Guiding Comprehension

Fact and Opinion

• Inferential

Read p. 290. Name one fact and one opinion on the page.

Possible response: Fact: "The Statue of Liberty stands on an island in New York Harbor." Opinion: "She is a beautiful sight to all who pass by her."

Main Idea • Inferential

Have students determine the main idea and a supporting detail of paragraph 3 on p. 290.

Main Idea: The Statue of Liberty was a special statue to Bartholdi. Detail: The statue was to be a gift to Americans from the French.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction on
p. 291.

If… students are unable to determine the main idea and supporting details,

Main Idea

Students can find out more about the life and work of Frédéric Bartholdi by searching the Internet. Have them use a student-friendly search engine and the keywords Frédéric Bartholdi.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Main Idea

TEACH

Remind students that a main idea makes an important point about the topic and has at least one supporting detail.
Supporting details are smaller pieces of information that provide more detail about the main idea.
Model finding the main idea of
p. 290, paragraph 3.

MODEL First I'll see what each sentence in the paragraph is about. Then I'll look for details the sentences have in common. Both sentences are about the Statue of Liberty and why it was special to Bartholdi. If I put the information together, the main idea is that the Statue of Liberty was special to Bartholdi. A detail is that the statue was to be a present from the French to the Americans. This detail explains why the statue was important to him.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students reread p. 291. Ask which of the following is the main idea for the paragraph. (choice c)

a)		Bartholdi began work on the Statue of Liberty by making models and sketches.
b)		Bartholdi decided the statue would be a woman.
c)		Bartholdi decided that the statue would be a symbol of freedom.

"The Story of the Statue of Liberty"
by Betsy and Giulio Maestro

Student Edition
Unit 6, pp. 288–299

Narrative nonfiction gives information about real people and events in the form of a story. What special event does this Selection Snapshot tell about?

New York Harbor has been home to the Statue of Liberty for more than 120 years. Millions of people have taken the ferry to the island where she stands. Many have climbed up to the top of the statue and looked out its windows.
In 1871, French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi came to the United States. He wanted to build a statue as a gift to the people of the United States. It would be from the people of France. The two countries had been friends for a long time. When he saw Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, he knew that this would be the perfect place. Bartholdi returned home, where he made sketches and small models of the statue. It would be a woman, with a lamp in her hand to welcome people to America. She would be a symbol of freedom in the New World. Her name? Liberty Enlightening the World. The statue would be huge and strong enough for people to climb to the top inside.
On her head, Liberty wears a spiked crown. One arm holds the torch up high. It looks like the statue is lighting the way. The other arm holds a tablet with the date July 4, 1776, written on it. That's when Americans signed the Declaration of Independence, which freed them from British rule.
In 1876, Americans celebrated their country's 100th birthday. Bartholdi sent the arm holding the torch to Philadelphia for the celebration. At the same time, Liberty's head was displayed at the World's Fair in France. People paid to climb inside it. That helped to pay for the statue. All of Paris watched as the statue slowly was built. Her copper skin shone. Underneath was a framework of steel. By 1884, Liberty was finished. Many people in Paris went to see her, and a few climbed the 168 stairs to the top.
Afterwards the statue was taken apart, packed into crates, and put on a ship to cross the ocean. But Americans had lost interest in the statue. They did not have the money needed to finish the base for it. Then a newspaper in New York took up the cause. Americans from all over, even schoolchildren, sent donations. When the ship arrived, there was new excitement in the air.
Workmen finished the pedestal. Then they reassembled Liberty, section by section. In 1886, a year later, she stood gleaming on Bedloe's Island. At a huge celebration, Bartholdi unveiled Liberty's face. The crowd cheered when they saw it, and President Grover Cleveland and other people gave speeches.
Since that day, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope for immigrants.
She is an unforgettable sight that greets many people coming to America. Every year on the Fourth of July, fireworks surround the beautiful statue that stands for American freedom.



	Close
	Access Content Help students become more familiar with places in the United States and France that are named in the selection. On a map, point out the locations mentioned in the selection, such as New York Harbor and Paris. Help students differentiate between and understand the concepts of an island and a harbor. Location Skills Have students locate New York Harbor and Paris, France, on a world map. Ask them to estimate the distance between the two locations. Explain that New York is a state in the country of The United States of America. The country is on the continent of North America. Paris is in the country of France. The country is on the continent of Europe. Use a ruler and a map scale to figure the approximate distance between the two places. (3,635 miles) Remind students of the distance as they read pp. 290–291.

"The Story of the Statue of Liberty"by Betsy and Giulio Maestro

"The Story of the Statue of Liberty"
by Betsy and Giulio Maestro