Independent Practice
Genre: Social Studies Article
Read
WORDS TO KNOW
Our Most Famous
Immigrant
As you read, look
inside, around, and
beyond these words
to figure out what
they mean.
commissioned
scaffolds by Nancy Whitelaw, Cobblestone
dismantle
1 Americas most famous immigrant arrived here in 1885. She was
pedestal
packed in 214 boxes. She was about 10 years old then. America had been
waiting nine years for her. She was the Statue of Liberty. Her story begins
long ago in France.
2 It is April 1876. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, has a
problem. He has been commissioned to complete a statue as a gift from
France to America for Americas 100th birthday.
3 July fourth, July fourth, he mutters over and over. It cant be done.
4 Plaster dust swirls through the air around the partly finished statue.
Gobs of wet plaster fall in heaps on the floor below it. Workmen climb up
and down the scaffolds, hauling pails of materials and tools.
5 The noise is deafening. Men are shouting directions. Saws are rasping
at ragged edges. Mallets are clanging copper sheets into molds. Hammers
are nailing wood strips together.
6 An idea comes to Bartholdi. Ill finish the arm and torch. Ill send
them in time for the 4th of July so the Americans can at least imagine the
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi whole statue. This is no small present. The hand alone is 16 feet high.
visited the United States 7 When the arm and torch finally are completed, Bartholdi has them
and chose the place where
the Statue of Liberty shipped to the Philadelphia Worlds Fair.
wouldstand. The Americans are amazed and delighted.
The sculptor feels some relief that his art
is appreciated. But he still has a great deal
of work to do to finish building the worlds
largest statue.
In 1878, the head of the Statue of Liberty was
displayed in Paris, France. A small copy of the
complete statue was shown with it.
182 Lesson 11 Authors Point of View Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.
Authors Point of View Lesson 11
8 Finally, in 1884, she stands tall and proud.
She looks over the rooftops of Paris, France.
She stays there until January 1885, while the
Americans build a pedestal for her. Then, Bartholdi
orders his crew to dismantle the statue and pack her
into boxes.
9 Two hundred fourteen boxes arrive at Bedloes Island
in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885. A reporter opens
some of the boxes. I found one case that had just the
eyebrows and forehead, he writes. Another contained
the left ear and some pieces of hair. One box that was
eight feet long held one of her curls. Workmen in
America assemble the statueall 216 feet of heron an
89-foot-tall pedestal.
10 On October 28, 1886, crowds of cheering spectators
gather at the shore to watch the unveiling. The 300 boats
in the harbor clear a path to the statue for President Grover
Cleveland and his party. Bartholdi, positioned high in the
torch of the statue, pulls the cord to unveil the face of the
statue called Liberty Enlightening the World. Thousands
cheer, wave banners, blow whistles, sound sirens, beat
drums, and ring bells.
Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted. Lesson 11 Authors Point of View 183
Independent Practice
Think Use what you learned from reading the article to respond to the
following questions.
1 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.
Part A
With which statement would the author of this article most likely
agree?
A Building the Statue of Liberty was an amazing
accomplishment.
B The sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was not a
patientman.
C Americans did not appreciate the statue as much as they
should have.
D The Statue of Liberty cost too much money to make.
Part B
Write two sentences that support the answer you chose in Part A.
184 Lesson 11 Authors Point of View Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.
Authors Point of View Lesson 11
2 Which of the following best describes the authors point of view
about the Statue of Liberty?
A Late delivery of the statue was the result of poor planning.
B More statues like the Statue of Liberty should be built in
thiscountry.
C The story of how the statue was built is both interesting
andamazing.
D The Statue of Liberty is the greatest statue in the world.
3 This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then answer Part B.
Part A
According to the author, how did most Americans feel about the
statue while they waited for it to be completed?
A They werent very interested in seeing it.
B They were excited and eager for it to arrive.
C They were worried that it wouldnt fit in the harbor.
D They didnt think the statue was worth the long wait.
Part B
Which key event mentioned in the article caused Americans to feel
the way they did about the gift theyd be receiving?
A the nine-year delay as the statue was built
B the display of the arm and torch at the Worlds Fair
C the arrival of 214 boxes at Bedloes Island in New York Harbor
D the completion of the statue in France
Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted. Lesson 11 Authors Point of View 185
Independent Practice
4 Read these sentences from paragraph 7.
The Americans are amazed and delighted. The sculptor feels
some relief that his art is appreciated.
What does the word appreciated mean in this context?
A felt, touched
B found, discovered
C valued, enjoyed
D covered, hid
5 Read these sentences from paragraph 10.
Bartholdi, positioned high in the torch of the statue, pulls the
cord to unveil the face of the statue called Liberty Enlightening
the World. Thousands cheer, wave banners, blow whistles,
sound sirens, beat drums, and ring bells.
Which word best describes the authors point of view on the 1886
unveiling of the Statue of Liberty?
A disappointed
B confused
C upset
D excited
186 Lesson 11 Authors Point of View Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.
