United 93

After watching a movie with your children or students, we encourage parents and teachers to look for education opportunities to teach with movies. Here are a few discussion topics that can help with lesson plans or teaching in the home.

Despite training exercises, communication issues complicate many of the response times from ground personnel. Why is communication so important during a crisis? What can be learned from such an event? Do you have a contingency plan in your own family to help deal with emergencies?

Several people, including Ben Sliney, who was the FAA’s chief of operations on September 11, play themselves in this movie. Do you think it adds to the realism of the film? How difficult do you think it may have been for those participants to re-enact the event?

Many family members of the passengers on United 93 were contacted during the production of this film. How would you feel about having a story told about a tragic family event? Do you think portrayals in the media and movies help us digest events like wars and other tragedies, or just exploit them for commercial gain? (Universal Studios is planning to donate 10% of the revenue raised during the film’s opening weekend, toward a Flight 93 Memorial Fund.)

The official website for this film (www.united93movie.com/index.php) includes biographies for each of the passengers onboard. It also provides you an opportunity to donate to the Flight 93 Memorial Fund.