Student Inspires Idea for Blog–Get Your Kids Involved

I was going through my list of potential blog topics, trying to decide which topic I would write about next. In an uncanny coincidence, I opened an email from a student who had used the resources in an old blog post.


The email stated, “Yesterday my youngest was given a paper on the Statue of Liberty and the history of Ellis Island. After dinner we decided that it would be a good idea to get her rough draft started. Samantha was typing and writing away for quite a bit when she called me over for a little help….


As she kept writing, I thought she would appreciate if I found a bunch of different pages to help her. I ended up on your page https://www.readingspecialty.com/day-in-history-january-1-8-free-resources/ and we wanted to send our appreciation! Sam was able to utilize the information we found and kept typing away. I started looking for more help and as we were searching around, Sam found this page that speaks in-depth on the he construction of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, has the artist’s biography and reasoning for the statue, the history, and the island’s different uses… it’s packed with good information!”


A Link to Sam’s Resource–Statue of Liberty


The email continues and gives a link to a resource Sam B. found to be particularly helpful. I have now included her information in the earlier blog post. I believe this is a great resource and other students will find it helpful. (The resource is https://constructiondisputes.com/who-constructed-the-statue-of-liberty/.) If you take a look, I’m sure you will agree Sam has located a great source for students studying about the Statue of Liberty. There are links to the design and construction of the statue, history of the Statue, biographical information about the sculptor, Ellis Island and its history, immigration, medical and physical inspections, and applicable images.




Challenge Your Students to find resources and submit to Reading Specialty

Inspired by Sam

The email started me thinking–Sam is on to something here. One of the best places to find quality resources that work well for students might be from students themselves! So…I have created a google form. If a student finds a great resource which should be featured, please fill out the form. I will include credit to the student (first name) for any selected resource.


Teachers can challenge their students to find great resources and submit them. The form gives them an opportunity for authentic writing and a real-life chance to see their effort used. Selected resources must be age-appropriate, school-appropriate, and useful in a classroom setting.


So ask your students to take the challenge and report websites they find as particularly helpful to Reading Specialty. Share the great sites to help other students!


This is a sample of the form. Click below to share your resource.

Share the info

Fill out the Google Form and see if your resource becomes a part of the blog!

Click here to go to the google form.