Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year, #newUScitizen Review--USCIS 100:37-47 Systems of Government: The Judicial Branch and more!

Get ready to become a #newUScitizen in 2016. Review USCIS 100:37-47 questions, then find the 38 keywords in our Judicial Branch and more Word Search Puzzle.

USCIS 100:37-47 Systems of Government: The Judicial Branch and more!
For more, USCIS 100 questions resources, go to uscitizenpod's USCIS 100 Quizzes Page.

Also, subscribe to US Citizenship Podcast in iTunes.

If you have any further questions or requests, please contact us at uscitizenpod@gmail.com

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

New Year, #newUScitizen Review--USCIS 100:15,26-36,46 Systems of Government: The Executive Branch

Get ready to become a #newUScitizen in 2016. Review USCIS 100:15, 26-36, 46 questions, then find the 46 keywords in our The Executive Branch Word Search Puzzle.

USCIS 100:15,26-36,46 Systems of Government: The Executive Branch

For more, USCIS 100 questions resources, go to uscitizenpod's USCIS 100 Quizzes Page.

Also, subscribe to US Citizenship Podcast in iTunes.

If you have any further questions or requests, please contact us at uscitizenpod@gmail.com



Tuesday, December 29, 2015

New Year, #newUScitizen Review--USCIS 100:13-14,16-25,47 Systems of Government: The Legislative Branch

Get ready to become a #newUScitizen in 2016.  Review USCIS 100:13-14,16-25,47 questions, then find the 40 keywords in our The Legislative Branch Word Search Puzzle.

USCIS 100:13-14,16-25,47 Systems of Government: The Legislative Branch


For more, USCIS 100 questions resources, go to uscitizenpod's USCIS 100 Quizzes Page.

Also, subscribe to US Citizenship Podcast in iTunes.


If you have any further questions or requests, please contact us at uscitizenpod@gmail.com 

Monday, December 28, 2015

New Year, #newUScitizen Review--USCIS 100:01-12 Principles of American Democracy

Get ready to become a #newUScitizen in 2016.  Review USCIS 100:01-12 questions, then find the 44 keywords in our *NEW* Principles of American Democracy Word Search Puzzle.  

USCIS 100:01-12 Principles of American Democracy Resources


For more, USCIS 100 questions resources, go to uscitizenpod's USCIS 100 Quizzes Page.

Also, subscribe to US Citizenship Podcast in iTunes.


If you have any further questions or requests, please contact us at uscitizenpod@gmail.com 

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Wish the World a Happy New Year!



USCIS: Wish the World a Happy New Year!

Calling naturalized citizens and permanent residents!

Join us in wishing the world a Happy New Year in 2016. It’s easy to participate:
1) By Dec. 28, record a short video clip of yourself, your family or a group saying one of the following (replace “X” with your home country):
a. “Happy new year from an American from X.”
b. “Happy new year from a permanent resident from X.”

2) Post the video on YouTube or Twitter using #USCISvideo or leave the link in a comment below.
We’ll compile your clips into a single video and on Dec. 31, you’ll be part of wishing the world a happy 2016!

Saturday, December 26, 2015

A Citizenship Quiz for Christmas


uscitizenpod: A Citizenship Quiz for Christmas mp3  pdf

Christmas is a national U.S. holiday.   Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ.  All Americans look forward to a long holiday of family, food, and fun. Here is a list of historical events which occurred on Christmas Eve (Dec 24) or Christmas Day Dec (25) plus ten Citizenship questions.

Also check out: A brief history (and puzzle) of Washington Crossing the Delaware, Christmas Night 1776 (download pdf)

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emmanuel Leutze, 1861

Friday, December 25, 2015

360 Holiday Tour at the White House

This video seems to be really blurry :(. This video, however, is made for watching with a 360 viewer. I watched it again with I watched it using a Google Cardboard viewer and this video really popped! 
Check your kids Christmas presents--they may have received a Google Cardboard 360 viewer as part of a toy or movie promotion;



wh.gov: 360 Holiday Tour at the White House

WH.gov: The 2015 Holidays
This year’s theme is ‘A Timeless Tradition’. The decorations throughout the White House inspire visitors to celebrate long-held traditions while also creating new memories.

WH.gov: A Timeless Tradition: Holidays at the White House 2015 (pdf)
Download a full-color pdf of the highlights from the full holiday décor at the White House.

WH.gov on Spotify: Holidays with the Obamas and Holidays with the Bidens

SCCLD Booklist: Holidays at the White House 
By: uscitizenpod
Every December, the White House is decorated for the winter holidays: the national holidays--Christmas and New Year--as well as Hannukah and Kwanzaa. Prepare for US Citizenship in the upcoming New Year in our US Citizenship Classes.

GET YOUR GOOGLE CARDBOARD
Google Cardboard brings immersive experiences to everyone in a simple and affordable way. Whether you fold your own or buy a Works with Google Cardboard certified viewer, you're just one step away from experiencing virtual reality on your smartphone.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Have a very, merry VOA Christmas!



VOA Learning English: VOA Staff Presents 'A Visit From St. Nicholas'

​The American idea of Santa Claus largely comes from a poem called "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem in 1822, but he did not put his name on it. Some call it the most famous poem ever written by an American. The poem is often called "'Twas the Night Before Christmas. (read) Great scenes of Washington DC and the VOA staff! We love you, VOA!

VOA Learning English: The History of Christmas in America

In the first half of the 19th century, Christmas was a very different kind of holiday than it is today. People did not have a set way of celebrating. Christmas was not even an official holiday yet.
(read) (listen)

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Holiday Displays in Washington, DC



VOA Learning English: Holiday Displays in Washington, DC

From the U.S. Botanic Garden, to Union Station to the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. lights up colorfully over the winter holidays. We take you on a walking tour of the magical seasonal sights. (read more)

Also check out VOANews: Scenic Wonderland Cheers Holiday Spirit at Botanic Garden

Holiday cheer abounds at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. It is one of the nation’s most popular public gardens, with more than 1.3 million visitors each year. During this holiday season, the living plant museum is greeting visitors with imaginative displays featuring oversized flowers, bees, birds and butterflies, all created with plant materials. VOA’s June Soh gives us a tour of the garden’s scenic wonderland.  Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/scenic-wonderland-cheers-holiday-spirit-at-botanic-garden/3117124.html

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Washington Interfaith Gathering Calls for Unity Against Terrorism, Hatred



VOANews: Washington Interfaith Gathering Calls for Unity Against Terrorism, Hatred

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden made an unannounced appearance at an interfaith gathering for “Solidarity, Understanding and Peace” in Washington. Jeff Swicord reports the service, held on the campus of Georgetown University, was attended by representatives from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh faiths.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Celebrate Religious Freedom with USPS Stamps


MP3 USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?

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

PDF USCIS 100:10. M638 Quick Civic Lesson, more historical background, USPS stamps, and dictation!

1. New Year Day is January 1st.

2. New York City was the first capital of the United States

3. You are free to practice any religion or not practice a religion.

(originally posted Thursday, February 3, 2011)

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Judiciary Now: Naturalization Ceremony on Bill of Rights Day



Federal Judiciary Channel: Judiciary Now: Naturalization Ceremony on Bill of Rights Day

In honor of Bill of Rights Day, President Obama delivers remarks at a naturalization ceremony at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.


Learn more about the Federal Courts (and see a great photo gallery of Oath Ceremonies) at USCourts.gov: Naturalization Ceremonies

Friday, December 18, 2015

The President Speaks at a Naturalization Ceremony



wh.gov: The President Speaks at a Naturalization Ceremony

President Obama delivered remarks at a naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens at the National Archives. December 15, 2015

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Remarks by the President at Naturalization Ceremony

Remarks by the President at Naturalization Ceremony
source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/15/remarks-president-naturalization-ceremony

National Archives
Washington, D.C.

11:56 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Well, good morning, everybody. Thank you Deputy Secretary Mayorkas, Judge Roberts, and Director Rodriguez. Thank you to our Archivist, David Ferriero, and everyone at the National Archives for hosting us here today in this spectacular setting.

And to my fellow Americans, our newest citizens -- I’m so excited. (Laughter.) You are men and women from more than 25 countries, from Brazil to Uganda, from Iraq to the Philippines. You may come from teeming cities or rural villages. You don’t look alike. You don’t worship the same way. But here, surrounded by the very documents whose values bind us together as one people, you’ve raised your hand and sworn a sacred oath. I’m proud to be among the first to greet you as “my fellow Americans.”

What a remarkable journey all of you have made. And as of today, your story is forever woven into the larger story of this nation. In the brief time that we have together, I want to share that story with you. Because even as you’ve put in the work required to become a citizen, you still have a demanding and rewarding task ahead of you -- and that is the hard work of active citizenship. You have rights and you have responsibilities. And now you have to help us write the next great chapter in America’s story.

Just about every nation in the world, to some extent, admits immigrants. But there’s something unique about America. We don’t simply welcome new immigrants, we don’t simply welcome new arrivals -- we are born of immigrants. That is who we are. Immigration is our origin story. And for more than two centuries, it’s remained at the core of our national character; it’s our oldest tradition. It’s who we are. It’s part of what makes us exceptional.

After all, unless your family is Native American, one of the first Americans, our families -- all of our families -- come from someplace else. The first refugees were the Pilgrims themselves -- fleeing religious persecution, crossing the stormy Atlantic to reach a new world where they might live and pray freely. Eight signers of the Declaration of Independence were immigrants. And in those first decades after independence, English, German, and Scottish immigrants came over, huddled on creaky ships, seeking what Thomas Paine called “asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty…”

Down through the decades, Irish Catholics fleeing hunger, Italians fleeing poverty filled up our cities, rolled up their sleeves, built America. Chinese laborers jammed in steerage under the decks of steamships, making their way to California to build the Central Pacific Railroad that would transform the West -- and our nation. Wave after wave of men, women, and children
-- from the Middle East and the Mediterranean, from Asia and Africa -- poured into Ellis Island, or Angel Island, their trunks bursting with their most cherished possessions -- maybe a photograph of the family they left behind, a family Bible, or a Torah, or a Koran. A bag in one hand, maybe a child in the other, standing for hours in long lines. New York and cities across America were transformed into a sort of global fashion show. You had Dutch lace caps and the North African fezzes, stodgy tweed suits and colorful Caribbean dresses.

And perhaps, like some of you, these new arrivals might have had some moments of doubt, wondering if they had made a mistake in leaving everything and everyone they ever knew behind. So life in America was not always easy. It wasn’t always easy for new immigrants. Certainly it wasn’t easy for those of African heritage who had not come here voluntarily, and yet in their own way were immigrants themselves. There was discrimination and hardship and poverty. But, like you, they no doubt found inspiration in all those who had come before them. And they were able to muster faith that, here in America, they might build a better life and give their children something more.

Just as so many have come here in search of a dream, others sought shelter from nightmares. Survivors of the Holocaust. Soviet Refuseniks. Refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Iraqis and Afghans fleeing war. Mexicans, Cubans, Iranians leaving behind deadly revolutions. Central American teenagers running from gang violence. The Lost Boys of Sudan escaping civil war. They’re people like Fulbert Florent Akoula from the Republic of Congo, who was granted asylum when his family was threatened by political violence. And today, Fulbert is here, a proud American.

We can never say it often or loudly enough: Immigrants and refugees revitalize and renew America. Immigrants like you are more likely to start your own business. Many of the Fortune 500 companies in this country were founded by immigrants or their children. Many of the tech startups in Silicon Valley have at least one immigrant founder.

Immigrants are the teachers who inspire our children, and they’re the doctors who keep us healthy. They’re the engineers who design our skylines, and the artists and the entertainers who touch our hearts. Immigrants are soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen who protect us, often risking their lives for an America that isn’t even their own yet. As an Iraqi, Muhanned Ibrahim Al Naib was the target of death threats for working with American forces. He stood by his American comrades, and came to the U.S. as a refugee. And today, we stand by him. And we are proud to welcome Muhanned as a citizen of the country that he already helped to defend.

We celebrate this history, this heritage, as an immigrant nation. And we are strong enough to acknowledge, as painful as it may be, that we haven’t always lived up to our own ideals. We haven’t always lived up to these documents.

From the start, Africans were brought here in chains against their will, and then toiled under the whip. They also built America. A century ago, New York City shops displayed those signs, “No Irish Need Apply.” Catholics were targeted, their loyalty questioned -- so much so that as recently as the 1950s and ‘60s, when JFK had to run, he had to convince people that his allegiance wasn’t primarily to the Pope.

Chinese immigrants faced persecution and vicious stereotypes, and were, for a time, even banned from entering America. During World War II, German and Italian residents were detained, and in one of the darkest chapters in our history, Japanese immigrants and even Japanese American citizens were forced from their homes and imprisoned in camps. We succumbed to fear. We betrayed not only our fellow Americans, but our deepest values. We betrayed these documents. It’s happened before.

And the biggest irony of course was -- is that those who betrayed these values were themselves the children of immigrants. How quickly we forget. One generation passes, two generation passes, and suddenly we don’t remember where we came from. And we suggest that somehow there is “us” and there is “them,” not remembering we used to be “them.”

On days like today, we need to resolve never to repeat mistakes like that again. (Applause.) We must resolve to always speak out against hatred and bigotry in all of its forms -- whether taunts against the child of an immigrant farmworker or threats against a Muslim shopkeeper. We are Americans. Standing up for each other is what the values enshrined in the documents in this room compels us to do -– especially when it’s hard. Especially when it’s not convenient. That’s when it counts. That’s when it matters -- not when things are easy, but when things are hard.

The truth is, being an American is hard. Being part of a democratic government is hard. Being a citizen is hard. It is a challenge. It’s supposed to be. There’s no respite from our ideals. All of us are called to live up to our expectations for ourselves -- not just when it’s convenient, but when it’s inconvenient. When it’s tough. When we’re afraid. The tension throughout our history between welcoming or rejecting the stranger, it’s about more than just immigration. It’s about the meaning of America, what kind of country do we want to be. It’s about the capacity of each generation to honor the creed as old as our founding: “E Pluribus Unum” -- that out of many, we are one.

Scripture tells us, “For we are strangers before you, and sojourners, as were all our fathers.” “We are strangers before you.” In the Mexican immigrant today, we see the Catholic immigrant of a century ago. In the Syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the Jewish refugee of World War II. In these new Americans, we see our own American stories -- our parents, our grandparents, our aunts, our uncles, our cousins who packed up what they could and scraped together what they had. And their paperwork wasn’t always in order. And they set out for a place that was more than just a piece of land, but an idea.

America: A place where we can be a part of something bigger. A place where we can contribute our talents and fulfill our ambitions and secure new opportunity for ourselves and for others. A place where we can retain pride in our heritage, but where we recognize that we have a common creed, a loyalty to these documents, a loyalty to our democracy; where we can criticize our government, but understand that we love it; where we agree to live together even when we don’t agree with each other; where we work through the democratic process, and not through violence or sectarianism to resolve disputes; where we live side by side as neighbors; and where our children know themselves to be a part of this nation, no longer strangers, but the bedrock of this nation, the essence of this nation.

And that’s why today is not the final step in your journey. More than 60 years ago, at a ceremony like this one, Senator John F. Kennedy said, “No form of government requires more of its citizens than does the American democracy.” Our system of self-government depends on ordinary citizens doing the hard, frustrating but always essential work of citizenship -- of being informed. Of understanding that the government isn’t some distant thing, but is you. Of speaking out when something is not right. Of helping fellow citizens when they need a hand. Of coming together to shape our country’s course.

And that work gives purpose to every generation. It belongs to me. It belongs to the judge. It belongs to you. It belongs to you, all of us, as citizens. To follow our laws, yes, but also to engage with your communities and to speak up for what you believe in. And to vote -- to not only exercise the rights that are now yours, but to stand up for the rights of others.

Birtukan Gudeya is here from Ethiopia. She said, “The joy of being an American is the joy of freedom and opportunity. We have been handed a work in progress, one that can evolve for the good of all Americans.” I couldn’t have said it better.

That is what makes America great -- not just the words on these founding documents, as precious and valuable as they are, but the progress that they’ve inspired. If you ever wonder whether America is big enough to hold multitudes, strong enough to withstand the forces of change, brave enough to live up to our ideals even in times of trial, then look to the generations of ordinary citizens who have proven again and again that we are worthy of that.

That’s our great inheritance -- what ordinary people have done to build this country and make these words live. And it’s our generation’s task to follow their example in this journey -- to keep building an America where no matter who we are or what we look like, or who we love or what we believe, we can make of our lives what we will.

You will not and should not forget your history and your past. That adds to the richness of American life. But you are now American. You’ve got obligations as citizens. And I’m absolutely confident you will meet them. You’ll set a good example for all of us, because you know how precious this thing is. It’s not something to take for granted. It’s something to cherish and to fight for.

Thank you. May god bless you. May god bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END
12:19 P.M. EST

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Obama Welcomes New Citizens, Calls for Rejection of ‘Hatred and Bigotry’



uscitizenpod: Obama Welcomes New Citizens, Calls for Rejection of ‘Hatred and Bigotry’


President Barack Obama urged Americans to stand up against "hatred and bigotry" in remarks Tuesday at a naturalization ceremony in Washington. His statements appeared to be aimed at some leading presidential contenders and other politicians criticized for their anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric. VOA White House correspondent Mary Alice Salinas reports.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/ob...

Monday, December 14, 2015

A 3-minute guide to the Bill of Rights - Belinda Stutzman



TED-ED: A 3-minute guide to the Bill of Rights - Belinda Stutzman

Daily, Americans exercise their rights secured by the Constitution. The most widely discussed and debated part of the Constitution is known as the Bill of Rights. Belinda Stutzman provides a refresher course on exactly what the first ten amendments grant each and every American citizen. See more at: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-3-minute-guide-to-the-bill-of-rights-belinda-stutzman

Lesson by Belinda Stutzman, animation by Jacques Khouri.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Ustedes pueden! El Consejo de Beatriz sobre el Examen de Ciudadanía



uscitizenpod: Ustedes pueden! El Consejo de Beatriz sobre el Examen de Ciudadanía
Beatriz Cazares da consejos sobre el estudio para la entrevista de ciudadanía de Estados Unidos.

Also watch:

uscitizenpod: Beatriz Cazares talks about her Citizenship Interview 
Beatriz talks about her quick interview in English and then switches to Spanish to give advice and encouragement.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Friday, December 11, 2015

Reto de seis palabras: ¿Qué significa la ciudadanía para usted?



USCIS: Reto de seis palabras: ¿Qué significa la ciudadanía para usted?

Pedimos que compartieran con nosotros en tan solo seis palabras lo que significa para ustedes la ciudadanía estadounidense. Según prometimos, hemos creado una presentación donde mostramos sus respuestas. Disfruten el vídeo, y por favor ¡compártanlo con sus amigos y familiares usando #citizenship6!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Human Rights Day!



HRAC: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

USCIS 100:9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

▪ life
▪ liberty
▪ pursuit of happiness

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Human Rights Day Word Search Puzzle and Quiz

Human Rights Day celebrates the adoption of the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations on December 10, 1948. The UDHR lists the 30 inalienable rights of all people as the basis of freedom, justice and peace in the world. To learn more, see The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Human Rights Day Word Search Puzzle

NEW: A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of the UDHR and Human Rights Day (Dec. 10)


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

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)

As a Roman Catholic, I am proud to share my religious and cultural heritage that informs my work as an ESL/Citizenship teacher. 

USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?

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

Monday, December 7, 2015

Family, Friends, Faith, Fortune, Flag, Freedom! ‪#citizenship6‬



USCIS Six Word Challenge: What Does Citizenship Mean to You?

We asked people around the country to tell us, in six words, what citizenship means to them.
Share your six words online using the hashtag: #citizenship6
Also check out: Reto de seis palabras: ¿Qué significa la ciudadanía para usted?

USCIS included a tweet inspired by a photo of two Milpitas Library and Milpitas Adult School Citizenship students and their granddaughter taken during Constitution Day. 

Family, Friends, Faith, Fortune, Flag, Freedom! ‪#citizenship6‬


Sunday, December 6, 2015