Friday, December 13, 2024

Biden memorializes painful past of Native Americans

VOA News: Biden memorializes painful past of Native Americans 

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday presided over his final White House Tribal Nations Summit by establishing a national monument to honor the suffering of thousands of Native children and their families in federal boarding schools. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.

Learn more:



POP QUIZ:

USCIS 100:59.  Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

USCIS 100:87.  Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Madre Sin Fronteras


Virgen de Tepeyac,


Patroness of the Americas,


Madre sin fronteras,



PRAY FOR US!





Wednesday, December 11, 2024

2024-2025 MAE Citizenship Class 13


uscitizenpod: A Quick Guide to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Classroom:

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Share America: 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Learn more:
  • LINCS: Civic Resources for Human Rights Day (Dec 10) and Bill of Rights Day (Dec 15)  links
  • TED-ed: The rights you might not realize you have - Shannon Odell
  • uscitizenpod: Resources for Human Rights Day links
  • uscitizenpod: A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of the UDHR and Human Rights Day mp3 and pdf 
  • uscitizenpod: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Word Search Puzzle pdf 

Monday, December 9, 2024

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?




The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception located in Washington, D.C., honors Mary, the mother of Jesus, as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Patroness of the United States and celebrates the diversity of the American Catholicism. (take a virtual tour)

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is usually celebrated on December 8th.  This year, the Roman Catholic Church is observing the second Sunday of Advent on Sunday, December 8th and celebrating the Immaculate Conception on Monday, December 9th.  

As a Roman Catholic, I am proud to share my religious and cultural heritage that informs my work as an ESL/Citizenship teacher.  I also want to honor my Catholic brothers and sisters working tirelessly for justice on behalf on the immigrant community.

USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?

▪ You can practice any religion, or not practice a religion.

Saturday, December 7, 2024

How South Asian Muslims and Mexican Americans United in the 1920s


PBS: American Muslims: How South Asian Muslims and Mexican Americans United in the 1920s 

Asma Khalid travels to Sacramento and Phoenix to piece together the story of a man named Mir Dad, a South Asian Muslim who arrived in the United States in 1917 and made a home in the American Southwest. Asma discovers the prejudice faced by South Asians of all religions traveling to America in the early part of the 20th century and the race-based naturalization and immigration laws that shaped their lives. She also discovers how Mir Dad joined a growing number of South Asian and Mexican American couples who built their lives together in the 1920s and 30s, forming blended communities whose descendants still treasure their mixed heritage today. Includes readings from actors Kamal Khan and David Rasche.

Learn more:
  • PBS: American Muslims: A History Revealed
    • A series of six short documentary films that reveal and explore the early history of Muslims in America. The series is hosted by three leading American Muslim journalists: Malika Bilal, Aymann Ismail, and Asma Khalid. Over the course of the series, they travel the country to piece together stories spanning over 200 years. from the first Muslims to arrive as enslaved people from Africa to the establishment of early South Asian, Syrian-Lebanese, and Black American Muslim communities. The series weaves key moments in U.S. history with the unexpected but essential story threads of Muslims whose lived experiences offer us new insight into how race, religion, and nationality are intertwined in the American fabric. Actors reading the part of historical characters include Hiam Abbas, David Rasche, Kamal Khan, and Faarshad Farahat.
  • PBS: Is This One of America’s First Mosques? video
  • PBS: From Slavery to Freedom: The Untold Story of America's First Muslims video
  • PBS: Fighting for Freedom: The Little-Known Story of Muslims and the Civil War video
  • uscitizenpod: A Citizenship Quiz for the Month of Ramadan pdf  mp3  video
  • uscitizenpod: A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of India and Pakistan Independence Day pdf
  • uscitizenpod: Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 to Oct 15) Part 1 (pdf(mp3)

Friday, December 6, 2024

Two Resources for USCIS N-400 Part 9

 

Created with MS Image Designer AI 12/05/2024 3:30 PM PT

Pearson ELT USA Team just release a free pdf of the UPDATED Naturalization Speaking Test from Voices of Freedom by Bill Bliss.  Download the test practice

New Readers Press has just posted a new “Tricky Vocabulary” handout (for explaining vocabulary in the new N-400 part 9):  https://www.newreaderspress.com/site/Additional%20Resources/CitizenshipRFTI-VocabularySheet-2024.pdf .  This resource complements Citizenship: Passing the Test Ready for the Interview Student Book 4th Edition by Lynn Weintraub