.

6. Demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written work.

7. Produces a final product that meets publication standards.

Related Standard(s):

Reading

E1c The student reads and comprehends informational materials to develop understanding and expertise and produces written or oral work that:

E1c.2 relates new information to prior knowledge or experience

E1c.3 extends ideas

Letter from DoDEA Grade 6 teacher in Okinawa (Ann M. Eilert)

Dear Mr. Rivera, I am a 6th grade teacher in Okinawa, Japan, on a Marine Base, and am writing - for the students in my class - to see that you are OK after the aftermath of the NY city tragedy. My students are concerned that you may have been involved in what happened in NYC on Sept.11. Many students here have great concerns, in that thier parents may be involved in what "comes next," as their moms or dads are marines in the US military here in the pacific. ANYTHING you have to say to them as they"see" you through the literacy place "mentor," would be very beneficial! Hope all is well with you and your fellow fire fighters. Take care and know that you and your are in our daily thoughts and prayers...

Ms. Ann Eilert 6th grade educator Department of Defense Overseas Schools Okinawa, Japan

Reply from Mr. Rivera

Dear Ann:

Thank you for your concern and prayers. I was not injured at the WTC on Sept. 11th., but the FDNY lost 343 "brothers." I know this has united the entire country, and possibly much of the world. I hope you don't mind that I share some of this experience with you.

I have inserted a couple of notes and a portion of a speech I presented to the Prudential Insurance Company recently. Prudential contributed substantial funds to the WTC-911 fund and they invited a speaker during their Hispanic Heritage Month luncheon. It was a welcomed distraction from recent events. Please share whatever section you believe to be appropriate.

Please tell the children that their parents are our heroes. There is renewed respect and admiration in the U.S.A. for the military servicemen and women. Some of our firefighters have been activated for military service. I think all we can do is just be proud, supportive, and let's keep our family and friends in our prayers.

Remember, We will get through this.

Sincerely,
Cesar Rivera
Chair, Disaster Assistance Response Team
American Red Cross in Greater New York
e-mail at D.A.R.T.: riverac@fdnydart.org
D.A.R.T. Web Site: www.fdnydart.org

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My firehouse lost 2 assigned members and one past member.

· Gregory Sikorsky, Firefighter Working at Squad 41 on 9/11/01

· John Marshall, Firefighter Working at Engine 23 on 9/11/01

· Orio Palmer, Battalion Chief assigned to Battalion Chief 7

This is the notice board in front of Engine 46 & Ladder 27.
Our disaster team {D.A.R.T.} lost 4 members. They all participated at national disasters with the
American Red Cross.

*David Fontana, Firefighter Squad 1
* Vincent Kane, Firefighter Engine 22
* Gregory Saucedo, Firefighter Ladder 5
* Gerard Schrang, Firefighter Rescue 3

If your class would like to write letters to any of the families of the above firefighters, please
send them via D.A.R.T. at the American Red Cross:

Disaster Asistance Resposne Team
American Red Cross in Greater New York
150 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10023

You can check the official F.D.N.Y. Web site for a complete list of firefighter's names and their assigned fire companies. Please put the firefighters name and unit on the front of the letters and envelopes. FDNY Web site >
http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/fdny/html/memorial/wtc/rank_pages/firefighter.html

I believe letters do help the surviving families, if they read that their fathers, brothers, sons, and
husbands have touched many others around the country. Maybe some have been inspired to
rededicate themselves to a school or to a profession, or maybe we just all appreciate our families,
friends, and country that much more.

I'll share this with you and then I'll go. It's the simplest of gestures of support that seem to
penetrate the emotional armor that we must raise when we go on autopilot. That's a state of
operating that uses experience and training to hold back the emotion to keep working. I was
working my 3rd day at WTC-ground zero with a team from my firehouse, Engine 46 and
Ladder 27. There were hundreds of other firefighters digging carefully by hand and passing
buckets down a long human chain. It was hot and steam was rising from the damp pile of
rubble. There were few people found on that day, because most were deeper in the rubble, and
it seemed impossible to determine just how deep they were. Someone passed water to our
group and a small baggy with a snack. I sat on a beam and rushed the water down and
swallowed the cookie in one bite, then a second, then I found this small folded paper in the bag.
I unfolded the paper to reveal a heart shape and a note stating "We are sorry for your loss, We
love you!" I felt like an ant on a dessert of rubble overcome, for a moment, with emotion.

We honor our brothers by doing our work to the best of our ability and living our lives to the
fullest.

Best wishes!

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September 11th Now I have something recent that I can share with all of you.
Today also provides me an opportunity to tell you about some of the most beautiful individuals I have ever worked and volunteered with. They are my brothers and sisters of the New York City Fire Department. Twenty Years ago when I first entered Engine 96 & Ladder 54 in the Bronx, my first assignment as a probie (probationary firefighter), I would have described my brothers as anything but beautiful. They were a tuff, smoke eating, salty seasoned group that broke in probies, with little mercy, but with a good purpose. Our backgrounds didn't matter; as they reminded us often {in much clearer terms} "you are probies and that means you are lower than whale dong." We were all equally abused. The firehouse hierarchy is based on seniority. Even the firehouse dog was senior to probies, and had more fire duty.
We were expected to follow the lead of the senior men and only if we were eager and attentive could we learn the art of firefighting from those living legends.

Fortunately, every generation of New York City firefighters has a group that rise to that status. From my prospective, 20 years have passed in a blink of an eye, and one day remains frozen in time while we struggle to account for our 343 lost brothers.

On September 11th, a horrific act of terror killed thousands of innocent soles, including police, paramedics, and firefighters. That morning, I was not working at my assigned firehouse in the Bronx, Engine 46 and Ladder 27 {also proudly known as the Cross Bronx Express}; I was parked about a mile north of the World Trade Center completing a two-week administrative light assignment while recovering from a injury. When the first fire was reported I went to the roof of Ladder 20 at Lafayette Street to look south. It was unbelievably clear that a major disaster was just beginning to unfold; though I could not have imagined what was to follow. I thought that we had a fire, explosion, some type of detonation, or possibly terrorist related incident certainly trapped hundreds if not thousands above the north tower fire. As I listened to scattered reports about a plane crashing into the north tower, I tried to calculate the life hazard and our ability to extinguish such a major fire under those conditions. There was a steady wind that fed the fire and pressurized the building with smoke. I wondered if the standpipe system was intact {that's the water system we use to connect our hoses to in high-rise buildings}. Every firefighter is well aware of the dangers of a high-rise fire that is fed by wind. As we later learned, the large amount jet fuel on carried by the airliners only made matters worst by intensifying the heat. The height of the fire also required that every firefighter climb the stairs with full bunker gear, mask, and tools, weighing approximately 150 pounds.

I can envision my brothers climbing the stairs single file, at a steady pace, while allowing the escaping civilians a path down to safety. Now, I can only wonder how many eyes made contact that morning with my brothers. I know that they would have offered passing civilians occasional words of support such as, "keep moving, you'll be OK," and "don't panic," maybe even a smile at a passing child. I have seen that procession before and said those words at other fires, and it dose help to reduce panic.

Then the south World Trade tower was struck with second highjacked plane. I saw a ball of fire worse than any action movie. Now my ability to process additional risks to my brothers or to civilians was totally beyond me.

I went to my car to find the only fire department item I had, my Lieutenant's shirt. I informed the staff that I was going to the fire. I saw the south tower lean for a second and then crumble downward. "This can't be happening!" were my thoughts. It's like turning Mount Everest on its side or dropping the sun from the sky. I began to jog faster south to the sight. All traffic and pedestrians were heading north, except for the emergency vehicles I could here approaching from all around. As I jogged, I dialed my wife's job repeatedly from my cell but the lines were overloaded. I just wanted to tell her I was OK, and that I was going to the Trade Center to see what I could do. A temporary employee answered the phone at her office and apparently heard the sounds of loud sirens in the background and my huffing and puffing and he said "sorry" and hung up. I wasn't able to call again for hours. Even when Lizette heard of the incident at work, she remained calm because she knew I was OK, after all I was working at desk job that day.

I kept jogging and I grabbed a water bottle from a vendor who was closing his store. I arrived at West and Vessy Street at the northwest corner of the north tower. I could not recognize the landscape south of Liberty and West Street. I saw the first familiar face (a senior staff member of the F.D.N.Y.) he was visibly shaken, staggering, but not hurt. He told me what happened and that they were moving the command post for the second time, {that's to regroup, perform emergency roll call, tend to the injured, and continue rescue operations}, but it was obvious that we lost many members in the first collapse. I walked back to the corner of the north tower to scrounge for bunker gear from any fire apparatus I could find. Just then I heard rumbling, I looked up and I saw a downward movement from the top of the north tower. I ran around the corner and jumped into a wide windowsill with a couple of other firefighters as a cloud passed around us.

Cars in the street a block away were crushed and burning. Ashen dust and debris was everywhere. The rest of that day was frustrating. A major fire engulfed #7 World Trade center {that was at the north end of the Trade Center Plaza}. That building was already evacuated and collapsed after a few hours, but not soon enough for us at the West Street staging area.

We wanted to resume search operations right away. I had gathered bunker gear from injured members or unattended fire apparatus, and I teamed with a company that lost their officer and was ready to begin searching. We finally reenter and performed several searches and extinguished some fire, but there remained a mountain of rubble and a large volume of fire above and below ground. There was little water pressure because of broken water mains and at about 11:PM some of us were ordered to return to quarters, as fresh firefighters arrived for relief.

I began walking back towards Ladder 20 with another firefighter from my Bronx Company. An F.D.N.Y. support truck gave us a lift in the back section of his truck; we weave north through some silent streets of Tribeca and Soho. We saw some crowds that were standing quietly behind barricades and then they began to clap as we drove by. I thought, that's nice of them, but could they have heard from the news how many members we lost? When we arrived back at Ladder 20, we stripped down and decontaminated, I bagged my wet gear and loaded my car. Ladder 20's apparatus wasn't in quarters and neither were any of the members that responded that morning. Off duty members were there from home, huddled in groups and talking in low tones; they looked over to see if we knew anything more than they did. I saw a brother from my old Bronx Company who was covering at Ladder 20 as a Lieutenant - he told me what they feared. They're all missing.

From that day forward, nothing has been the same and the news has well documented the graphic images, endless digging, and unfortunately, the few recoveries.

I see my brothers beautiful because they are more than the one-dimensional fearless heroes that many envision since the tragedy of 9-11. They are multitalented, strong, sensitive, caring, course, funny, opinionated, reflective, altruistic, and yes, courageous, because they have fears just like everyone. Firefighters are required to overcome their fears with training, discipline, and a commitment to each other and humanity, to save the lives of complete strangers.

They must take calculated risks to save lives, while trying to return home safely. Sometimes, as with September 11, the threat to civilians is too great to calculate in normal terms.
It breaks our hearts to lose so many of our brothers, but they didn't die in vain because they saved lives with a disciplined assent and quick evacuation.

Much has been said to about returning to normalcy for many reasons; to avoid hysteria, and to show our enemies that they will not disabled our society. Those are all good reasons, but I ask you to return to your lives with improved clarity.

I know that many people are overwhelmed with feeling of sadness, anxiety, and frustration.
It seems that we can't do enough to make us feel healed. I urge people to channel those emotions into positive activities and balance them into your new normal lives:

· Consider writing letters to firehouses or to the families of deceased firefighters.

· Donating blood.

· Volunteer in your communities if not in New York City, with the ARC or other agencies,

· There are many spontaneous and creative volunteer opportunities that don't require much structure of training.

· Chair Massages provided to firefighters and other volunteers,

· Communications specialist assisted D.A.R.T. with letter writing and publishing notices.

· Local groups cooked meals for firehouses during difficult days when ceremonies where scheduled.

· D.A.R.T. volunteer consultants suggested filming a PSA from the F.D.N.Y. to thank all you have provided support and well wishes...Especially the the children.

I will close with something I said in 1992 at the Mayor's breakfast after Hurricane Andrew:
"I have return from disaster responses strongly believing we can make it through the worst disasters as long as we have each other, as long as we make the effort to prepare."

I believe that more than ever. Therefore, we in the fire department, honor our brothers by doing our work to the best of our ability and living our lives to the fullest.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you have done to help us deal with this tragedy.

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