Title: Lady Liberty
Theme:
Our unit plan is based on The Statue of Liberty and will be the topic of three different
lessons. We chose this theme because it is an important symbol of the United States culture. It
is often visited and toured by United States citizens and those traveling New York City. As we
are teaching in our overseas placement, discussing the Statue of Liberty will allow others to
learn an instrumental part of an experience in the United States.
Throughout our lessons we will read sections of The Statue of Liberty by Mary Firestone.
This text gives information on the statue in a chronological order from why France gave America
this gift to explaining the meaning of the statue’s symbols. We will be careful to highlight the
importance of the statue and its meaning to those coming to America from other countries. To
do this, we will give narratives of immigrants seeing The Statue of Liberty for the first time. This
unit could be used as part of a larger unit on American symbols.
Learning Objectives:
Objectives:
● Students will develop an understanding of the statue’s significance and what it
symbolizes to citizens and visitors of the United States, including immigrants.
● Students will learn about the different symbols included in The Statue of Liberty and
what each represents.
● Students will be able to locate The Statue of Liberty in a United States map.
● Students will learn the process of building The Statue of Liberty and recognize her
characteristics.
● Students will gain an understanding of measurement and size.
● Students will work on building their writing skills, making complete sentences.
Content Knowledge:
● Geography
● Community
● Vocabulary
● Symbols
● Sequence and process
● Measurement
Standards:
SS.2.1.4 2007
Identify and describe community celebrations, symbols and traditions and explain why they are
important.
Example: Local and regional festivals, city flags and seals, and community mottos
SS.2.3.1 2007
The World in Spatial Terms: Use a compass rose to identify cardinal and intermediate directions
and to locate places on maps and places in the classroom, school and community.
MA.2.5.4 2000
Estimate area and use a given object to measure the area of other objects.
EL.2.2.1 2006
Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials:
Use titles, tables of contents, and chapter headings to locate information in text.
EL.2.5.2 2006
Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that:
• develops a main idea.
• uses details to support the main idea.
Example: Write a descriptive piece on a topic, such as Houses Come in Different Shapes and
Sizes.
EL.2.7.13 2006
Recite poems, rhymes, songs, and stories.
Assessment of Student Learning:
● Students will be able to explain, through writing and illustration, the significance of The
Statue of Liberty to Americans and immigrants during the late 1800s.
● Students will be able to name the parts of The Statue of Liberty and these symbols’
meanings using an anchor chart.
● Students will be able to locate France, New York, and Ellis Island by using a map.
● Students will be able to identify how tall The Statue of Liberty is and what you could use
to measure it.
Activities:
We want our unit to be interesting so students are excited to learn about the United
States. All lessons will incorporate read alouds (if found). We will begin our unit with a virtual
tour of The Statue of Liberty and as a class, we will fill out a KWL chart. Students will be able to
express their initial thoughts on the statue through a writing/illustrating activity. In another
lesson, students will learn about how and why she was built. Students will measure each other
and then compare their height to the height of the Statue of Liberty. Our last lesson will discuss
her characteristics and the statue's meaning, possibly making a torch. We will provide students
with stories from those coming to America during the late 1800s about their feelings and
reactions towards seeing The Statue of Liberty for the first time. Students will work on writing,
completing full sentences about what the statue symbolizes to him/her. Throughout our lessons
we will use primary sources to provide students with images of The Statue of Liberty to aid in
understanding.
Work plan:
As a group we plan to complete the project by utilizing technology and getting together
to discuss our plans. Using google docs will allow each of us to work on different aspects of the
project when each of us have time. We each have busy schedules so google docs will work
really well for our group. In addition, by communicating via text message and email, we will be
able to create our lesson plans so that they are cohesive and work with each other. We plan to
use the internet to do research and then coordinate our lesson plans on the google doc. This
will allows us to draft and finalize our lesson plans as we complete them.
By keeping open communication, we will be able to split the work responsibilities so that
one person is not stuck doing all the work. Each person in our group will focus on one specific
lesson. This will give us the opportunity to become an expert on our specific lesson and
complete it. We will use each other for editing and to make sure that the lesson plan makes
sense and flow with each other. As each member of our group focuses on just one lesson plan,
it will divide the responsibilities evenly so that no one is overwhelmed.
Some resources that we might need to complete this project would be pictures of the
statue of liberty so that the students are able to visualize what we are talking about. We also will
need some internet resources to get facts and first person accounts of the statue of liberty.
Another great resource that will be available is our other group members. Being able to talk and
bounce our ideas off each other will help us to expand on our own thoughts and ideas.
Lady Liberty: Lesson 1
A)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
● Students will begin to develop an understanding of the statue’s significance and what it
symbolizes to citizens and visitors of the United States, including immigrants.
● Students will be able to locate The Statue of Liberty in a United States map.
● Students will learn about symbols and recall symbols of England.
● Students will work on building their writing skills, making complete sentences.
B)
STANDARDS
● SS.2.1.4 2007: Identify and describe community celebrations, symbols and traditions
and explain why they are important. Example: Local and regional festivals, city flags and
seals, and community mottos
● SS.2.3.1 2007: The World in Spatial Terms: Use a compass rose to identify cardinal and
intermediate directions and to locate places on maps and places in the classroom,
school and community
C)
MATERIALS
● Virtual Tour link: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/new-york/nyc/statueliberty
● Pictures of the Statue of Liberty
● KWL chart and post it notes
● Large map of the United States
● Map of Liberty Island
● Half sheets of paper
● Construction paper, scissors, stick glue
D)
DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LESSON (55 minute lesson)
5 min: Teacher will show a virtual tour of the Statue of Liberty using the link provided above.
Teacher will then pass out pictures of the Statue of Liberty for the students to explore.
10 min: Teacher will hand out a post-it note to each student. Student will be instructed to write
on their post-it a sentence either on what he/she already knows about the statue or what he/she
is wondering. Teacher will instruct the students to place his/her post-it on the KWL chart.
Provide assistance to the students needing guidance in building a sentence.
5 min: Teacher will show students a map of the United States in order to determine the location
of the statue. “The United States has 50 states. The Statue is located in the state of New York.”
The teacher points out the state and the Atlantic Ocean on the map, referring to cardinal
directions. Teacher then displays a map of Liberty Island and compares its location to the
United States map in order for students to understand where the statue is.
10 min: Teacher will discuss the term ‘symbol’. (Definition: a thing used to represent or stand
for something else) The students will learn that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol for freedom and
discuss the word ‘freedom’ (Definition: the power to act, speak, or think as one wants).
Challenge students to use the words ‘symbol’ and ‘freedom’ in a sentence.
10 min: Students will be given a half piece of paper. Pair students together based on academic
levels (higher student with lower student). Teacher will instruct students to brainstorm together a
symbol in the United Kingdom. Provide example such as Big Ben. Each student will draw the
symbol on their piece of paper and write a caption for their picture. Have pairs share their
symbol and tell the class what it represents.
10 min: Teacher will hand out construction paper and model step by step how to make a crown.
E) ASSESSMENT
5 min: During the last five minutes of the lesson, teacher will ask students what they learned
about the Statue of Liberty today. “It is located on Liberty Island; The United States has 50
states; Liberty Island is located in New York; The Statue of Liberty is a symbol that represents
freedom; There are many symbols around the world.” Add each response to a post-it note and
place it on the KWL chart.
F) GEARING UP/DOWN
Select three different students to write statue, symbol, and freedom and add to the word wall.
More books about the Statue of Liberty will be available for students to explore during read to
self time. If students find a fact that we have not gone over, they can their fun fact on a "Did you
know?" anchor chart.
G) REFERENCES
http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/new-york/nyc/statue-liberty
http://www.howtallisthestatueofliberty.org/where-is-the-statue-of-liberty-located/
Lady Liberty: Lesson 2
A) LEARNING OBJECTIVES
● Students will develop an understanding of the statue’s significance and what it
symbolizes to citizens and visitors of the United States, including immigrants.
● Students will learn the process of building The Statue of Liberty and recognize her
characteristics.
● Students will gain an understanding of measurement and size.
● Students will learn some French vocab relevant to the study of The Statue of Liberty.
B) STANDARDS
● MA.2.5.4 2000: Estimate area and use a given object to measure the area of other
objects.
● SS.2.1.4 2007: Identify and describe community celebrations, symbols and traditions
and explain why they are important.
C) MATERIALS
● KWL chart and post it notes
● Pictures of various monuments
● “A Picnic in October?” by Eve Bunting
● Pennies
● Yarn, tape measure
D) DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LESSON (60 minute lesson)
5 min: Teacher will review information from the “learned” column in the KWL chart.
10 min: Teacher will show pictures of various monuments around the world including the Statue
of Liberty (305’), Eiffel Tower, (1,063’) Empire State Building (1,250’), and Cristo Redentor
(130’). Teacher will discuss the height of each monument and allow students to verbally place
the pictures in order from shortest to tallest. Teacher will also discuss the following facts and
write them on the board as a reference in the next activity :
● Lady Liberty wears a size 879 shoe.
● She has a 35-foot waistline.
● Visitors have to climb 354 stairs to reach the statue’s crown.
○ There are 25 windows in the crown.
20 minutes: Teacher will model activity first. Teacher will then pair students together (using
partners from lesson one) and instruct students to use yarn and a tape measure to measure out
various parts of Lady Liberty such as her feet and waistline. The class will then stretch out the
yarn in a large area such as the hallway to conceptualize how big the statue is compared to
themselves.
10 minutes: Teacher will read the book, “A Picnic in October?” by Eve Bunting. This book
looks at a grandma who takes her family back to Ellis Island each year to celebrate Lady
Liberty’s birthday and why it is so important to her and their past. Teacher and the class will
discuss the book and the themes that are seen throughout. “Why is this picnic so important to
the grandma in the story?”
10 minutes: Teacher will explain to the class how the statue was a gift from France and that
Frederic-Auguste designed it. There will be pennies available so students can see firsthand
how thick the copper is on the statue. Facts to go over:
● The statue has an iron infrastructure and copper exterior which has turned green due to
oxidation. Although it’s a sign of damage, the patina (green coating) also acts as a form
of protection from further deterioration.
● Edouard de Laboulaye provided the idea for the statue, but Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi
designed it.
● Laboulaye proposed that a great monument should be given as a gift from France to the
United States as a celebration of both the union’s victory in the American Revolution,
and the abolition of slavery.
● Laboulaye also hoped the gift of the statue would inspire French people to fight for their
own democracy in the face of a repressive monarchy under Napolean III.
● The exterior copper covering of the Statue of Liberty is 3/32 of an inch thick (less than
the thickness of two pennies) and the light green color (called a patina) is the result of
natural weathering of the copper.
E) ASSESSMENT
5 min: During the last five minutes, teacher will ask students what they learned today about the
Statue of Liberty. “It is 305’ tall; The statue wears a size 879 shoe; She has a 35-foot waistline;
It was a gift from France as a victory celebration; It is made out of copper, but has turned
green.” Add each response to a post-it note and place it on the KWL chart.
Teacher will go over students’ measurements to make sure that they are calculating correctly
and finding accurate information.
F) GEARING UP/DOWN
More advanced students can measure and compare other things as they see fit.
Select a student to write patina on the word wall.
More books about the State of Liberty will be available for students to explore during read to self
time. If students find a fact that we have not gone over, they can their fun fact on a "Did you
know?" anchor chart.
H) REFERENCES
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/northamerica/usa/newyork/10157989/Statue-ofLiberty-50-fascinating-facts.html
Lady Liberty: Lesson 3
A)
B)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
● Students will develop an understanding of the statue’s significance and what it
symbolizes to citizens and visitors of the United States, including immigrants.
● Students will be able to identify the main symbols of The State of Liberty.
● Students will learn about the different symbols included in The Statue of Liberty and
what each represents.
● Students will work on building their writing skills, making complete sentences.
STANDARDS
SS.2.1.4 2007: Identify and describe community celebrations, symbols and traditions
and explain why they are important.
Example: Local and regional festivals, city flags and seals, and community mottos
● EL.2.5.2 2006: Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that:
●
○
○
C)
develop a main idea
uses details to support the main idea
MATERIALS
● KWL chart and post it notes
● Markers
● Immigrant letter artifacts
● Newspaper print out from The Dispatch, June 18, 1986
● Worksheets (labeling symbols and culminating writing activity)
● Link for Symbols of Liberty activity:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060618133755/http://www.nps.gov/stli/teachercorner/page
8.html
● 1 torch (tutorial: http://mommyspeakschinese.com/2013/10/the-50%C2%A2-statue-ofliberty-torch/)
D)
DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LESSON (55 minute lesson)
5 min: Teacher will review information from the “learned” column of the class KWL chart. “Raise
your hand and tell me one thing that we have learned about The Statue of Liberty.”
5 min: Teacher will introduce what being an immigrant means, referencing Eve Bunting’s book,
“A Picnic in October?”. A concept web diagram will be made on the topic of immigration.
Information to include:
● Definition: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country
● Everyone living in the US has an immigrant past, except Native Americans
● Ancestors were drawn by the promise of greater freedom and opportunity
● The arrival of immigrants to the US created a unique community of races, cultures, and
religions, “melting pot”
● Provide examples of immigration, using personal stories if possible
10 min: Teacher will bring out artifacts of letters from immigrants coming to America. These will
be introduced as having been found by Ellis Island investigators and sent to the Museum of
Natural History in New York to be used in classes learning about The Statue of Liberty. Each
letter will be read aloud followed by general thoughts and feelings from the class. Students will
be given time to look at letters afterwards.
5 min: The Dispatch newspaper from June 18, 1986 will be read aloud to students describing
immigrants coming to America and seeing The Statue of Liberty. A discussion will be held
talking about the different perspectives of immigrants upon seeing the statue. “What feelings
from these letters and the newspaper article jumped out at you?”, “Could you relate to any of
these feelings having seen pictures of the statue?”
15 min: An online tool will be used to discover the different parts of the statue and their
meanings. This information will be added to our class KWL chart. Students will fill out worksheet
with this information. Information to include:
● Torch: symbolizes that light (enlightenment) is the key to achieving freedom;
encompasses the statue’s real name: “Liberty Enlightening the World”
● Crown: the seven spikes represent the 7 seas and 7 continents of the world, reinforcing
the universal concept of liberty
○ “Let’s name all of the 7 continents and write one on each spike of our crown.”
● Tablet: this is a book of law based on the founding principles of the nation; to protect
rights and people
● Writing on the tablet: July IV MDCCLXXVI being the date of America’s independence
● Sandals/feet: the statue is moving forward as a free person and lighting this path to
freedom
● Broken chains: these, located at her feet, symbolize the freedom that Lady Liberty has;
freedom from slavery and bondage
10 min: Teacher will review KWL chart with the class and hand out writing activity for students
to begin working on. Students will either write what the statue means to them/what they learned
about the statue. Teacher will pull students aside to take their picture dressed up as The Statue
of Liberty with crown, torch, and robe. These pictures will be added to their writing worksheet
and posted for the entire class to see.
E)
ASSESSMENT
5 min: During the last five minutes, teacher will ask students what they learned today about the
Statue of Liberty. “There are many parts of the statue that mean something; The torch is a
symbol for enlightenment; an immigrant is a person moving to live permanently in another
country.” Add each response to a post-it note and place it on the KWL chart.
Students will be assessed on the knowledge they have gained about The Statue of Liberty from
the final writing activity.
F) GEARING UP/DOWN
More advanced students will be given the writing worksheet “What The Statue of Liberty means
to me…”
Students will be selected to add torch, tablet, immigrant
More books about the State of Liberty will be available for students to explore during read to self
time. If students find a fact that we have not gone over, they can their fun fact on a "Did you
know?" anchor chart.
G)
REFERENCES
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19860618&id=zxEeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sFIEA
AAAIBAJ&pg=6757,5668460
http://www.concordlibrary.org/scollect/Fin_Aids/OH_Texts/StatueOfLiberty.html
Letters:
1. Carla Montague,
Walden Street.
I sought political freedom and a better way of life when I came with my parents in 1956 from a
divided Germany having escaped earlier from the Soviet takeover of my native Leipzig.
The boat that I left on from Bremerhaven was filled with refugees from Eastern bloc countries
entering as part of a special refugee quota passed during the Eisenhower Administration.
Medical exams for the 1,000 people aboard the transporter were given in Germany.
I was 16 when I first passed the Statue of Liberty. It was an early morning sunrise when I first
saw her. Everyone standing on the boat was very excited. She gave me a comforting feeling,
that I was here, I made it, I had arrived. She seemed so personal to me.
2. Krist Andersen,
Main Street.
I first saw the Statue of Liberty in 1914 and I will never forget her. Arriving from Loiten, Norway
with my mother, paternal grandparents and four older brothers and sisters, we joined my father,
a farmer, who was already in Concord. To this five year old boy, with an immigrant's tag to be
processed through Ellis Island, the very size of the statue meant that I was entering a land of
giants.
3. Nancy Mazzeo,
Old Bedford Road.
I was 10 years old in 1904 when accompanied by my mother and a younger brother, I joined my
father and two sisters at Sag Harbor, Long Island. I remember that the name of the boat was
"Rex d'Italia" and the journey took two weeks.
The weather was frequently bad. There was a priest aboard who said mass every morning, and
everyone prayed a lot of the time.
And while the Statue of Liberty may have been a main attraction for some, for me it meant
reuniting my family that like so many others of the time, could not all arrive together.