Help 10-year-olds research a statue using reliable sources, answer Who, What, When, Where, and Why, describe visual details, create an informative poster, and present a clear 2–3 minute speech.

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Research a Statue: Describe It With Details, Make a Poster, and Give a Speech

Materials Needed

Library books, museum websites, or teacher-approved online sources about a statue
Notebook or research worksheet
Pencil, eraser, and colored pencils or markers
Poster paper or a large piece of cardboard
Ruler, scissors, glue, and optional decorations
Computer or tablet for research, if available
Timer or clock for speech practice
Optional: index cards for speech notes

Lesson Overview

Age: 10 years old

Setting: Homeschool, classroom, library, or small-group training

Suggested Time: Two or three 45–60 minute sessions

Big Question: How can we teach other people about a statue using research, details, pictures, and a clear speech?

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:

Choose a statue and find information from at least two reliable sources.
Answer the questions Who, What, When, Where, and Why about the statue.
Describe the statue using specific details about its size, shape, materials, people, clothing, pose, symbols, and surroundings.
Organize research into a neat, informative poster.
Give a clear speech lasting about 2–3 minutes.
Use notes instead of reading every word from the poster.

Success Criteria

A successful project will:

Include accurate information from at least two sources.
Answer all five questions: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
Use at least five strong describing details.
Have a clear title, readable writing, organized sections, and a drawing or printed picture.
Include a beginning, middle, and ending in the speech.
Be spoken loudly and clearly with eye contact and good preparation.

Introduction: Hook and Objectives

Hook: “Statue Detective”

Say:

Imagine you are walking through a city and see a statue you have never seen before. What clues could help you figure out who or what it represents?

Invite the learner to study a statue in a book, on a museum website, or in the local community without immediately reading its name. Ask:

What do you notice first?
What is the statue made of?
What clues do you see in the person’s clothing, pose, or objects?
What questions would you ask to learn its story?

Explain:

Today, you will become a statue researcher. You will investigate a statue, answer five important questions, make a poster, and teach others about it in a short speech.

Part 1: Choose a Statue

Possible Statue Topics

The Statue of Liberty
The Lincoln Memorial statue
The Thinker
Mount Rushmore
A statue of a famous scientist, artist, leader, athlete, or community hero
A statue in a local park, town, school, or place of worship
A statue from another country or historical period

Allow the learner to choose a statue that seems interesting. Choice may be based on the person shown, the statue’s location, its unusual design, or its history.

Quick Check: Ask the learner to explain in one sentence why they chose the statue.

Part 2: Research the Statue

I Do: Model the Research Questions

Use a familiar statue, such as the Statue of Liberty, to model how to ask and answer questions. Explain that researchers do not simply copy every sentence they read. They find important facts, write them in their own words, and keep track of their sources.

Question	What to Find Out	Example: Statue of Liberty
Who?	Who does the statue show? Who designed, sculpted, or donated it?	It represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. Frédéric Bartholdi designed it.
What?	What is the statue? What does it show or hold?	It is a large statue of a standing woman holding a torch and a tablet.
When?	When was it made, finished, or placed?	It was dedicated in 1886.
Where?	Where is it located?	It stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
Why?	Why was it created? What does it mean?	It represents freedom and friendship between France and the United States.

Model how to record facts in short notes rather than full copied sentences:

Too much copying: “The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States.”
Good research note: “Gift from France to the United States.”

We Do: Complete the Five-Question Research Chart

Research together. Read a source, pause, and decide which question it answers. Write facts in the chart using short phrases.

Question	My Notes	Source
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?

Source Check: Discuss these questions:

Who wrote or created this source?
Does the source give facts or opinions?
Can we find the same fact in another reliable source?
Did we write where the information came from?

You Do: Independent Research

The learner researches the chosen statue and completes the chart. Encourage the learner to use at least two sources, such as a library book and a museum or government website.

Remind the learner to look for:

The statue’s official name
The person, animal, or idea shown
The artist, sculptor, or designer
The date it was made or dedicated
The location
The reason it was created
The meaning of symbols, objects, clothing, or poses
Interesting facts about its history

Part 3: Describe the Statue With Details

I Do: Demonstrate Strong Description

Explain that a description helps someone imagine the statue even if they cannot see it.

Plain description: “The statue is a person holding something.”

Detailed description: “The tall figure stands upright and holds a bright torch high above one hand. Long folds in the robe make the statue look as if it is moving in the wind.”

Show how to use the five senses and careful observation:

Size: Is it tiny, life-size, tall, or enormous?
Shape: Is it curved, straight, wide, narrow, or balanced?
Material: Is it made of bronze, stone, marble, wood, metal, or another material?
Pose: Is the figure standing, sitting, running, kneeling, or reaching?
Clothing: What does the person wear?
Objects: What is the figure holding or using?
Expression: Does the face look serious, calm, proud, joyful, or thoughtful?
Setting: What is around the statue?
Symbols: What might the objects or actions represent?

We Do: Statue Observation Game

Look at the chosen statue together. Take turns saying one observation. The other person must decide whether it is:

A fact that can be seen, such as “The figure is holding a book.”
An idea or interpretation, such as “The book may represent knowledge.”

Explain that both kinds of statements can be useful, but interpretations should be clearly identified as ideas.

You Do: Write Description Notes

The learner writes at least five details about the statue. At least three should be things that can be seen, and at least one should explain a possible meaning.

Sentence starters:

At first glance, I notice...
The statue is made from...
The figure is positioned...
One important object is...
The clothing shows...
The expression and pose make the figure seem...
This may symbolize...
The statue stands in...

Part 4: Make an Informative Poster

Poster Requirements

The poster should include:

A large, interesting title
The statue’s name
A drawing, printed picture, or carefully labeled sketch
Short sections answering Who, What, When, Where, and Why
At least five descriptive details
Two or more interesting facts
The names or links of research sources

I Do: Model Poster Planning

Demonstrate planning before decorating. Show how to lightly mark sections with a pencil, choose only the most important facts, and make headings large enough to read from several feet away.

Explain:

A poster is not a notebook page. Use short phrases, clear headings, and space between ideas. The poster should help your audience listen to your speech.

We Do: Organize the Information

Work together to choose the best facts for the poster. For each fact, ask:

Is it important?
Is it interesting?
Does it help answer one of the five questions?
Can someone read it quickly?

You Do: Create the Poster

The learner designs and completes the poster. Encourage creative choices such as:

Using colors connected to the statue or its location
Drawing arrows to label important parts
Adding a small map or timeline
Including a “Did You Know?” box
Adding a question for the audience

Midpoint Feedback: Pause halfway through and ask the learner to explain the poster without reading it. Give one compliment and one helpful suggestion.

Part 5: Write and Practice the Speech

Speech Structure

Beginning: Introduce the statue and grab attention.
Middle: Answer Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Add descriptive details.
Ending: Share why the statue is important or what you want the audience to remember.

Speech Frame

The learner may use this frame and change the words:

Have you ever wondered what a statue can teach us? Today I am going to tell you about [statue name]. This statue shows [person, animal, or idea]. It was created by [artist or sculptor]. It was made or dedicated in [date], and it is located in [place]. The statue was created because [reason]. Some details I noticed are [detail one], [detail two], and [detail three]. One interesting fact is [interesting fact]. I think this statue is important because [opinion supported by a reason]. Thank you for listening. Do you have any questions?

I Do: Model Speaking Skills

Demonstrate how to:

Stand tall or sit up straight
Speak loudly enough for the audience
Look at the audience instead of only looking at notes
Pause after important information
Point to the poster when it helps explain an idea
Use a calm voice and clear words

We Do: Practice Together

Read the speech together once. Then practice one section at a time. The listener gives specific feedback using these sentence starters:

“Your clearest detail was...”
“I learned that...”
“You could make this part stronger by...”
“One question I still have is...”

You Do: Give the Speech

The learner gives the speech to a parent, family member, class, small group, or video camera. The audience should listen for the five questions and write down one new fact they learned.

After the speech, invite the audience to ask one or two questions. The learner may use research notes to answer questions honestly. If the answer is unknown, the learner can say, “I do not know yet, but I could research that question.”

Formative Assessment

Choice Check: Can the learner explain why the statue was chosen?
Research Check: Are facts recorded in the correct Who, What, When, Where, and Why sections?
Source Check: Has the learner used at least two reliable sources?
Description Check: Has the learner written at least five specific details?
Poster Check: Can the learner explain the poster without reading every word?
Practice Check: Is the speech understandable and close to 2–3 minutes?

Summative Assessment Rubric

Skill	Excellent	Developing	Needs More Practice
Research	Uses two or more sources and records accurate facts.	Uses sources but needs help checking or organizing facts.	Has very few facts or sources.
Five Questions	Clearly answers Who, What, When, Where, and Why.	Answers most questions.	Answers only a few questions.
Description	Uses five or more vivid, specific details.	Uses some details but could be more specific.	Uses very few describing details.
Poster	Is neat, creative, readable, and well organized.	Includes useful information but needs better organization.	Is difficult to read or missing important sections.
Speech	Has a clear beginning, middle, and ending; voice is clear and confident.	Has some organization and is usually understandable.	Needs more practice with organization or speaking clearly.

Differentiation and Support

For a Learner Who Needs More Support

Choose a statue with easy-to-find information.
Use one source at a time and discuss each paragraph together.
Provide a completed example of the five-question chart.
Allow the learner to dictate research notes or speech sentences.
Use sentence starters and a word bank: sculptor, bronze, marble, symbol, memorial, honor, represent, located, created.
Let the learner give a shorter one-minute speech or present to one trusted listener first.
Allow audio recordings, speech cards, or a digital poster instead of handwritten work.

For an Advanced Learner

Compare the statue with another statue from the same time period or country.
Research how people have reacted to or used the statue over time.
Include a short timeline or map.
Explain how the artist used pose, size, material, and location to create meaning.
Use three or more sources and identify which source was most helpful.
Give the speech without reading from a full script.

Choice and Real-World Connections

The learner may choose one final presentation format:

In-person speech with a paper poster
Digital poster and recorded speech
Family museum tour, where the learner acts as the guide
Short video presentation
Live presentation beside a local statue, if appropriate and safe

Explain that historians, museum guides, journalists, and tour leaders use these same skills: they ask questions, check sources, notice details, organize information, and explain ideas to an audience.

Conclusion: Closure and Recap

Ask the learner to complete these statements:

The statue I researched is...
The most important fact I learned was...
One detail that helps people picture the statue is...
The statue is important because...
One speaking skill I used was...
Next time, I would improve...

Review the main idea:

Good statue research combines facts and careful observation. A strong poster organizes the information, and a strong speech helps other people understand why the statue matters.

Optional Follow-Up Activities

Design an original statue for a person, place, or idea that deserves to be remembered.
Write a paragraph explaining what the new statue would show and why.
Create a small model using clay, cardboard, recycled materials, or building blocks.
Research a statue in the local community and compare it with the chosen statue.
Write a postcard from the statue’s point of view.

Top: Title and name of statue	Center: Drawing, picture, or labeled sketch
Left side: Who, What, When, Where, Why	Right side: Description and interesting facts
Bottom: Sources

Statue Research Project for Kids: Create a Poster and Give a Speech