Friday, November 6, 2026

CATESOL 2026


CATESOL 2026 is here!  To view the CATESOL26 program, you have 2 choices:


CHECK BACK AT 1 PM FOR "Rising Together: Immigrant Rights and Civics Educators Panel (CIV-IG and RC-IC)" SLIDEDECK

Join us at these sessions:
**FRI 9:00 - 9:45 AM From CATESOL to Capitol Hill: Advocating for Multilingual Learners
Amanda Simons, Margarita Machado-Casas, Inyuva Flores Garcia


FRI 12:45-1:30 CATESOL IG Expo in gym (IG reps hand out flyers about their IG with QR code)

FRI 1:30 - 2:30 PM Rising Together: Immigrant Rights and Civics Educators Panel (CIV-IG and RC-IC)
Jennifer Gagliardi, Patricia Hernandez, Ryan Detwiler, Marc Santamaria

FRI 1:30 - 2:30 PM Purposeful Play for Meaningful ESOL Learning
Sherry MacKay

FRI 3:30 - 4:30 PM Paper to Smartphone: A Realia Toolkit for Civic, Health, and Financial Literacy
Talley Caruso, Jennifer Gagliardi, Johanna Gleason

SAT IG Breakfast Meet-Up (for IG leaders).  Contact IG Coordinator olearydavidf@gmail.com

SAT 12:45 - 1:30 PM CIV-IG: The Civics and Citizenship Education Interest Group Business Meeting
Jennifer Gagliardi and Patricia Hernandez

SAT 12:45 - 1:30 PM Refugee Concerns Interest Group Business Meeting/Networking Session
Sherry Mackay, Talley Caruso, Marc Santamaria

SAT 3:30 - 4:30 PM  Pause, Breathe, Rise: Supporting Yourself and Your Refugee Learners
Talley Caruso, Sherry Mackay

SAT 5:00 - 6:00 Town Hall & Board Meeting: Looking Ahead Together
Dr Popal & Song Hong (open to all)


Thursday, November 5, 2026

Democrats Won the Midterms. Here's What Comes Next.



In 2026 midterm election, Democrats won the House of Representatives and Senate.
  • Democrats can now limit President Trump's power.
  • Trump said he might work with Democrats.
  • Trump can veto laws he does not like.
  • Democrats want to lower prices.
  • Democrats want to investigate government corruption.
  • Republicans must decide whether to continue supporting Trump.
  • Some Republicans are already thinking about the 2028 presidential election.
  • Both parties must decide how to work together or disagree during Trump's final two years in office.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Midterms and the Legislative Branch

250 to 250 is on a short break because I am working at our local voting center.
Created with MS Image Designer; edited by Jennifer Gagliardi, 2026-11-04 9 am

AP U.S. Midterm Election Results 

Political Parties (100Qs)
The House of Representatives (128Qs)

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Voting and Mideterm Elections 2026

250 to 250 is on a short break because I am working at our local voting center.


uscitizenpod: Scripts and Quizzes (100 Civics Qs)
  • Election ABCs google slides / video (substitute Midterms for Media)
  • Electoral College Citizenship Quizzes: Part 1: U.S. Civics mp3/ pdf |  Part 2: U.S. History mp3 / pdf
  • A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs about Voting and Elections pdf and mp3
  • American Women who Fought for the Right to Vote  pdf
  • Interview E-1 (N-400 focus on voting and residence)
  • N-400 Part 9: Questions 1 and 2: General
uscitizenpod: 128 Civics Qs 
More Resources:


Monday, November 2, 2026

All Saints and Day of the Dead


All Saints and Day of the Dead
are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us.  Here is a short list of notable Americans who were declared venerable/beatified (honored on Nov 1, All Saints Day) or died (remembered Nov 2, All Souls Day) during the year.  Try to think about the civics questions associated with each person.  While wating for year's quiz, check out the previous years' Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead. 

Nov 14, 2025 Alice Wong, 51, American disability rights activist, complications from an infection.

Dec 30, 2025 Ben Nighthorse Campbell, 92, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate (1993–2005) and House of Representatives (1987–1993).

January 7, 2026, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old American woman, was shot by ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

January 20 Louva Dahozy, 99, American Navajo rights activist in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

January 24, Alex Pretti, 37, American nurse, shot by ICE 

Feb 5 Troy Poteete, 70, American Cherokee politician.

Feb 17 Jesse Jackson, 84, American civil rights activist and politician, founder of Rainbow/PUSH.

Feb 19 Joanne Bland, 72, American civil rights activist, co-founder of the National Voting Rights Museum.

Mar 6 Lolo Matalasi Moliga, 78, American Samoan politician, governor of American Samoa (2013–2021).

Apr 26 Dirk Kempthorne, 74, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate (1993–1999), governor of Idaho (1999–2006) and secretary of the interior (2006–2009), colon cancer.

May 17 Brenda Travis, 81, American civil rights campaigner

May 19 Barney Frank, 86, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1981–2013), heart failure.

Jun 7 Gordon S. Wood, 92, American historian (The Radicalism of the American Revolution, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815), Pulitzer Prize winner (1993), traffic collision.

Jun 14 Beatrice Lumpkin, 107, American union organizer, activist and writer

June 18 declared venerable Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, foundress of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate

July 11 Lindsey Graham, 71, American politician, member of the U.S. Senate (since 2003) and House of Representatives (1995–2003), aortic dissection complicated by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease

Aug 25 Dolly Parton, 80, American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter ("Jolene", "I Will Always Love You") and actress (9 to 5), eleven-time Grammy winner, cancer.

Aug 31 Wendell Berry, 92, American novelist and essayist (The Unsettling of America)

Sept 2 Gloria Steinem, 92, American feminist and journalist (New York, Ms.), co-founder of the Women's Media Center.

Sept 5 Robin Morgan, 85, American poet, writer (Sisterhood Is Powerful) and feminist, co-founder of the Women's Media Center, complications from Parkinson's disease.

Sept 15 Annie Dillard, 81, American writer (Tickets for a Prayer Wheel, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, The Maytrees), Pulitzer Prize winner (1975).

Sept 16 Peter Max, 88, German-American pop artist, complications from dementia

Sept 24 beatification of Bishop Fulton Sheen, Catholic radio/TV evangelist.

Oct 28 Dolores Huerta, 96, American labor leader and activist, co-founder of United Farm Workers, cancer.

Oct 31 beatification of Pedro de Corpa and 4 Companions (Georgia Martyrs)


Sunday, November 1, 2026

More Election Resources

250 to 250 is on a short break because I am working at our local voting center.

Created with MD Designer by Jennifer Gagliardi 2026-10-31 21:38:00

Here is a list of free resources on voter registration, voting rights, elections, and media literacy to encourage informed participation in our democracy. You can find the full list on COABE’s Voter Resources page. 

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Adult Education & English Language Learner Resources

250 to 250 is on a short break because I am working at our local voting center.

Created with MD Designer by Jennifer Gagliardi 2026-10-30 22:36:00

Here is a list of adult ELL lessons, videos, classroom activities, and voter information to support adult education and English language instruction. Tomorrow, I will post free resources on voter registration, voting rights, elections, and media literacy.  You can find the full list on COABE’s Voter Resources page. 

American English at State

A Starting Point (ASP)

ActiVote

ATLAS ABE

Annaberg Classroom (K12—adapt for AE)

·       Teaching the Constitution

Bill of Rights Institute (K12—adapt for AE)

Bow Valley College Literacy Readers (Canada—adapt for the U.S.)

Center for Civic Education (K12—adapt for AE)

CISA.gov

Civics Renewal Network (K12—adapt for AE)

·       Resources for Teaching About Voting and Elections (featured) | search results

Common Sense Education

EL Civics

ESL Discussions

  • Voting (20 discussion questions)

ESL Fast

elli (formerly ESL Library) (Requires subscription).

ESL Podcast: (Excellent resource for Advanced students. Requires subscription.)

  • Government + Law
    • Daily English 689 – Listening to a Political Speech
    • Daily English 733–Voting in an Election
    • Daily English 757–Getting Political Support
    • Daily English 825–Political Advertising
    • Daily English 1230–Expressing Disapproval of Elected Officials

ESOL Courses

Facing History (K12—adapt for AE)

 First Literacy

Google Arts and Culture

How to Vote in Every State

iCivics (K12—adapt for AE)

I Side With

Jennifer ESL

Learn English Feel Good

Learning Chocolate

Learning for Justice (K12—adapt for AE)

Library of Congress

Linguahouse

Listen A Minute

MN Literacy

National Archives Foundation: Docs Teach

·       Elections and Voting

National Constitution Center

Nearpod

NELRC: Change Agent Magazine (Subscription required)

  • Issue 62 of Change Agent: Advocate, Organize, Vote (Aug 2024) is available via subscription. Packet 30 features Voting Rights. Packet 33 includes activities for the Media Literacy, Voting, and Advocacy. Free lesson packets available at nelrc.org

Newsela (K12—adapt for AE! Subscription Required)

News Literacy Project

PBS

PBS Frontline

·       U.S. Voters Share Their Views & Lives | American Voices 2026 (full documentary)

·       Elections playlist

PBS Learning Media

·       Election Center

ProLiteracy

Share America

si.edu

 StoryCorps

 Study

Teachers Pay Teachers

TED-ED (K12—adapt for AE. Check video description for links to the lesson plans)

this i believe

USA.gov

US Citizenship Podcast

  • Election ABCs google slides/ video
  • Electoral College Citizenship Quizzes: Part 1: U.S. Civics mp3/ pdf |  Part 2: U.S. History mp3 / pdf
  • A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs about Voting and Elections pdf and mp3
  • American Women who Fought for the Right to Vote  pdf
  • Interview E-1 (N-400 focus on voting and residence)

USCIS

Voice of America

Vox 

 Five things you need to know for the 2026 midterms | America, Actually

·       The AI election | America, Actually

We Speak NYC

Your Election Pal


Friday, October 30, 2026

250 to 250:153. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Narrated by Charlotte Clymer


Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Narrated by Charlotte Clymer

Charlotte Clymer is a writer, activist, and military veteran. She writes “Charlotte’s Web Thoughts,” a popular, award-winning Substack newsletter about politics, religion, foreign policy, and culture. Here, Clymer honors the unbroken 89-year vigil at Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a solemn promise never to forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
  • The tomb honors American soldiers who died in wars.
  • Three unknown soldiers died in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
  • Their names are not known.
  • Since July 2, 1937, soldiers have guarded the tomb 24 hours a day.
  • The guards protect the tomb in rain, snow, heat, and cold.
  • The guards show respect for soldiers who died serving our country.
  • The tomb reminds Americans to never forget their sacrifice.
  • The words on the tomb say: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”


POP Interview and Civics Quiz:


Family Fun: