MAY/JUNE 2009 • EDITION 2 • SCHOLASTIC NEWS 7

The Statue of LibertyThree 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 DiscussionPRE-TEACH CONCEPTS

If possible, show

children pictures of 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 ReadingRead to learn about the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of our country.

During-Reading DiscussionUNDERSTANDING TEXT FEATURES

This issue

is rich in nonfiction text features; take time to discuss each one with children. First, point out the heading and subheading, explaining that these features tell the main idea—what the issue is mostly about. Then point out the captions, explaining that they tell more about the map and the photos. Finally, point out the sidebar. Explain that a sidebar usually gives information on a topic that is related to the main idea.

After-Reading DiscussionEVALUATE/PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

Ask, “What do you think would be the most exciting thing about taking a trip to the Statue of Liberty?” Encourage children to imagine all aspects of the visit, including the ferry ride, a tour, and so on. If any children in the group have visited the statue, invite them to share their experiences.

Read-Aloud BackgroundMade in France➤

The artist who designed the Statue •of Liberty was Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. He was French. Some people say he made her face look like his mother’s!Lady Liberty has a little sister. •After the French gave the U.S. Lady Liberty, Americans gave the French people a gift to say “thank you.” They gave a smaller version of Lady Liberty! “Little Liberty” still stands on a small island in a river in Paris, France.Building the Pedestal➤

The French made the statue, but •the Americans were in charge of building a pedestal, or stand, to put her on. The problem was there wasn’t enough money to build one. So a newspaper owner started a •contest. He said anyone could send in money to build the pedestal, and he would put their name in his newspaper. Schoolchildren could even send in a penny and their name would be printed in the paper.Everyone wanted their name in •the paper! They also wanted a nice home for Lady Liberty. The money flooded in. Soon, there was enough money to build the pedestal.Lady Liberty Fun Facts➤

About 25 years ago, the magician •David Copperfield performed a trick on Lady Liberty. He made her seem to disappear on live television! It was an amazing magic trick—and to this day, people are still trying to guess how he did it.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 her pedestal.

KEYWORDsymbol

STANDARDSSocialStudies(NCSS)

Time, continuity, and change •People, places, and •environmentsPower, authority, and •governance

RESOURCESGo to www.earthcam •.com/usa/newyork /statueofliberty/ to see what Lady Liberty looks like right now!Who Stole Uncle Sam? • by Martha Freeman.*

* Available from Scholastic Lucky Book Club’s May catalog. To order from Lucky, call 1-800-SCHOLASTIC or visit www

.scholastic.com /bookclubs.

PHONICSFINDIT!

Inflected •endings: Find the word on page 1 with the –est ending. (tallest)

ANSWERKEYAnswers to back page: 1) The Statue of Liberty is one of the tallest statues on Earth; 2) Possible answer: I don’t think it was easy because workers had to take it apart and put the statue in 214 crates; 3) The statue turned green because of the sun and air; 4) Answers will vary; 5) Answers will vary; Answers to page 8 activity: 1) index finger; 2) head; 3) nose; 4) head; Brain Builder: 16 feet long; shorter than a giraffe.

®