250 to 250:145. Mayo Clinic, Narrated by Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Mayo Clinic, Narrated by Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell

Dr. Stephen Ray Mitchell is an award-winning medical expert who currently serves as the Joseph Butenas Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Dean Emeritus for Medical Education at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Mitchell has chaired the North American Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and has led accreditation visits to over 20 other Medical Schools. He tells the story of the founding of the Mayo Clinic, which pioneered many hallmarks of modern health care.

In 1883, a tornado hit Rochester, Minnesota.

• The Mayo family were doctors who helped injured people.
• They opened a small hospital in a dance hall.
• The Mayo doctors worked with Mother Alfred Moes and the Sisters of St. Francis to open a permanent hospital.
• This hospital became the famous Mayo Clinic.
• Mayo Clinic doctors worked together to help patients.
• They used X-rays and patient records.
• Today, the Mayo Clinic is famous for medical care and research.
• Dr. William Mayo believed patients must always come first.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 2:11. Do you have any physical or mental impairment that prevents you from demonstrating your knowledge of the English language or civics requirements for naturalization? 
• N-400 Part 9:33. Are you unable to take the Oath of Allegiance because of a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment?
• USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
• USCIS 128:69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?
• Read: Name one right in the Bill of Rights. 
• Write: Freedom of speech is a right. 

Family Fun:

• ABC 6 News - KAAL TV: Women's History Month: The women of Mayo Clinic
• Andrew Tyberg: Mayo Clinic’s history (History Day 2014-15)
• Augustine Langford: The Patient Comes First: The Mayo Clinic And Its Unified Medical Record
• Mayo Clinic: website | History and Heritage | Contributions to Medicine | Peregrine Falcon Activity Pages | Heritage Films (all): Born in a Storm |  Leap of Faith | Healing Hands | playlist of previews 
• Minnesota PBS: Minnesota's Deadliest Tornadoes
• Minnesota Digital Library: Origins of the Mayo Clinic
• National Library of Medicine: The Origins and Evolution of the Mayo Clinic from 1864 to 1939
• National Postal Museum: 5c Doctors Mayo single | more
• PBS and Ken Burns: The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science (stream or borrow video from your local library)
• PBS Learning Media: Mayo Clinic (several clips and lessons)
• Your Very Favorite: Health Matters! Coloring and Activity Book (80-pages) 

250 to 250:144. Woodlot Revolt, Narrated by Paula Peters

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Woodlot Revolt, Narrated by Paula Peters

Paula Peters is a journalist, educator and activist. A citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, she travels internationally to speak and educate on the true Wampanoag story. Here she tells the story of the 1833 Woodlot Revolt, in which Wampanoag activists were arrested but the Wampanoag achieved a period of self-rule until 1870.

The Wampanoag are Native Americans from Massachusetts.

• In 1621, they welcomed the Pilgrims.
• Over time, white settlers took much of their land.
• In 1663, the Wampanoag received land in Mashpee.

In 1833, white settlers cut down trees on Wampanoag land without permission.

• The Wampanoag stopped settlers from taking wood. 
• Their protest was called the Woodlot Revolt.
• The Wampanoag won the right to govern themselves for a time.

In 2007, the U.S. government officially recognized the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 4. What county do you live in?
• USCIS 100:59. / 128:74.   Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
• USCIS 100:61. Why did the colonists [Wampanoag] fight the British [colonists]?
• USCIS 100:87. / 128:117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
• Read: Who lived here first?  |  What country is north of the United States?
• Write: American Indians lived here first.  |  Canada is north of the United States. 

Family Fun:

• Colonial Society of Massachusetts: “We, as a tribe, will rule ourselves”:
• Mashpee’s Struggle for Autonomy, 1746–1840
• GBH and Mass Humanities: 250 Years of Fighting for Freedom: The Mashpee Wampanoag Story | Promises of the Revolution Pt. I
• Mashpee TV: Thanksgiving from Wampanoag Youth
• Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: Government Departments | Timeline | Understanding the Mashpee Sovereignty Struggle
• Mass Moments: May 21, 1833 Indians in Mashpee Demand Self-Government
• NMAI: Wampanoag Perspectives: First Thanksgiving: How has the story been told and why does it need to change?
• Teach US History: A Description of the Mashpee Revolt by William Apess
• USCIS: Thanksgiving 1 - Pilgrims and American Indians - Beginning Level Lesson Plan | Handouts | Answers
• uscitzenpod: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe coloring page
• WBNERR: Mashpee Wampanoag Cultural Resources

250 to 250:143. Mount St. Helens Eruption, Narrated by John Ebel

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Mount St. Helens Eruption, Narrated by John Ebel

Professor John Ebel is a highly regarded senior scientist at the Weston Observatory at Boston College whose expertise has made him the go-to source for media reporting on earthquakes in New England and around the world. He explains what happened in 1980, when Mount St. Helens erupted in the most destructive volcanic event in American history.

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State.

• It was the most destructive volcanic eruption in U.S. history.
• Part of the mountain fell, causing a huge explosion.
• Hot ash and rocks covered forests and nearby land.
• Volcanic ash rose more than 11 miles into the sky.

57 people died, including scientist David Johnston.

• Scientists learned more about volcanoes and how forests grow again after eruptions.
• Harry Truman, a man who lived near the mountain, refused to leave.
• He said, “If the mountain goes, I'm going with it.”
• Truman died in the eruption and became a local legend.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 09:37. If the law requires it, are you willing to do work of national importance under civilian direction?
• USCIS 100:53. What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• USCIS 128:70. What is one way Americans can serve their country?
• Read: When is Memorial Day? 
• Write: Memorial Day is in May. 

Family Fun:

• High Country News: Life After Lava
• History: The Largest Eruption in American History | How the Earth Was Made (S2, E10)
• King 5 Seattle: Scientist killed in Mount St. Helens eruption remembered 40 years after deadly blast | Mount St. Helens environment recovering 45 years after eruption
• Mount St Helens Institute: LIVE Volcano Cam
• National Postal Museum: Mount St. Helens Postage Stamp
• Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture: Behind the scenes: Mt St Helens and the story of David A. Johnston
• PBS News Hour: What scientists have learned from Mount St. Helens’ devastating eruption, 45 years later
• Smithsonian: Footage of the 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption
• USDA Forest Service: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
• USGS: Mount St Helens | Science Career Activity Books 1, 2 | I Am A...Volcanologist | Volcanologist coloring page
• Video from Space: Mt. Saint Helens from space! Before and after eruption - 1973 to 2019

250 to 250:142. Battle of Fallen Timbers, Narrated by Wes Siler

 

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Battle of Fallen Timbers, Narrated by Wes Siler

Wes Siler is an independent journalist who has spent the last 24 years writing about the intersection of public lands, conservation, and politics. He's currently building a new Substack newsletter about those topics, and you can help him along by subscribing to that. He tells the story of the brief battle that forced Native American displacement from most of modern-day Ohio, opening it to white American settlement.

After the Revolutionary War, many Americans wanted to move west.

• Native Americans fought to protect their land.
• On August 20, 1794, American soldiers fought Native Americans near Toledo, Ohio.
• This fight was called the Battle of Fallen Timbers.
• General Anthony Wayne led the American soldiers.
• The American soldiers won the battle.

In 1795, the Treaty of Greenville opened Native American land to American settlers.

• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 banned slavery and allowed new states in this area.
• However, the United States took land from Native Americans.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 4. What is your home address?
• USCIS 100:59. / 128:74.   Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
• USCIS 100:87. / 128:117. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
• Read: Who lived here first?  |  What country is north of the United States?
• Write: American Indians lived here first.  |  Canada is north of the United States. 

Family Fun:

• Army Historical Trust: The Battle of Fallen Timbers, 20 August 1794
• Cherokeephil: The Battle of Fallen Timbers - Ohio - 1794
• Fallen Timbers Battlefield Preservation Commission: From Fallen Timbers to the Treaty of Greenville | Anthony Wayne: Remembered Today as a General. Forgotten Role? A Diplomat.
• From Fort to Port: Fort to Port Histories - Episode 3: The Natives of Northwest Ohio
• Metro Toledo Paks: Fallen Timbers Battlefield & Ft. Miamis
• Midstory: The Forgotten History of Ohio’s Indigenous Peoples | We've always been here: Indigenous Invisibility
• NPS: Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site
• National Postal Museum: Battle of Fallen Timbers Issue | 3c Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Sesquicentennial map single | Anthony Wayne Post Office Mural
• PBS Origins: The Forgotten War They Don’t Teach You About
• Redoubt Productions: Fallen Timbers: How The U.S.A. Conquered Ohio
• uscitizenpod: Northwest Ordinance of 1787 coloring page

250 to 250:141. Lemon Grove, Narrated by Marianna Vinson

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Lemon Grove, Narrated by Marianna Vinson

Marianna Vinson is a first-generation Mexican-American educator. The Superintendent of the Lemon Grove School District, Vinson formerly served as the Deputy Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of  Education. In 1931, the San Diego County Superior Court ruled that the segregation at Lemon Grove violated California law.

In 1931, Mexican-American families in Lemon Grove, California, fought for equal education.

• The school board wanted Mexican-American children to attend a separate school.
• The parents believed all children should have equal rights.
• They took the school board to court.
• On March 30, 1931, Judge Claude Chambers ruled that separate schools were against California law.
• The Mexican-American families won their case.
• Their victory helped fight racial segregation in schools.
• In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court also ruled against school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 7: Where have you attended school full time or part time for the past 5 years?
• USCIS 100:02. What does the Constitution do?
• USCIS 128:10. Name two important ideas from the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
• USCIS 100:37. / 128:51. What does the judicial branch do?
• Read: What country is south of the United States? 
• Write: Mexico is south of the United States. 

Family Fun:

• ABC : How Lemon Grove fought school segregation 23 years before Brown v. Board of Education
• Astra Publishing: The story behind Without Separation by Larry Dane Brimner, illustrated by Maya Gonzalez
• Cool San Diego Sights! Lemon Grove Mural
• KPBS: Lemon Grove honors 95th anniversary of landmark school desegregation case | Lemon Grove mural preserves nearly-lost history of 'José Crow' segregation
• LA Tmes: Saving a lasting reminder of Mexican American school segregation (Blackwell, TX)
• Lemon Grove Historical Society: The Lemon Grove Incident
• Monday Mandala: Lemon coloring pages
• PBS: The Lemon Grove Incident (1985) directed by Frank Christopher
• Tanya Golash-Boza: The Long Battle to End Racial Segregation in Schools
• The San Diego Union-Tribune: The Lemon Grove Incident
• UCTV: The Lemon Grove Incident and the Making of a History Professor with Luis Alvarez 
• US Courts: Moments in History: Mendez v. Westminster
• US Dept of Ed: The Unheralded History of the Lemon Grove Desegregation Case
• uscitizenpod: Lemon Grove Incident coloring page
• Zinn Education Project: Jan. 5, 1931: Lemon Grove Incident

New Resources for KYR and Naturalization

updated 11/17/2026 11:30 am PST

Know Your Rights Fall 2026: A Handout for ESL Teachers Prepared by the Refugee Concerns Interest Group (RC-IG), CATESOL · catesolrc@catesol.org and Marc Santamaria, Immigration Attorney and ESL Teacher · marc@usimmigrationplan.com  (new resource)

• Google Doc https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NnpYOJKBXP65R9DPBzOFWecqyP2rFbWLy4TvHm PQ1h4/edit?usp=sharing

• PDF https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l-OwzjHt8fOhC_e3Ogw-g_iKPiYZOJ-T/view?usp=sharing

09/30 CASAS EL Civics Network Meeting.  The latest news from CASAS (Citizenship Preparation: (0:17:43) plus a great presentation about presentation by Woodland Adult Education Team on their experience using COAAP 48.6 (AI COAAP): (0:23:22).  Full Recording.  Past meetings playlist. Sign up for future meetings: https://caadultedtraining.org/ . Online.
 
10/07 CIV-IG post Immigration and Naturalization Resources (new resource--below are important updates from ILRC) https://mms.catesol.org/members/forum/forum2.php?r=Y

• ILRC Know Your Language and Disability Rights in Immigration Encounters https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources/know-your-language-and-disability-rights-immigration-encounters

• ILRC Changes in the USCIS Policy Manual Affecting Naturalization: Neighborhood Investigations https://www.ilrc.org/resources/changes-uscis-policy-manual

• ILRC Character Reference for Naturalization https://www.ilrc.org/resources/character-reference-naturalization

• ILRC Comment Opposing Proposed Rule Raising Naturalization Application Fee https://www.ilrc.org/resources/comment-opposing-rule-naturalization

The Denaturalization Defense Clearinghouse connects those who need denaturalization representation with pro bono attorneys who have been trained by the ILRC and other experts in how to defend these cases.  https://denatzprobono.com/  (new resource)

10/17 Immigrant Student Safety Action Plan by Carol Basilio, SDCCE (new resource) https://sway.cloud.microsoft/u1ryN4xJmlcvGnZ3?ref=Link&loc=play
 
10/21 10 am PST Adult Citizenship Educator Collective presents “The English Tests Required for Naturalization.” (online)
Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6N1bLaewSUCwqgu4nmxq6w#/registration
 
11/05 11:30 PDT HACE presents: “Diversifying Resources to Support Citizenship Programs” (online)
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2003359321660?aff=oddtdtcreator
 
11/06-08 CATESOL 2026 at Santiago Canyon College, Orange.  Featuring several workshops by CIV-IG and RC-IG members (I will post the schedule soon).  In person!
Registration: https://www.catesol.org/catesol26_registration.php

12/08-09 2026 National Immigrant Inclusion Conference (NIIC) (Los Angeles!) is the nation’s largest gathering of the entire sector working on behalf of our country’s immigrants and refugees and the annual gathering of NPNA’s network.  In person!
Registration: https://niic.org/register-niic

250 to 250:140. Head Start, Narrated by Jill Biden

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Head Start, Narrated by Jill Biden

Dr. Jill Biden is a highly regarded educator and former First Lady and Second Lady of the United States of America. Dr. Biden is a strong advocate for education, early learning initiatives, military families, and women’s health. Here, her history of Head Start reminds us that participation improves children’s language, literacy, and social skills.

Head Start helps young children from low-income families.

• President Lyndon B. Johnson started the program in 1965.
• Head Start has helped more than 40 million children.
• It helps children learn and get ready for school.
• It provides healthy food and health care.
• It helps families find housing and jobs.
• Children learn reading and language, and social skills.
• Head Start gives children a better start in life.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 6. What are the ages of your children?
• USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?
• USCIS 128:69. What are two examples of civic participation in the United States?
• Read: When is Thanksgiving? 
• Write: Thanksgiving is in November. 

Family Fun:

• Administration for Children and Families: Office of Head Start
• Biden White House: Official Biography of First Lady Dr. Jill Biden
• Epic: Headstart-preschool  digital and book list
• HeadStart.gov: Programs, Locations, and more | Curriculum
• Connecticut Office of Early Childhood: The Story About Head Start on Housing
• Lauren C: History of Head Start
• Monday Mandala: Coloring Pages for Toddlers 
• National Head Start Association: 50 Years of Opportunity: Head Start's History | NHSA in the (language) Classroom playlist | Get a Head Start with the Smithsonian and YouTube Playlist
• National Postal Museum: 29c Dr. Allison Davis single (Head Start theoretician) | 32c Helping Children Learn single
• PBS News Hour: What’s the legacy of Head Start 50 years on?
• USA.gov: Get help with child care costs and learn about Head Start
• USCIS: Families Learning Civics Together Toolkit
• uscitizenpod: Helping Children Learn coloring page

250 to 250:139. Wright Brothers Narrated by Governor Josh Stein

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: Wright Brothers Narrated by Governor Josh Stein

Josh Stein is the Governor of North Carolina. A lifelong public servant, he previously served in the state Senate, as Senior Deputy Attorney General for consumer protection, and as Attorney General. Governor Stein celebrates the Wright brothers, whose 12-second flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903 launched the age of aviation. ‪

Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers from Dayton, Ohio.

• They owned a bicycle shop.
• They believed people could fly in airplanes.
• They studied and tested airplanes for many years.
• On December 17, 1903, they made the first successful powered airplane flight.
• The flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• Their airplane flew 120 feet in 12 seconds.
• During World War I, airplanes became more advanced.
• Over time, airplanes became bigger, faster, and safer.
• Airplanes made it easier for people to travel and move goods around the world.

Interview and Civics Quiz:

• I-9 Documents that Establish Identity: Do you have Driver's License or ID card issued by a State? Is your license or ID card REAL ID compliant?
• USCIS 100:64. There were 13 original states.  Name three.
• USCIS 128:118. Name one example of an American innovation.
• Read: What state do you live in?
• Write: I live in California (I live in . . . Alaska, Delaware, New Mexico, New York, Washington).  

Family Fun

• AOPA: Visit the Wright Cycle shop and National Museum - National Aviation Heritage Area
• FAA:    STEM Education Resources | Flight Path to America's 250th playlist
• NPS: Wright Brothers National Memorial
• National Air and Space Museum: The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age
• National Postal Museum: Air Stamps–Pilots and Aviation Pioneers
• PBS: The Wright Stuff | Orville and Wilbur | Flying a 1902 Wright Brothers Glider in Kitty Hawk 
• US Mint: North Carolina "First in Flight" Quarter coloring page
• UVU: Animated History of Aviation