Q32-33: USCIS 96 Questions 32-33: Judicial Branch, Supreme Court, Law

USCIS 96 Questions 32-33

Today we will listen to Questions 32-33 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 32-33 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 32-33:

1. Judicial Branch
2. Supreme Court
3. Law

Dictation Sentences

1. There are three branches of government.
2. He has a very big dog.
   

You can get more info about the Executive Branch from

1. EL Civics: The Supreme Court
2. Simple Wiki: The Supreme Court
3. VOA The Supreme Court

Q30-31: USCIS 96 Questions 30-31: Excutive Branch, President

USCIS 96 Questions 30-31

Today we will listen to Questions 30-31 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 30-31 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 30-31:

1. Executive Branch


2. President

Dictation Sentences

1. The President is elected every four years.


2. He came to live with his brother.
   

You can get more info about the Executive Branch from

1. EL Civics: The White House


2. VOA: The Road to the 2008 US Elections


3. The White House: Presidents


4. Simple Wiki: US Executive Branch


5. Wikipedia: US Presidential Elections

Reminder: New Fees Begin July 30, 2007!

New Fees

Today we will listen to a reminder about the new USCIS fees starting July 30, 2007.

Here's a Class Handout: Summary of the New Fees.

Here is another Class Handout: "Sending Your N-400 to USCIS".

Please note that there are four pages: one page for each USCIS Service Center in California, Texas, Nebraska, and Vermont.

Please confirm that you are using the correct page for your state.

Originally, I put the information for all four USCIS Service Centers and their assigned states on a single sheet of paper.

When I gave the single sheet of paper to my students, they became confused.

The print was too tiny and there was too much information.

I re-formatted the information and printed the Summary of the New Fees on the first side and Sending Your N-400 to USCIS on the second side.

I printed the information on color paper so they can find this paper quickly and easily.  Many students took extra copies home for their family and friends.

Also, please check out the new online video from USCIS "Promise of Freedom"--a twelve minute video presentation on American civics and history. Watch the video online or get the direct download of Promise of Freedom.

Finally, The Pilot Questions have been revised!  There are now 142 questions.  Questions have been marked for Senior Citizens older that 65 and have been legal permanent residents for more than 20 years.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 here.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 for Senior Citizens here.

Interview-09: Advanced Citizenship Interview—David Bian (Tianjin, China)

Interview-09

Today we will listen to our ninth practice interview David Bian (Tianjin, China). These are questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Advanced Citizenship Interview here.

10/26/08--the audio file as been updated. Thanks!

Interview-08: Basic Citizenship Interview—Wei Zhang (Beijing, China)

Interview-08

Today we will listen to our eighth practice interview Wei Zhang (Beijing, China). These are basic questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Basic Citizenship Interview here.

New USCIS Video and Online Resources for ESL/Citizeship Students

New USCIS Resources:

***A Promise of Freedom***
A twelve minute video presentation on American civics and history. Watch the video online or get the direct download of Promise of Freedom.

USCIS Questions and Answers for New Pilot Naturalization Test

USCIS Pilot Naturalization Test: Vocabulary List for the Reading Test

Pilot Naturalization Test: Vocabulary List for the Writing Test


Online Resources for ESL/Citizenship Students (mostly Audio)

a4esl: English as a Second Language (ESL) Podcasts
These are the 20 newest podcasts for ESL learners.

Dave's ESL Cafe: Today in History (text only)

ELCivics.com: California (more states--soon!) (text only)

EnglishBaby's Daily English Page

English Club: Basic Question Types (text only)

English Club: WH Question Words (text only)

ESL-Lab: Culture Shock

ESL-Lab: Dates

ESL-Lab: Greetings and Introductions

ESL-Lab: Where are you from?

ESL Podcast 246 – Understanding Addresses

Manythings: Daily English Page

Multi-Cultural Educational Services: LaRue Listening Quizzes
Multiple choice tests of answers to common questions. (variety of accents)

Train Your Accent: Job Hunting

VOANews: How America Works
This series explains the role of civil society at the local level, using Montgomery County, Maryland as an example. Each segment in the How America Works series highlights an aspect of civil society and how it contributes to the collective good of the community.

VOA Special English: The Making of a Nation
Every Thursday, Special English broadcasts a fifteen-minute program in a series about American history.

Interview-07: Simple Citizenship Interview--Juana Ortega (Las Margaritas, Jalisco, Mexico).

Interview-07
Today we will listen to our seventh practice interview from Juana Ortega (Las Margaritas, Jalisco, Mexico). These are simple questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Simple Citizenship Interview here.

July 4th Special: the new 142Qs and more!

July 4th Special!
Today's podcast will feature questions related to the Fourth of July, Independence Day, and the Declaration of Independence. We will compare some of the current USCIS 96qs with the Pilot Questions.

Big News: The Pilot Questions have been revised!

1. There are now 142 questions.
2. Two questions were removed related to the minimum wage and battles of the American Revolution.
3. Topical Headings have been added to organize the questions.
4. Some of the questions have been rearranged (i.e. They have different numbers).
5. Questions have been marked for Senior Citizens older that 65 and have been legal permanent residents for more than 20 years.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 here.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 for Senior Citizens here.

You can get the M-638 Quick Civics Lessons in English here.

You can get the M-638 Quick Civics Lessons in Spanish here.

Q28-29: USCIS 96 Questions 28-29: Legislative Branch, Congress, House of Representatives

USCIS 96 Questions 28-29

Today we will listen to Questions 28-29 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 28-29 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for Q28-29:

Legislative Branch
Congress
House of Representatives

You can get more info about the House of Representatives from

Simple Wikipedia: House of Representatives
Wikipedia: 110th Congress
National Atlas: Congressional Districts
House of Representatives: Find Your Representative
USPS Zip Code + 4 Lookup (to help you find your US Rep)
VOA THIS IS AMERICA #1061 Census of 2000

Q25-27: USCIS 96 Questions 25-27: Legislative Branch, Congress, Senate

USCIS 96 Questions 25-27

Today we will listen to Questions 25-27 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 25-27 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 25-27:

Legislative Branch
Congress
Senate

You can get more info about the US Senate from

Simple Wikipedia: US Senate
Wikipedia: US Senate
US Senate: Historical Minutes (excellent short stories)

USCIS Pilot Exam Questions and Answers

Here is the USCIS link to information about the USCIS Pilot questions.

Here is the reformatted document of the USCIS Pilot Questions in English from US Citzenship Podcast

Here is the USCIS Pilot Questions in Spanish from Univison.

Here is the USCIS Pilot Questions in Chinese from World Journal (Taiwan).

WelcomeToUSA.gov

"The Task Force on New Americans today introduced four new inter-agency initiatives to help immigrants assimilate. In addition to launching WelcometoUSA.gov, the federal government’s official website for new immigrants, the Task Force announced three major projects to help legal immigrants embrace the common core of American civic culture, learn English, and fully become American."

--from the USCIS Press Release announcing the new website for immigrants WelcometoUSA.gov.

Q21-24: USCIS 96 Questions 21-24: Legislative Branch, Congress, Senate, House of Representatives

USCIS 96 Questions 21-24
Today we will listen to Questions 21-24 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 21-24 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 21-24:

Legislative Branch
Congress
Senate
House of Representatives

You can get more info about the Congress and Legislative Branch from

Simple Wikipedia: Congress
Wikipedia: Congress
Government Guide: Elected Officials
Government Guide: Summary of Current Bills
EL/Civics: Capitol Hill

End of the School Year Citizenship CD

At the end of the year, I made a Cd for my students. I included 5 interviews (without the introductory or concluding remarks), the 96 Questions (in sets of 10 without the explanations), and the Oath of Allegiance and Pledge of Allegiance.

The first CD copy was ok, so I made 99 more copies. The only problem was the subsequent copies cut 12 seconds of each track. It was not too noticeable during the interviews, but each 96 question set is basically missing 1 question. I was heartbroken!

So I added 15 seconds to most of the tracks. Please download these tracks for your own CD. Please leave a comment about the copy quality, etc.

I haven't "podcasted" the 96 Questions, the Oath, nor the Pledge yet. Those will be added to the podcast after I complete the "96 Questions with M-638 Explanation" series.

1st Interview: Mae Chen (basic)
2nd Interview: Nam Van Nguyen (advanced)
3rd Interview: Guadalupe Garcia (simple)
4th Interview: Gerta Mueller (simple)
5th Interview: Pari Akibari (basic)

Q01-10
Q11-20
Q21-30
Q31-40
Q41-50
Q51-60
Q61-70
Q71-80
Q81-90
Q91-5X

Extras:
Oath of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance

Let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy end of school! Also I would like to wish my beloved parents a Happy 50th Anniversary (06/16/57) and my dad a Happy Father's Day (I am using his computer & high-speed internet connection to post this entry). As I type this, he is taking pictures of his grandchildren and my mom is advising him him on the photo shoot while passing out another dessert. Back to the family party.

Q20-20: USCIS 96 Questions 20-20: The Branches of Government, Executive, Legislative, Judicial

USCIS 96 Questions 20
Today we will listen to Question 20 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout Q20 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for Q20:

Branches of Government
Executive
Legislative
Judicial

You can get more info about the Branches of Government from

Simple English Wiki: Branches of Government
Wikitext: The Three Branches: Checks and Balances
USA.gov: The Executive Branch
USA.gov: The Legislative Branch
USA.gov: The Judicial Branch

Q17-19: USCIS 96 Questions 17-19: The Constitution and Amendments

USCIS 96 Questions 17-19

Today we will listen to Questions 17-19 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout Q17-19 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for Q17-19:

Constitution
Amendments

You can get more info about the Constitution and Amendments from

El/Civics: The Constitution
Simple English Wikipedia: The Constitution
Wikipedia: The Constitution
Audio version of US Constitution: free mp3 download
DoD Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Website (online course)

Teacher Judy is our special guest. She will read the M-638 explanations. After the questions and explanations, I will interview her about Constitution Day. We hope that you celebrate Constitution Day in your school or home. Constitution Day is also called Citizenship Day.

The Constitution Center (NCC in Philadelphia, PA)
NCC Main Page:
NCC Podcasts & mp3s
NCC Constitution Day

Q14-16: USCIS 96 Questions 14-16: Vice-President, Electoral College

USCIS 96 Questions 14-16

Today we will listen to Questions 14-16 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout Q14-16 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for Q14-16:

Vice-President
Electoral College

You can get more info about Vice-Presidents or the Electoral College from

Wikipedia: Vice-President
US National Archives: Electoral College
VOA: How the Electoral College Works (2nd Segment)

Q12-13: USCIS 96 Questions 12-13: President, George Washington, George W. Bush

USCIS 96 Questions 12-13

Today we will listen to Questions 12-13 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout Q12-13 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for Q12-13:

President
George Washington
George W. Bush

You can get more info about Presidents from

EL/Civics: George Washington
Wikipedia: President
The White House: Presidents

USCIS Fee Increase and VOA

I use Voice of America (VOA) frequently in my Senior (multi-level) ESL class. My advanced students are devoted listeners and always share the latest news with the other students. Here is the VOA story on the USCIS fee increase:

Advocates Debate Rise in Fees for US Residency, Citizenship
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-05-30-voa19.cfm (audio)
http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-05-30-voa59.cfm (video)

I plan to keep my eye on the VOA page at ManyThings.org. Hopefully they will follow-up with an activity on this story.

USCIS Fee Increases and ESL1

I tried to explain the fee increase to my ESL 1 students. The students are familar with calendar terms: dates, today, tomorrow, etc. I usually give a five term dictation after warming up with the alphabet, number chart, prices, and calendar. I feel that tapping a student's numeric literacy is crucial to developing fluency.

I drew a T diagram on the whiteboard and labeled it Before 05/31/07 and After 07/30/07 and added the N-400 (US Citizen) $400/$675, I-130 (Bring Family to US) $190/285, and I-485 (Get Green Card in US) ($325/$1010). The classroom began to buzz with translations.

I followed up with a picture of check for $400 going into an envelope going into the mail with a "postmark" of July 29, 2007, 11:59pm (I stamped the picture for emphasis) and added a happy face. I then pointed the picture, pointed at the at the clock and we watched the second hand sweep for 1 minute as I "ticked" and made a circular arm motion like a clock. I then made a loud "Ding!" and then turned around, crossed out July 29, 2007, 11:59pm, with a July 30, 2007 12pm and "Dong!" twelve times as I crossed out the $400 with $675. I added a sad face. I then erased the board.

Then I followed up with a standard dictation: three price $400, $675, $1010, 1-800-375-5283, and July 29, 2007 11:59pm. When we corrected it, I prompted the class with "How much does it cost?" and "What costs $XXX??" I added the Form number next to the price and "old" or "new". I drew a cell phone next to the USCIS Info number with a Flag & USCIS sign, and I wrote "Before" and donged "After" with three dollar signs and an arrow going up.

Then I passed out bilingual interview mateial in English/Vietnamese, English/Chinese, and English/Spanish. It was ripped from my hands. Many of my students may be actually elligible to apply for citizenship.