ALL-STAR Citizen: David "Big Papi" Ortiz

David "Big Papi" Ortiz, native of the Dominican Republic and All-Star fielder for the Boston Red Sox, recently took the Oath of Citizenship. This video includes the Oath of Allegiance, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a post-ceremony interview.

Like many new citizens, he attended the ceremony with his family, then immediately went to work after the ceremony. Godspeed his recovery--see Big Papi next year at the All-Star Game!!!

Work for the USCIS!

One of the most important benefits of US Citizenship is obtaining a federal job. The USCIS is currently recruiting new immigration officers. For more information, see:

• USCIS: Learn About USCIS
• USCIS: Become a USCIS Employee
• USCIS: Understanding Pay and Benefits
• USCIS- Training and Career Development
• USCIS: Frequently Asked Questions

Also see the Houston Chronicle article about the USCIS Academy:

• Dallas center at heart immigration hiring surge (07/14/08)
  Summary: People who enroll in the USCIS Academy learn how to become USCIS officers. They study immigration law and history. They are part of a nationwide effort by the USCIS to recruit and train hundreds of new employees who will help tackle the agency's mountainous backlog of cases.

For further information about obtaining a federal job, visit USAJOBS, the Federal Government's official one-stop source for Federal jobs and employment information

TEAMUSA Gets Ready for the Beijing Olympics

New US Citizen, Bernard Lagat

One of the most exciting events of the summer will be the Beijing Olympics. It is also interesting to note the contribution of newly naturalized US citizens to TEAMUSA. For futher information, see:

USOC: The Official Website of the US Olympic Team--checkout the videos and photo galleries here.

NYTimes: Born and Trained Elsewhere, Competing for the U.S.

NYTimes: Swapping Passports in Pursuit of Olympic Medals

NYTimes: Olympic Hopes Are Rooted in Tale of Escape

TusconCitizen: Tucsonan Lagat legs out big win at Olympic trials...Tucsonan Bernard Lagat said he took every word seriously when he recited the oath that made him a U.S. citizen. Maybe that's why the smile was so wide when he finally became a U.S. Olympian. . .

Slide Show: Milpitas, a city proud of its cultural diversity.

US Citizenship Podcast is produced at Milpitas Adult School. Click here to see four short slide shows highlighting the history and cultural diversity of Milpitas, CA 95035!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Nakrani on passing their US Citizenship interviews!

Simple English News: UNUSUAL NEWS

**Happy Birthday, Dad!
**Good Luck on your interview, Mr & Mrs Nakrani!

My students enjoy the short and sweet stories from Sam Margolis' Simple English News, but they particularly enjoy Simple English News: UNUSUAL NEWS stories. Here are some funny stories keyed to the N-400 sections. Click the evoca widget to listen to an audio clip of the story.

N-400 Part 1 Name: A Baby Whose Name is 185 Letters Long

N-400 Part 2 & 3 Eligibility& Birth: A Lucky Baby

N-400 Part 4 Addresses & Phone: Living in a Motel

N-400 Part 5 Physical Appearance: Hemingway Lookalikes

N-400 Part 6 Residence & Job: The Virtuoso Janitor

N-400 Part 7 Travel: This Doesn't Look Like Greece

N-400 Part 8 Marital History: A 7-year Marriage Limit

N-400 Part 9 Children: A Woman Gave Birth to Her Grandchildren

N-400 Part 10 Additional Questions

• A Dog Who Can Vote
• Romanian Prisoners Escaped During a Soccer Game
• A Computer Thrower Will Not be Punished
• A Geman Thief Left His Credit Card Behind
• A Mother Drove Her Son to Rob a Store
• A Shoplifter Is Arrested After Returning Shoes
• A Writer Described His Crime in a Book
• Australia's Dumbest Robbers
• A Woman Was Arrested for Not Watering Her Lawn
• A Beer Taster Becomes An Alcoholic
• A Woman with 10 Husbands
• Don't Say These Words to the Mayor

US History Puzzle: USCIS 100:58-87

Here is a word search puzzle based on the new USCIS 100:58-87. The vocabulary word are presented in chronological order. Find only the bold words. Numbers are not included. Good luck!

Dictation Sentences 96:41-50

USCIS S96:41-50

Here are ten sentences for reading and dictation. These sentences are based on answers to the USCIS 96:41-50 Questions. Instead of phrasal responses, the answers are given in complete sentences.

41. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death”.
42. Germany, Italy, and Japan were some countries that were our enemies during World War II.
43. Alaska was the 49th state added to our Union.
44. A President can serve 2 full terms.
45. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader.
46. A candidate for President must be a native-born, not naturalized, citizen; at least 35 years old; and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
47. There are 100 Senators in the U.S. Senate because each state elects 2 Senators.
48. The President nominates judges for the Supreme Court.
49. There are 9 Supreme Court Justices.
50. The Pilgrims came to America to gain religious freedom.

Dictation Sentences 96:31-40

USCIS S96:31-40

Here are ten sentences for reading and dictation. These sentences are based on answers to the USCIS 96:01-10 Questions. Instead of phrasal responses, the answers are given in complete sentences.

31. The President is elected for a 4-year term.
32. The Supreme Court is the highest part of the Judiciary Branch.
33. The duties of the Supreme Court are to interpret and explain the laws.
34. The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States.
35. The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
36. The capital of the state of California is Sacramento.
37. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the current Governor of California.
38. The Speaker of the House becomes President if both the President and Vice-President die.
39. John G. Roberts, Jr. is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
40. The original 13 states were Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Georgia.

New USCIS Resources Are Coming!!!

*Spanish and Chinese translations of the 100 questions will by available online at http://www.uscis.gov/ by July 15, 2008.

*Vietnamese and Tagalog translations of the 100 questions will be available online by September 1, 2008.

*Revised Civics Flash Cards and a new product - English Vocabulary FlashCards - will be available free online, and for purchase from the Government Printing Office, in late summer. Both sets will becolor-coded red, to distinguish them from the blue flash cards for thecurrent test.

*Updated "Quick Civics Lessons" (also color-coded red) will be online by September 1, 2008. As has been the established practice, we expect free dissemination to all naturalizations applicants reporting to the Application Support Center for their fingerprinting appointments to begin on October 1, 2008.

* For direct access to these and other information on the Redesigned Naturalization Test new test materials please save this link www.uscis.gov/newtest. This link is already functional (please do try it!). However, please remember that the new materials listed above willonly be available on or after the dates mentioned. If for some reason the link fails to work for you, simply type it in the address box after you get to our home page.

Exerpted from the Questions and Answers: USCIS National Stakeholder Meeting, June 24, 2008

AMERICAN SYMBOLS at SF Museum of Craft and Folk Art

Collaged Flag, 1943

Maker Unidentified

Paper stamps and envelopes, ink

Collected by Kit Hinrichs

Currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art

My friend and I went to San Francisco today, to see the Frida Kahlo exhibit at SFMOMA and the new Contemporary Jewish Museum. Both were interesting, but the highlight of the day was visiting the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art, which has relocated from its former location at Fort Mason to it's new location in the SF Yerba Buena Museum District.

SFMOCFA's current show is American Symbols: From Lady Liberty to the Stars and Stripes. This exhibit features American folk art and crafts with Lady Liberty, Uncle Sam, or the American Eagle designs, but the Flag dominated the exhibit. I learned that the exact pattern of the stars was not specified prior to 1912, so there are several flags in the exhibit that do not follow the "standard design".

I quilt and crochet, so I studied the modern quilt, crazy quilt, filet-crochet, and penny-stitch flags very closely. I also collect stamps, so I was overjoyed to see a flag (see above) made from red stamps, postmarks (cut from white envelopes), and blue stamps. Many of the postmarks encouraged people to WWII War Bonds. My friend was particularly moved by the Lakota Gauntlet Gloves and the Cheyenne Flag Moccasins, incorporating the US Flag in Native American Pow-Wow regalia. And everyone stopped to admire the gorgeous 1912 Japanese-American Friendship Kimono (delivered to President Taft along with the Cherry Trees that line the Potomac).

Many of the items in the show were collected by artist/educator (and Eagle Scout) Kit Hinrichs. For more about Kit Hinrich's Americana collection, see: STUDIO MADE FOR THE STARS AND STRIPES. Also checkout Kit Hinrichs' books: 100 American Flags: A Unique Collection of Old Glory Memorabilia (2008) and Long May She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag (2001). Kit Hinrichs is also participating in a new exhibit, Thoughts on Democracy, now on display at the Wolfsonian Museum, FL.

Whether you are in California, Florida, cyberspace, or your local bookstore, please see Kit Hinricks art and collections--you will learn a lot about Americana. When you are in San Francisco, visit San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art--you will see great art!

The Star-Spangled Banner

Click here to see a great video of people auditioning to sing the National Anthem for a local minor league baseball team.

The Star-Spangled Banner
O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Independence Day!

Click once for a HUGE picture of fireworks.

Checkout Yahoo News Independence Day slide show for many more pictures.

Podcasts on their way...
USCIS S96:01-10

USCIS S96:11-20 (Sentence 16--corrected! Thanks Mrs Nakrani!)

USCIS S96:21-30

America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful
O beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

O beautiful, for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!

See Wikipedias's list of American Patriotic Songs

Search for and sing along with patriotic music videos on YouTube. I particularly enjoyed this video of America the Beautiful sung with gusto by the Gaither Vocal Band.

MUST SEE: Angela Tirado has been singing the National Anthem for naturalization ceremonies in San Jose, CA. This is the woman who leads my students in the Star Spangled Banner at their Oath Ceremony. [Video]

July 4th 96/100Q Quiz

July 4 Handout. On June 11, 1776, Congress appointed a "Committee of Five": John Adams (Massachusetts), Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), Robert Livingston (New York), & Roger Sherman (Connecticut), to write a paper declaring America’s independence from England.

On July 2, 1776, the Committee of Five presented their draft and the Continental Congress voted for independence from England. In a letter written to his wife Abigail, John Adams predicted that July 2nd would become a great American holiday.

Between July 2-4, Congress made a few changes in the text, and deleted a passage about the slave trade. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and published.

The first public reading was on July 8th in Philadelphia, and General George Washington had the Declaration of Independence read to his troops on July 9th. It is traditional to read the Declaration of Independence publicly on July 4th as a part of Independence Day celebrations.

• 96:09 What do we celebrate on the 4th of July?
• 96:10 Independence Day celebrates independence from whom?
• 96:11 What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?
• 96:54 Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
• 96:55 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
• 96:56 What are some of the basic beliefs of the Declaration of Independence?
• 100:08 What did the Declaration of Independence do?
• 100:09 What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
• 100:62 Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
• 100:63 When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
• 100:99 When do we celebrate Independence Day?
• 100:100 Name two national U.S. holidays.

SimpleEnglishNews.com

My students love listening to Sam Margolis' Simple English News, a website that publishes very short news stories about current events. The news stories also include short audio clips that are less minute.

Here is a selection of Simple English News stories keyed to the new USCIS 100:100: Name two national U.S. holidays.

▪ New Year’s Day
▪ Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
▪ Presidents’ Day
▪ Memorial Day
▪ Independence Day
▪ Labor Day
▪ Columbus Day (Columbus' family may be from Ibiza)
▪ Veterans Day
▪ Thanksgiving
▪ Christmas

Randall's Cyber Listening Lab

Another good listening resource is Randall's Cyber Listening Lab. These short conversations are organized into Beginning, Medium, and Advanced levels and each conversation includes a quiz. Scroll to the bottom of the main page and you will find even more vocabulary activities and quizzes. Here are some conversations keyed to the N-400 (most are Beginning Level).

Before the Interview
Introductions and Small Talk Quiz
Conversation Starters and Small Talk

N-400 Part 1 Name: Tell me about yourself

N-400 Part 2 & 3 Eligibility & Birth: Where are you from?

N-400 Part 4 Addresses & Phone: Phone Message

N-400 Part 5 Physical Appearance: Personal Security

N-400 Part 6 Residence & Job: Job Hunting

N-400 Part 7 Travel: Immigration and Customs

N-400 Part 8 Marital History: Wedding Anniversary

N-400 Part 9 Children: Family Activities

N-400 Part 10 Additonal questions: Traffic Ticket

Also check out Randall's other ESL sites:
Train Your Accent: ESL Accent Reduction Training
Daily ESL: Conversation Starters for English Students
EZ Slang: Speaking Effective English
Randall's ESL Blog - For ESL/EFL Teachers and Students
Study Abroad: Tips For ESL Students

ESLPod.com

My students constantly ask me for more listening exercises. In my opnions, ESLPod.com is one of most valuable sites on the internet. Checkout the ESLPod's Blog (especially the Life in the United States entries) and ESLPod's English Café, an audio series posted on Wednesday which covers current topics. You can download the mp3s or subscribe to ESLPod's podcasts for free. There are more than 300 ESLPod episodes, but here are a couple keyed to different parts of the N-400.

Before the Interview
ESLPodcast 28 - Small Talk About the Weather
ESLPodcast 44 - Making a Good Impression
ESL Podcast 300 – Arriving for an Appointment
ESLPodcast 94 - Nervous at an Interview I

N-400 Part 1 Name: ESLPodcast 95 - Nervous at an Interview II

N-400 Part 2 & 3 Eligibility& Birth: ESLPodcast 93 - Diversity at Work

N-400 Part 4 Addresses & Phone: ESL Podcast 246 – Understanding Addresses

N-400 Part 5 Physical Appearance: ESL Podcast 169 - Describing People’s Looks

N-400 Part 6 Residence & Job: ESLPodcast 92 - Types of Work

N-400 Part 7 Travel: ESL Podcast 191 – Changing Money

N-400 Part 8 Marital History: ESL Podcast 303 – A Traditional Wedding

N-400 Part 9 Children: ESL Podcast 136 - Having a Baby

N-400 Part 10 Additonal questions
ESL Podcast 364 – Filing Taxes
ESL Podcast 143 - Fighting a Parking Ticket
ESL Podcast 172 - Legal Problems
ESL Podcast 334 – Hiding from the Police
ESL Podcast 367 – Going into the Military

VOANews: Learning English Podcasts and Videocasts

Special English TV
Each Sunday, five of our short features are broadcast on satellite television. Each feature is about four minutes long and has captions

15 Minute Features
People in America (Sunday), This Is America (Monday), Science in the News (Tuesday), Explorations (Wednesday), The Making of a Nation (Thursday), American Mosaic (Friday), American Stories (Saturday)

4 Minute Features
Development Report (Monday), Agriculture Report (Tuesday), Health Report (Wednesday), Education Report (Thursday), Economics Report (Friday)

5 Minute Features
In the News (Saturday), Words and Their Stories (Sunday)

Special English Radio: 30 Minutes of News and Features
Special English news and feature programs use a limited vocabulary and are read at a slower pace than VOA's other English broadcasts.

You can see more VOANews podcasts and videocasts here.

VOANews: The Making of a Nation Series

Every Thursday, Voice of America Special English News (VOANews) broadcasts a fifteen-minute program entitled, The Making of the Nation, a radio series about American history. You can read the transcipts and listen to the broadcasts here. Recent episodes have focused on different aspect of Thomas Jefferson's Presidency.

There is a special episode dedicated to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, perfect for Independence Day, the Fourth of July.

ELCivics.com: Videos and More!

One of the best Citizenship resources on the internet is Christine Niven's ELCivics.com. There are photo essays, slide shows, videos, and puzzles keyed to the USCIS History and Government Questions.

Here is ELCivic.com's new Fourth of July Fireworks video. Say the name and state of each city. Find each city on a map of the United States.



You can see all the ELCivics videos here. Congratulations to Christine Niven on another good job well done!