Tuesday, December 31, 2019

How to revive your belief in democracy



TED: How to revive your belief in democracy | Eric Liu

Civic evangelist Eric Liu shares a powerful way to rekindle the spirit of citizenship and the belief that democracy still works. Join him for a trip to "Civic Saturday" and learn more about how making civic engagement a weekly habit can help build communities based on shared values and a path to belonging.

Learn more about Civic Saturday at Citizen University

Also see: TED-ED How to understand power - Eric Liu

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Advanced Conversation on Immigration 🗽 Current Issues with Jennifer



Jennifer ESL: Advanced Conversation on Immigration 🗽 Current Issues with Jennifer

Immigration is a sensitive topic. I ask that all viewers express their opinions respectfully and without offensive language in the comments. Thank you.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Citizenship Resources for Kwanzaa



uscitizenpod: Two Citizenship Questions for a Joyous Kwanzaa!

Kwanzaa is a week long celebration (Dec 25 to Jan 1) held in the United States to honor universal African heritage and culture. 

Kwanzaa is a celebration that came out of the black nationalist movement of the 1960s. 

It was created as a way to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage.

Every night, people light a candle on a kinara (candle holder) which represent Kwanzaa's principles: 

Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. Source: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa


For the full quiz, see Citizenship Quiz for Kwanzaa

Also checkout


Thursday, December 26, 2019

Citizenship Resources for Boxing Day

USCIS 100:55. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?




uscitizenpod: Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas Day in England and its former colonies. December 26 is also the feast day of St. Stephen who collected food and clothing and gave them to the poor.  On Boxing Day, workers would received boxes of food and small gifts from their employers.  Frequently, there were used  clothing or blankets in the boxes.

Recently, Boxing Day has gained popularity in America.  Many families "box up" unused clothes, electronics, and furniture and donate them to charitable organizations such as Goodwill.

Goodwill was started in 1902 by the Reverend Edgar J. Helms of Morgan Methodist Chapel in Boston. Helms and his congregation collected used household goods and clothing being discarded in wealthier areas of the city, then trained and hired the unemployed or poor to repair them. The products were then redistributed to those in need.

Today, Goodwill has become an international nonprofit that is funded by thrift stores and provides more than 300,000 people with job training and community services each year.  Goodwill also offers free online job skills and technology courses--learn more at gcflearnfree.org 

In the spirit of Boxing Day, we encourage you to donate your unused goods or volunteer with your local civic or community groups.


Boxing Day Resources

Goodwill Industries

More organizations in San Jose/Milpitas that accept household goods donations and need volunteers--check your local area for similar organizations!


Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Citizenship Resources for Christmas



Two Citizenship Questions for Christmas

US Citizenship Podcast
  • Dec 25: Christmas
    • USCIS 100: 10. What is freedom of religion? (2011) mp3 / pdf
    • Washington Crossing the Delaware, Christmas Night 1776 (2012) pdf
    • A Citizenship Quiz for Christmas  (2015) mp3 / pdf
    • Two Citizenship Questions for Christmas (2017) video
    • O. Henry, author of "Gift of the Magi," Bio, Practice N-400, and Civics Quiz(2017) pdf

More Resources for the Winter Holidays

VOANews

Monday, December 23, 2019

Oanh Thi Kim Do Practices the USCIS N-400 Part 12



uscitizenpod: Oanh Thi Kim Do Practices the USCIS N400 Part 12

Oanh passed her Citizenship interview on Tuesday. Here she is practicing just the USCIS N-400 Part 12 questions. I will add cc later. Thanks for your patience.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Two Citizenship Questions for Hanukkah




uscitizenpod: Two Citizenship Questions for Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was a Jewish-American poet and activist who used the image of America as a light to the nations when she wrote "The New Colossus" (1883). This poem, which is engraved inside of the Statue of Liberty, talks about the millions of immigrants who came to the United States many of whom came through Ellis Island at the port of New York. The final lines say:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Manfred Anson (1922-2012), a survivor of the Holocaust, designed this Hanukkah lamp for the centennial of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. Anson used a souvenir figurines to cast the statuettes for the lamp, and the Statue of Liberty torch was transformed into a candle holder. The lamp is surmounted by an American eagle, and the base of each statuette is inscribed with significant dates in Jewish history. This Statue of Liberty Menorah is currently displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington DC.

USCIS 100:95. Where is the Statue of Liberty?*

USCIS 100:10. What is freedom of religion?

Learn more:

A closer look at our Statue of Liberty Hanukkah lamp
http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/11/a-closer-look-at-our-statue-of-liberty-hanukkah-lamp-now-on-view.html

A Menorah That Honors an Immigrant’s Story: After escaping the Holocaust, Manfred Anson paid tribute to his new home
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/statue-of-liberty-menorah

Emma Lazarus: Poet Of Exiles
https://mjhnyc.org/exhibitions/emma-lazarus-poet-exiles/

Statue of Liberty National Monument
https://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm

She Wrote a Nation’s Welcome
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/arts/design/emma-lazarus-at-museum-of-jewish-heritage-review.html

This One-of-a-Kind Menorah Represents the True Spirit of Thanksgivukkah: A Hanukkah tradition melds with an icon of Americana
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/this-one-of-a-kind-menorah-represents-the-true-spirit-of-thanksgivukkah-180947855/

U.S. Postal Service and Israel Post Jointly Issue Hanukkah Stamps
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2018/pr18_088.htm

Thursday, December 19, 2019

U.S. Citizenship Class 26, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School




  • N-400
  • Civics
    • USCIS 100: 10. What is freedom of religion? (2011) mp3 / pdf
    • Washington Crossing the Delaware, Christmas Night 1776 (2012) pdf
    • A Citizenship Quiz for Christmas  (2015) mp3 / pdf
  • Integration
    • A Citizenship Quiz for New Year’s Day (2015/2016) mp3 / pdf

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

U.S. Citizenship Class 25, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School


Tonight, Citizenship students will take a CASAS test 


Today we give 2 (or possibly 3) CASAS tests to our current Citizenship Students


  • The Citizenship Interview Test (CIT) is a one-on-one oral assessment that simulates the citizenship applicant's English-language interview with a USCIS examiner (This test will be given to students who have been in class for several months).
  • The Government and History for Citizenship tests reveal how much students know about American government and history. (All citizenship students will take this test)

Life and Work Reading Sample Test  (Some citizenship students will take this test)

Use these sample test items to:
  • familiarize students with CASAS items
  • help reduce student test-taking anxiety
These items are samples to familiarize students with CASAS test formats. Since they are not actual tests, they are not predictors of student performance, and are not valid for level placement, assessment, or for reporting standardized scores.
Printable Version
PowerPoint Version

After you take the CASAS test, watch this playlist from USCIS

    Monday, December 16, 2019

    Holiday Exhibit Showcases America’s Spectacular Gardens



    VOANews: Holiday Exhibit Showcases America’s Spectacular Gardens

    The spirit of Christmas is featured again at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. This year’s annual holiday event showcases displays highlighting the beauty of America’s public gardens. They include recreations of garden conservatories, fountains and other sculptures made from plant-based materials. VOA’s Deborah Block takes us on a tour to see the diverse gardens that include chugging toy trains.

    Learn more about the U.S. Botanic Garden

    Sunday, December 15, 2019

    Citizenship Resources for Bill of Rights Day



    uscitizenpod: Bill of Rights Interview Quizzes
    The texts of the Bill of Rights matched with questions from the USCIS N-400 Part 12 and the USCIS 100 History/Government questions.
    • A Quick Review of the Bill of Rights and the N-400 Part 12 plus Civics Questions mp3 and pdf and video (2017)
    • The Bill of Rights and the N-400 Part 12 plus Civics Questions mp3 and pdf (2016)
    • A Citizenship Quiz about the Bill of Rights pdf (2015)

    uscitizenpod: Bill of Rights Vocabulary Quizzes

    VOA Learning English: What Does the Bill of Rights Say?
    What Do the Amendments in the Bill of Rights Say?
    More Bill of Rights Resources

    Check back for more resources....

    Tuesday, December 10, 2019

    U.S. Citizenship Class 23, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School



    TED-ED: A More Perfect Union

    N-400
      Civics
      • Voices of Freedom: 1900s
      • A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of the UDHR and Human Rights Day pdf 
      • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) Word Search Puzzle pdf 
      Integration
      • Yésica Sánchez: A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs about Voting and Elections pdf

      Monday, December 9, 2019

      Citizenship Resources for Human Rights Day



      uscitizenpod: A Quick Guide to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

      HRAC videos:

      More resources:

      USCIS 100:9. What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?
      • life
      • liberty
      • pursuit of happiness
      updated 12/09/2020