Run … don’t walk … and get this book to read to your students! Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers is the real history about the building of the statue of liberty. It has incredible pictures, and explains the symbolism of many of the statue’s elements. It also poses a very neat question: Why is Lady Liberty’s right foot raised as if she’s moving?
Teachers can pause their reading to have kids make inferences about where she is going, then continue reading to learn more about the symbolism of her raised foot. (Spoiler alert – the interpretation is that she is on the move to welcome immigrants to the country. In doing so, she can’t just “stand” there.) This would tie in greatly with any diversity or immigration unit, as well as STEAM themes for the engineering and artistic aspect of the statue.
The below pictures are one of my co-teachers during her read-aloud. At certain points, she demonstrated Lady Liberty’s stance and emotion, because she’s theatrical and awesome like that. 😉
It’s honestly one of the best read-alouds we’ve done this year. Check it out … you won’t be disappointed!
