The Statue of Liberty
Three patriotic holidays are coming up: Memorial Day, Flag Day,
and the Fourth of July. Now is a great time to learn about patriotic
symbols. Use this issue to introduce the Statue of Liberty!
Before-Reading Discussion
STANDARDS
Social Studies (NCSS)
••Time, continuity, and change
••People, places, and
environments
RESOURCES
••Go to http://www.earthcam
.com/usa/newyork
/statueofliberty/ to see what
Lady Liberty looks like right
now! The site has archives of
memorable images, as well as
a live cam.
••Little Miss Liberty by
Chris Robertson.*
*Available from Scholastic SeeSaw
Book Club’s May catalog.
To order from SeeSaw, call
1-800-SCHOLASTIC or visit www
.scholastic.com
/bookclubs.
VOCABULARY
FIND IT!
••Synonyms: Find
the word on
page 1 that is a
synonym for
woman. (lady)
ANSWER KEY
Answers to back page: 1) The
Statue of Liberty is one of the
tallest statues in the world;
2) The kind of light is called
a torch; 3) The statue is now
green. She used to be brown;
4) Possible answer: My favorite
part is the tablet because it
says America’s birthday on it.
Answers to p. 8: 1) 42 feet long;
2) 8 feet long; 3) Her head is
longer; 4) Her finger is longer;
5) Her head is shorter; Brain
Builder: nose.
If possible,
PRE-TEACH CONCEPTS
show
children patriotic symbols, such as the
American flag and a bald eagle, and
then show them the Statue of Liberty.
Ask, “What do these pictures remind
you of? What do you know about
them?” Explain that these things stand
for America. Today, children will learn
about the Statue of Liberty.
Set a Purpose for Reading
Read to learn about the Statue of
Liberty, a symbol of our country.
During-Reading Discussion
After
reading
about the torch, ask, “What does the
arrow point to?” (the torch on the
statue) “What does the photo above
the sentences show?” (a close-up
of the torch) Explain that this is a
diagram—a picture that shows the
parts of something. Diagrams help
readers see each part and how it fits
into the whole. Continue, having
children point out the close-ups and
then follow the arrows to see the
parts on the statue.
USING A DIAGRAM
After-Reading Discussion
Use the
ReadAloud Background on this page to
tell children a little more about Lady
Liberty. Then have them imagine
they could speak to her! Ask, “If
you could interview Lady Liberty,
what questions would you ask her?”
Encourage children to be creative, for
example, “How do you feel in cold
weather? What do you do when your
arm gets tired? Do you like greeting
people?”
POSING QUESTIONS
Read-Aloud Background
➤A Symbol of Freedom
••Long ago, many people came
to America by boat. They came
from all over the world to live in
freedom. The Statue of Liberty was
the first thing many of them saw
when they got here. She stood up
tall, holding her torch high to greet
them. She is a symbol of freedom.
That means she stands for freedom.
➤A Gift From France
••Lady Liberty wasn’t always in
our country. She was built in
France. She was a gift from the
French people.
••It took workers nine years to
build her!
••It wasn’t easy to get Lady Liberty
to the United States! First, workers
had to take her apart. Then they
packed her in 214 boxes. When
she got to the U.S., they put her
back together.
••The Statue of Liberty was placed
where she stands today 123 years
ago. At that time, there was a
special ceremony to welcome her.
➤Visiting the Statue of Liberty
••Millions of people each year go
to see the Statue of Liberty.
The only way to get to her is by
ferry—a kind of boat. People leave
from New York or New Jersey and
take a short ride over the water to
the statue.
••Visitors to the Statue of Liberty can
also take a ferry ride to nearby Ellis
Island. Long ago, Ellis Island was
the first place many people stopped
when they came to America.
••When Lady Liberty was about 100
years old, she got a new torch. But
people can still see the old one. It’s
kept in the base, or bottom part, of
the statue.
MAY/JUNE 2009
•
EDITION 1
•
SCHOLASTIC NEWS
7