US Supreme Court Deems Half of Oklahoma a Native American Reservation

VOANews: US Supreme Court Deems Half of Oklahoma a Native American Reservation

Decision overturns a tribe member's rape conviction because the location where the crime was committed should have been considered outside the reach of state criminal law

POP QUIZ:

USCIS 100:37. What does the judicial branch do?

USCIS 100:38. What is the highest court in the United States?

USCIS 100:39. How many justices are on the Supreme Court?

USCIS 100:40. Who is the Chief Justice of the United States now?

USCIS 100:41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?

USCIS 100:42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states? 

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

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

Also see: 

A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Native American Heritage Month Focus: Recent Native American History and Legislation pdf

Citizenship Resources for Native American Heritage Month post

Summer Citizenship Zoom Class 5

uscitizenpod: Bill of Rights (google slides)

Summer Citizenship Zoom Class is Tue and Thu 7:00-8:00 pm PDT

Join Zoom Meeting

ID: 597 738 4168

Password: 226317

Direct Link to the Summer Citizenship Zoom Class 

https://bit.ly/maecit

Screenshots from the Summer Citizenship Zoom Class:

https://bit.ly/cit-zoom-photos 

N-400

• Elementary Interview based on the Revised N-400 (21qs) (updated 04/18/2016)
• Powerpoint
• vocabulary pdf
• Interview C-4
• Entrevista C-4

Civics

• USCIS: Bill of Rights (beginning)
• si.edu: Preparing the Oath: Writing the US Constitution: 5 (Bill of Rights) 
• English transcript  
• Spanish transcript 
• Bill of Rights pptx 
• Bill of Rights Citizenship Quiz
• The Founders Quiz (pdf)

Integration

• A Quick Review of the Bill of Rights and the N-400 Part 12 plus Civics Questions mp3 and pdf and video (2017)

Extra Credit

• ListenAndReadAlong is an AWESOME resource that produces videos that highlights words as they are heard from VOA news reports and features.
  • American History - Part 022 - Bill of Rights 

VOA Learning English: What Does the Bill of Rights Say?

What Do the Amendments in the Bill of Rights Say?
I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X

Laid Off Diversity Visa Holders Struggle During Pandemic

VOANews: Laid Off Diversity Visa Holders Struggle During Pandemic

Under The Diversity Visa program tens of thousands of potential immigrants literally rely on the luck of the draw to get the opportunity to legally live and work in the US

Summer Citizenship Zoom Class 4

VOA Learning English: The Making of the Constitution


N-400

• Elementary Interview based on the Revised N-400 (21qs) (updated 04/18/2016)
• Powerpoint
• vocabulary pdf
• Interview C-3

Civics

• USCIS: U.S. Constitution (intermediate)
• si.edu: Preparing the Oath: Writing the US Constitution 
• US Constitution Quick Quiz (picture vocabulary)
• Summary of the Constitution (pdf)
• The Founders Quiz (pdf)

Integration

• A Quick Interview for US Constitution and Citizenship Day (2011) pdf

Extra Credit

• ListenAndReadAlong is an AWESOME resource that produces videos that highlights words as they are heard from VOA news reports and features.
  • American History - Part 015 - Birth of the Constitution
  • American History - Part 016 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 2
  • American History - Part 017 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 3 - Making of a Nation
  • American History - Part 018 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 4 - Executive Branch
  • American History - Part 019 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 5 - Big State vs Small State
  • American History - Part 020 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 6 - Slaves
  • American History - Part 021 - Birth of the Constitution - Part 7 - States Ratify
  • American History - Part 022 - Bill of Rights (tomorrow!)

Hit the Deck Running: 2020 Census, Civics, and Citizenship

COABE 2020: Hit the Deck Running: 2020 Census, Civics, and Citizenship
Jennifer Gagliardi jgagliar@musd.org
google slides: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-3cs
pdf: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-3cs-pdf
https://coabe-conference-2020.pathable.co/meetings/virtual/2GBzoa9amP4HCg4te


05/06/2020 COABE webinar: Resources for Online Citizenship Classes
Jennifer Gagliardi jgagliar@musd.org
google slides: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-cit
pdf: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-cit-pdf
webinar recording: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-cit-wv

The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

Happy Independence Day Week! Today we will listen to an old podcast from uscitizenpod: USCIS 100:99 July 4th, Slavery, and Fredrick Douglass

We will first read about Q99 from the USCIS M638 quick civics lesson. Then we will discuss the Declaration of Independence, the Compromise of 1850, and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. Then we will listen to a short reading from Fredrick Douglass speech: “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Note that Negro was a common term for Black or African-Americans, but it is not often used today. Let's get started.

DOWNLOAD MP3

excerpt from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro by Fredrick Douglass

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?

I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelly to which he is the constant victim.

To him, your celebration is a sham;
your boasted liberty, an unholy license;
your national greatness, swelling vanity;
your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless;
your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence;
your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery;
your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings,
with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast,
fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages...

TimelessReader1: Meaning of July 4th for the Negro - Frederick Douglass Speech - Hear the Text

Listen to and read text from The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro, written by abolitionist and former slave: Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass presented this speech on July 5, 1852 in Rochester, NY. This speech concludes with a poem, a peace prayer, written by William Lloyd Garrison

For more info:

See zinnedproject.org: Frederick Douglass Fights for Freedom

Watch actor Danny Glover read abolitionist Frederick Douglass's "Fourth of July Speech, 1852" on October 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. Part of a reading from Voices of a People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove.)

Citizenship Resources for Independence Day

NEW for 2020!

• VOANews: Why does the U.S. celebrate July 4th? video
• VOANews: New US Citizens Sworn In at Los Angeles Drive Through video
• uscitizenpod: What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 4 featuring N-400 Part 12 Definitions!
• video
• worksheet  
• mp3

.gov Resources for Independence Day


SI.edu/USCIS: Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship

This web resource provides online videos and activities on the 100 civics questions from the naturalization test and highlights museum objects from the Smithsonian Institution. Visit the “Establishing Independence” and “Symbols and Holidays” themes for information on Independence Day.



USCIS: For Independence Day
USCIS highlights some of the resources for learners and teachers that are related to this important holiday.

NEW: Civics Questions Playlist 

USCIS helps you prepare for the civics test by posting a new paylist: one video for each civics and history question asked by different examiners.  For Independence Day, check out 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.  Good job, USCIS!

USCIS: Lesson Plans and Activities

Visit this page to find lesson plans, student handouts, and answer keys on a variety of topics, including Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence (Beginning Level), American Symbols and Celebrations (Beginning and Intermediate Levels), Establishing Independence (Intermediate Level).

USCIS: Independence Day 2015 - Declaration of Independence

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov) thanks everyone who participated in our video project to celebrate the nation's 239th birthday on July 4. To find naturalization ceremony photos and immigrant stories posted by some of the more than 700,000 people each year who become U.S. citizens, check #newUScitizen and #newAmericans on social media.

Follow American English at State on FaceBook

More Resources

American English at State: Celebrate Independence Day (pdf)
Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 because on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, officially breaking bonds with England and forming a new independent nation, the United States of America.

JenniferESL: Lesson 26 - Red, White & Blue Idioms - Happy Fourth of July!
Learn six idioms based on the colors red, white, and blue.  MORE PRACTICE

Rachel's English: 4th of July Traditions
Happy 4th of July! This is the day we celebrate America’s independence. Study vocabulary, pronunciation, and phrases as we study REAL English conversation and learn about 4th of July traditions in the US.

TED-ED: What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence - Kenneth C. Davis (video)
In June 1776, a little over a year after the start of the American Revolutionary War, the US Continental Congress huddled together in a hot room in Philadelphia to talk independence. Kenneth C. Davis dives into some of the lesser known facts about the process of writing the Declaration of Independence and questions one very controversial omission.

US News: 15,000 people became Americans on Independence Day 2017
Immigrants from around the world celebrated their new American citizenship in over 65 naturalization ceremonies across the United States.

uscitizenpod: Independence Day Citizenship Interview with Lien Ho (2017)

uscitizenpod: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs for Independence Day
New for 2016: 24 questions based on the N-400r plus 10 civics question.

uscitizenpod: US Citizenship Podcast Independence Day Quiz (video)
Celebrate Independence Day with uscitizenpod. Here is a quiz based on USCIS 100:08, 09, 61, 62, 63, 64, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.


VOANews: Ahead of Independence Day Holiday, Children Take Oath to Become US Citizens
One of the themes of this year's Smithsonian Folk Life Festival is immigration. As part of the festival events, a group of 25 children were sworn in as U.S. Citizens, just ahead of America's Independence Day holiday. VOA's Elizabeth Cherneff reports.Originally published at - https://www.voanews.com/a/independence-day-holiday-children-take-oath-become-us-citizens/3923713.html

VOANews: Americans Reflect on Meaning of Independence Day
Savoring freedoms and hoping others worldwide will soon be able to do the same

VOA Learning English: America's Birthplace: Independence National Historical Park (mp3 and article)
This week, our U.S. National Parks journey takes us to the eastern city of Philadelphia, an important place in American history.

Why does the U.S. celebrate July 4th?

VOANews: Why does the U.S. celebrate July 4th?

Americans all over the U.S. will celebrate Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, on Saturday this year.