SaberHacer.com Videos in English and Español

SaberHacer.com has produced seven beautiful and informative short videos about the citizehship process. Watch the Scam video above and check out the other videos in English and Spanish below. Brava SaberHacer!

What You Need to Know About Voting
Lo que necesitas saber sobre el voto

Citizenship & Immigration Scams
Fraudes en Ciudadanía e Inmigración

United States Citizenship Process
Pasos para obtener la ciudadanía

What you need to know Benefits of Citizenship
Beneficios de la Ciudadanía

Citizenship classes
Clases de Ciudadanía

Citizenship Interview and Ceremony
Entrevista y ceremonia de juramento

Citizenship- Common Mistakes
Ciudadanía-Errores comunes

SaberHacer on YouTube

Land of Liberty

Land of Liberty is a new text book that prepares low-level ESL students for their Citizenship interview.

Land of Liberty can be customized to include your own Governor, Senators, & Representatives! No additional charge! Click here to find out how!

SFPL: United States Citizenship Resources

San Francisco Public Library has produced short videos about US Citizenship Resources featuring multilingual guides, exam practice questions and community resources for the new US Citizenship Exam.

English

Spanish ⁄ Español
Cantonese ⁄ 粤語
Mandarin ⁄ 國語
Russian ⁄ РУССКИЙ

VOANews: Economy May Be Weak, but Thanksgiving Traditions Hold Strong

Phuc reads his Thanksgiving Essay

Economy May Be Weak, but Thanksgiving Traditions Hold Strong
Also: A question from India about American Indians. And music from the new album by James Taylor. Transcript of radio broadcast: 20 November 2008
MP3 - Download (MP3)
MP3 - Listen to (MP3)

US Citizenpod Thanksgiving Resources

Mai Anh reads her Thanksgiving Essay

• 96:50 and 53 Class Handout
• 96:68-70 Class Handout
• Thankfulness Cloze Essay
• Thanksgiving mp3
• Thanksgiving Quiz
• Thanksgiving Quiz Answers

This I Believe: Sharing Food with Family

This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. Here are the Thanksgiving stories for 2008.

Special Feature: Sharing Food with Family
Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, with the attendant gatherings of family over food and drink. Regardless of the context, sitting down to share a meal can affirm our connections, our roots and our traditions. Click the links below to partake of these beliefs about food and family.

Rice for Thanksgiving
Doing Things the Slow Way
Remembering the Past at Waffle House
A Home-Cooked Tradition
Finding Acceptance in Macaroni and Cheese

This I Believe: Thanksgiving

This I Believe is a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. NPR airs these three-minute essays on All Things Considered, Tell Me More and Weekend Edition Sunday.

Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season, with gatherings of families and friends, and the sharing of food and drink. During the festivities of the coming weeks, we hope you take time to reflect on the beliefs that guide your life, just like these essayists have done.

Family Blessings, by Meghan Guinnee
Joy Beyond Measure, by Linda Balestracci
Hope Dished Out in Plenty, by David Cowen
You Can Go Home Again, by Victoria Higle
Baking by Senses and Memories, by Emily Smith
Click here to read previous Special Features

VTC247: The Pilgrims and Columbus

VTC24's Videos on YouTube
VTC24's main website--including N-400 and Civics info!)

ESLPod.com Update

My students constantly ask me for more listening exercises. In my opnions, ESLPod.com is one of most valuable ESL sites on the internet.

You can download the mp3s or subscribe to ESLPod's podcasts for free. Here are some recent examples of ESLPod's features:

ESLPod's Blog: Secret Service Handles
The president of the United States has his own special security protection, special police officers who are responsible primarily for protecting the president and the vice president from any danger.

ESLPod's Podcast: ESL Podcast 427 – Planning a Protest
Planning a political protest can be a lot of work. Learn more about it in this episode. Download Podcast

ESLPod's "Variety Show" English Café 164
Topics: Naming Rights; Famous Americans: Cesar Chavez; Why Americans have middle names; future perfect tense; American versus U.S. as an adjective. Download Podcast

ESLPod's Premium Course: Interview Questions Answered This course is for anyone who wants to learn business English and how to communicate better with American business people. Course Price: $24.99. Listen to a free audio sample

Since Thanksgiving is next week, let me suggest one of their most popular podcast:

ESLPodcast 91 - Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful, but for a lot of people, the holiday also means a weekend of eating a lot and watching football...Download Podcast

**Check out USCitizenPod's 06/29/08 post which links ESLPod shows with the different sections of the N-400.

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History Reopens Nov. 21!

Come Celebrate with Us! Reopening Festival Nov. 21-23 The Museum will officially reopen to the public after a two-year renovation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony (Friday, Nov. 21, 8:30-10 a.m.).

• Add your photos to our Flickr group and see some of our favorite images
• Follow us on Twitter for live coverage of the reopening events
• Become a fan on Facebook and tell us how we're doing
• Watch our YouTube channel for sneek peeks of new exhibitions and more

NYTimes: America’s Attic, Ready for a Second Act:
When the National Museum of American History reopens, it may begin to shed its reputation as one of the more cramped and confounding corners of the Smithsonian Institution.

• Slide Show: A Museum With a New Look
  

Freedom of Assembly

Sign spotted on the 680N 10th St Exit.

Most people who pass by are on their way to SJSU.

ESL Podcast 427 – Planning a Protest Planning a political protest can be a lot of work. Learn more about it in this episode. Download Podcast

New Citizen: Xu Shang Xia

Yang Baoyu and Xu Shang Xia

Xu Shang Xia was born in Canton, China in 1930. He became a psychology professor and taught in universities in Beijing and Guangzhou. He suffered terribly during the Cultural Revolution, but refused to compromise his intellectual freedom.

Professor Xu and his wife, Yang Baoyu, immigrated to California to help take care of their grandchildren. He and his wife would alternate babysitting duties during the day so that the other could go to ESL class in the morning. In the evening, they would walk over a mile to school to attend citizenship classes. They were diligent and faithful students, true role models to other students and inspiration for their teachers.

On the evening before his Oath Ceremony, Professor Xu and Mrs Yang attended the Citizenship class to talk about their Citizenship interviews. Mrs Yang passed last year, but Professor Xu delayed his inteview for health reasons. They both passed the interview easily because they had made a tremendous effort to study, understand, and practice English and Civics questions and answers.

Most citizenship interviews follow the N-400. The following exchange, however, was a surprise:

Examiner: Have you travelled outside of the United States in the past five years?

Professor: No.

Examiner: Have you travelled outside of the United States during your permanent residence?

Professor: No.

Examiner: If this is true, why do you have so many "stamps" in your (PRC) passport?

Professor: I was a visiting scholar before.

Examiner: What was your field of study?

Professor: I studied psychology.

Examiner: Were you a psychiatrist?

Professor: No, I was not a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a doctor; I was a psychology professor.

Examiner: What schools did you visit?

Professor: University of California at Los Angeles.

Examiner: UCLA?

Professor: Yes.

Examiner: What did you do at UCLA?

Professor: (Universities) exchange teachers. I studied psychology.

The USCIS Examiner seemed satisfied with the answers--he immediately moved to the 96 questions which Professor Xu easily aswered.

I am so proud of Professor Xu because he answered the "surprise" questions clearly and calmly.

• USCIS examiners are not trying to trick people. The USCIS examiner asks more questions to make sure that everyone follows the law.
• Review your N-400 and supporting documents (passport, marriage/divorce certificate, etc).
• Think about what kind of surprise (or embarassing) questions you could be asked.
• Practice these questions and answers.
• Stay calm. Answer each question simply and truthfully.

Citizenship ABC

USCIS 100:01-12--New Series

USCIS 100:01-12

Here is the first podcast on the new 100 Questions (USCIS 100).

CNN: History shines in Washington, D.C.

CNN.com features iReporter photos fron Washington DC in their weekly Travel Snapshots gallery. (slide show)

FamousPeopleLessons.com: Barack Obama

Famous People Lessons.com: English Lesson Plan on Barack Obama

• Word Doc
• PDF
• MP3 Listening
• Online Exercise

Famous People Lessons.com has many, many biographies, but here are a couple more to check out:

• Aung San Suu Kyi Democrary Leader from Burma
• Ban Ki-moon UN Secretary General from S. Korea
• Cesar Chavez Union Leader from California
• Hillary Rodham Clinton US Senator from New York
• Martin Luther King Civil rights Leader from Georgia

Oath of Allegiance Quiz

Oath of Allegiance Quiz: match words and phrases with the correct picture

VOANews: Change

Election 2008: 'Change We Need' or 'Country First?' 03 November 2008
MP3 - Download

Election 2008: 'At This Defining Moment, Change Has Come to America'
Barack Obama won a historic presidential race, and his Democratic Party increased its majorities in Congress. Now comes acting on the changes he promised. Transcript of radio broadcast: 10 November 2008
MP3 - Download (MP3)
MP3 - Listen to (MP3)

EASY English Video Series

Some students need extra help with English in preparation for their Citizenship Interview. One of the very best video resources for basic English is EASY English, available in multiple formats: VCR, DVD, CD-ROM, and broadcast television (PBS, HITN). EASY English videos and workbooks are also availabe through local libraries and Distance Learning programs.

Here is a list of the first and second series of Easy English:

1. The Basics: Alphabet, number, colors, calendar, To be.
2. Interactions: Greetings & introductions; Wh?’s, to be, pronouns.
3. Feelings: How are you? Small talk.
4. At School: People, places and things in a school. More "small talk."
5. At Home: Intro to family relationships and a tour of home.
6. The Time: Telling time & daily activities.
7. Your Community: DMV, Form-Filling, Money & Directions.
8. Health Care: The Body, Family Health & Medical Visits.
9. Personal Finance:Banking, Budgets & Shopping.
10. Around Town: Driving, Housing, Govt. & Phone Skills.
11. Education: People, Services & Parent Involvement.
12. Employment: Finding, Getting & Keeping a Job.

Here are some sample video clips:

• Video clip: Where are you from? (from Unit 3)
• Video clip: Job interview (from Unit 12)
• Watch more video clips here.

Video sections that are very important to Citizenship students include

• Filling out Forms: 7/1:03(DMV), 10/47:08 (Rental Application), 12/15:43 (Job Application)
• Community resources (library, police, city hall) 7/55:15, 10/1:04:48
• Government 10/1:09:47

For further information about the First, Second, a *NEW* Third Series (Hotel Work), visit EASY English.

Congratulations to recently naturalized US Citizen, John Dicker, President of Greenfield Learning and Executive Producer of Easy English, on the release of EASY English 3. KUDOS!

VOANews: Names Are Read to Mark 25th Anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Wall

ARVN Veteran Do Ngoc Xuan

proudly displays his US Citizenship Papers

(reposted from 11/11/07)

Last night, I listened to the VOA's Names Are Read to Mark 25th Anniversary of Vietnam Veterans Wall. All of a sudden I thought, "I wonder what happened to my POW/MIA?".

When I was freshman in high school, the Viet Nam war was coming to the end. A classmate, Molly Olds, who was an "army brat", convinced me, a Catholic "peacenik", to wear a POW/MIA memorial bracelet. The name on my bracelet: Richard R. Perricone. I never knew what happened to this POW, so I "googled" Perricone. There he was on the POW Network--free and alive--living in New York with his wife. Wow! I hope he is in Washington DC this weekend with his fellow vets. I hope he knows peace.

(Update; many people wrote to say Stff Sgt. Richard Perricone is alive and well).

The VOA story also brings to mind one of my students, Nguyen Kiem Long, formerly of the South Viet Nam Air Force and the Milpitas Adult School Senior ESL Class. He is currently in New York attending to family business, and I and his classmates miss him so much. He is a living example of a free and prosperous Viet Nam.

I also honor Do Ngoc Xuan, a farmer forced to flee the South and join the army. After working the night shift, he comes to the Senior ESL class every day in preparation for US Citizenship--the ticket to freedom for his relatives still in Viet Nam. His goal is shared not only by the Vietnamese students at our school, but by the immigrant communty at large.

On Veterans Day, let us remember the US service men and women, and our allied commrade-in-arms, fighting for the freedom of their own country.

More Resources--

• VOAVideo: Last-Known American World War One Veteran
• Soldier Media Center: Paying Tribute
• Proud Members Of Military Become U.S. Citizens
• NYTimes: Video: Women at War
  Despite what U.S. policy says, female soldiers are on the front lines.
• USCitizenpod Wikispaces: Military

PBS: THE NEW AMERICANS

PBS: THE NEW AMERICANS:
Follow a diverse group of immigrants and refugees as they leave their home and families behind and learn what it means to be new Americans in the 21st century.

Lesson Plans

More Video Clips about Immigration from Independent Lens

America Is . . .

USINFO published an AMAZING Photo Essay: America is . . . You can Download Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version (3.17 MB) or view it online. Topics include:

Introduction

Love of Family
Community
Individuality
Liberty and Freedom
Justice
Democracy
Freedom of Faith
Freedom of Speech
Compassion
Diversity
Equal Rights
Education
Innovation
Opportunity
Hope

Northern CATESOL

Obama Captures the World's Imagination

President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago

Transcript: 'This is your victory,' says Obama

President-elect Barack Obama!!!

Election Day Interview

New Citizens: Mai Anh & Hoanh!

Election Day Interview

Today we will listen to our twelfth practice interview (plus election prediction) with Chau Hoanh Chieu (Saigon, Vietnam). The questions are based on the N-400. Here's a link to the pdf. of the Basic Interview.

USCitizenPod Voting and Election resources

You can download the Slide Show

or vote with the Practice Electronic Ballot.

Here are some voting and election resources:

• New: Practice Electronic Ballot.
• New: USCIS 96/100 Voting and Election (questions and answers)
• New: USCIS 96/100 Voting and Election Quiz (questions--only; plus dictation)
• New: Elected Officials (Who's the current President? Who's the President-elect?)
• Voting Cloze Essay
• Voting Amendments

N-400 Part 10H Quiz

N-400 Part 10H Quiz: pictures, vocabulary, and cloze sentences. Direct download: n400-H-quiz.pdf

N-400 Part 10EFG Quiz

N-400 Part 10EFG Quiz: pictures, vocabulary, and cloze sentences. Direct download: n400-10EFG-quiz.pdf