Guiding Comprehension

Symbolism • Critical

What does the Statue of Liberty symbolize?

Possible responses: freedom, liberty, friendship.

Text Structure • Critical

Text to Self How does the text structure help you summarize what you read? Use a time line, steps in a process chart, or other graphic organizer to write a summary of the selection.

Possible response: The chronological structure is a way to remember the events in the order in which they happened.

Summarize When students finish reading the selection, provide this prompt: Imagine that a friend has asked what The Story of the Statue of Liberty is about. In four or five sentences, explain its important points.

STRATEGY SELF-CHECK

Text Structure

Ask students to revisit each page to determine the main ideas and events. Have them use the order of the main ideas to explain the authors' text structure. Students can use the main ideas to complete a graphic organizer (Time Line: Graphic Organizer 22, or Steps in a Process chart: Graphic Organizer 23) and write a summary.

SELF-CHECK

Students can ask these questions to assess their ability to use the skill and strategy.

Did I accurately identify the main ideas and events from the selection?
Do the main ideas and events support my classification of the text structure?
Did I choose a graphic organizer that reflects the text structure?
To assess, use Practice Book 3.2, p. 107.

then… use the Reteach lesson on
p. 303b.

If… students have difficulty identifying main ideas and text structure,

Main Idea

Practice Book 3.2 p. 107

with | without Answers

"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 Read the poem on p. 299 with students. Help them understand its meaning and from whose point of view it is written. Ask them to identify why the statue would be a welcome sight to immigrants arriving in the United States. PRACTICE LESSON VOCABULARY As a class, answer the following sentences orally. Are people with liberty free? (Yes) Why did Bartholdi make models of the statue first? (Possible response: He wanted to plan how it would look before he started building it.) Name one purpose of a torch. (Possible response: to give light) BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY Review previous concept words with students. Ask if students have come across any words today in their reading or elsewhere that they would like to add to the Concept Web.

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

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