Citizenship Manual
Student Version
Beginning Level
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Coming to the United States......
- What Is a United States Citizen?......
- Two Ways to Be a United States Citizen......
- The Naturalization Process—Requirements.....
- The Naturalization Process—Things You Have to Do......
- Rights of United States Citizens......
- Responsibilities of United States Citizenship....
- Glossary......
- Optional Worksheets......
- Optional Worksheet Answer Keys......
Introduction
The United States Citizenship Manual, Beginning Level consists of lesson plans corresponding to the following Civics Education competencies:
1)Understand what it means to be a United States citizen
2)Identify 2 ways to be a United States citizen
3)Understand the difference between natural and naturalized citizen
4)Demonstrate a basic understanding of the eligibility requirements of the naturalization process
5)Demonstrate a basic understanding of the things you have to do during the naturalization process
6)Understand basic rights of being a United States citizen
7)Understanding basic responsibilities of being a United States citizen
Each chapter in the instructor’s version of the manual will begin with that chapter’s lesson plan. The lesson plans are very similar in design and contain many opportunities for practice (writing, listening, speaking, and reading) since the vocabulary words are quite difficult for beginning level students. You can supplement the core lesson plan activities with optional activities, which are listed in each lesson plan, and, of course, you can add your own materials, ideas, etc. Please allow students to use the manual when taking quizzes. These lesson plans are designed for an “open book” quiz format.
At the end of the manual, instructors will find optional worksheets and answer keys. Even if you choose not to use the optional worksheets, you may want to give them to students to take home and share with family or friends. Doing this often encourages using English outside the classroom. (We apologize that the optional worksheets and answer keys are available only in hard copy and not on the CD; however, the worksheets can be duplicated electronically by using the software “Wordsheets” which can be downloaded at
These lessons should be among the last lessons taught in the ESL/Civics Education Curriculum since so many of the prerequisite concepts, vocabulary, skills, etc. are taught in other lessons. Additionally, please remember that this is an adjunct curriculum to your existing ESL curriculum.
Two notes of caution:
1)While we researched immigration and naturalization laws, laws change and interpretations vary. Please refer your students to appropriate agencies for “official” information about citizenship.
2) Students may think that these lesson plans will fully prepare them to take the citizenship test. Instructors should convey to the students that these lesson plans are just a beginning in the citizenship process.
If you need assistance or further explanation or would like to share ideas, please feel free to contact Melinda Hefner at: or (828) 726-2245.
Now....let’s begin the citizenship adventure.
Coming to the
United States
Coming to the United States
Approximate Time: 3 hoursPrerequisite Skills: See the Introduction in this manual.
Vocabulary:
citizens
descended
except
immigrants
immigrated
Native Americans
permanently
Materials Needed: Newsprint, crayons, colored markers or pens, white board or flip chart, erasable markers, copies of United States Citizenship Manual (Student Version, Beginning Level) for each student, immigration pictures (optional).
Equipment Needed: Multimedia computers with Internet access, CD player or tape player, CD or tape of Neil Diamond’s “America” (optional).
Activities:
1)Have the new vocabulary words written on the board when the students arrive for class.
2)Distribute United States Citizenship Manuals to students and explain the purpose of the lesson.
3)Before beginning the lesson, you may want to ask students to share their experiences about coming to America.
4)Introduce new vocabulary. Make sure that each student can correctly pronounce the new words by having them pronounce the words aloud as a group and then individually. Repeat as necessary.
5)Tell students to turn to the Coming to the United States Vocabularyin the manual.
a)Carefully explain and/demonstrate each word and make sure that students understand the meanings.
b)Orally review both pronunciation and meaning of vocabulary words.
6)Have the students turn to Coming to the United States (story) in the manual. Read the story aloud to the students as they follow along. Explain in appropriate detail any new information or vocabulary words. Write emerging vocabulary on the board for reference or review as the lesson progresses.
a)After having discussed the story, have students get in pairs or small groups and take turns reading a paragraph in the story until the entire story is completed. Repeat as necessary.
b)Ask for volunteers who may want to read the story to the entire class.
c)Ask for volunteers who may want to tell the story in their own words.
7)Have students turn to Coming to the United States Vocabulary Matching in the manual and have them complete this exercise. Review the answers orally.
8)Have students turn to Coming to the United States Writing Practice and Coming to the United States Spelling Practice in the manual. These worksheets can either be done in class or given as out-of-class assignments depending on whether the students are low-beginning or high-beginning. Giving these as out-of-class assignments and asking the students to share the worksheets and explain the vocabulary words to a family member or friend are good ways to encourage use of English outside the classroom.
9)Give students Coming to the United States Circle the Word You Hear worksheet in the manual. Using the instructor answer key in this manual, call out each word and ask the students to circle the word they hear. Review the answers orally.
10)Before going on to the next activity, make sure that your students:
a)can pronounce each new vocabulary word correctly,
b)know the meanings of each new vocabulary word,
c)can write and spell the new vocabulary words, and
d)understand the content of the story.
11)Have students turn to the Coming to the United States Conversation in the manual. You can have them do this in pairs at their seats, in pairs at the front of the room, or both. Repeat as necessary. The instructor can also participate by reading the script of one of the students.
12)Have students turn to Coming to the United States True or False in the manual and ask them to complete the exercise. Review the answers orally.
13)Have students turn to Coming to the United States More Writing Practice in the manual. This activity can be done in class or assigned as an out-of-class activity.
14)Wrap up the lesson plan by discussing with the students what they have learned. You may also want to use some of the optional activities.
Assessment/Evaluation of Learning:
1)Teacher observation of students’ participation.
2)Evaluation of completed worksheets/handouts.
Optional or follow-up Activities/Ideas:
1)Have Neil Diamond’s “America” (also known as “They’re Coming to America”) playing on CD or tape as the students come in to class.
America (Coming to America)
Words and Music by Neil Diamond
Far
We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star
Free
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream
On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again
They're coming to America
Home,
Don't it seem so far away
Oh, we're traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm
Home,
to a new and a shiny place
Make our bed, and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm
Everywhere around the world
They're coming to America
Every time that flag's unfurled
They're coming to America
Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America
Got a dream they've come to share
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
They're coming to America
Today, today, today, today, today
My country 'tis of thee
Today
Sweet land of liberty
Today
Of thee I sing
Today
Of thee I sing
Today!
2)Make a PowerPoint presentation of Neil Diamond’s “America” and include pictures to go along with the music which you can either incorporate into the PowerPoint presentation or play on CD or tape.
3)Tell your students about the history of immigration particularly Ellis Island. You can include the History Channel’s webpage about Ellis Island: This site has some outstanding short videos of immigrants’ “coming to America” experiences.
4)Invite a recently naturalized citizen to speak to the class.
5)Have students make drawings about their immigration experiences. Post the drawings around the room and ask each student to present his/her drawing.
6)Read stories or books about new citizens.
7)Have the students write a letter to a friend, relative, a classmate, etc. telling them why they want to become citizens.
8) Why I Came to America.—“ Oprah talks to refugees, immigrants and "new" Americans who share their amazing stories about how they got here and why they came.” While this may be a little advanced for beginners, with proper instructor assistance, it will be a worthwhile activity.
9)Take a virtual tour of Ellis Island.
10)Questions for oral discussion or for writing exercises:
a)Are you a citizen of the United States?
b)Do you want to become a citizen of the United States?
c)Why do you want to become a citizen of the United States?
d)What does being a citizen of the United States mean to you?
11)Have the students make flash cards of the vocabulary words and other vocabulary that emerged during the course of the lesson. Have them take them home to practice with family or friends.
12)Optional worksheets. (See Optional Worksheets section.)
Coming to the United States
Vocabulary
- citizens
- descended
- except
- immigrants
- immigrated
- Native Americans
- permanently
Coming to the United States
People who come to the United States to live permanently are called immigrants. Many people have immigrated to the United States. These people have come from many countries. Some of the countries that immigrants have come from are Mexico, Vietnam, Russia, Italy, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Columbia.
Except for Native Americans, all of the people living in the United States are descended from immigrants.
People come to live in the United States for many reasons. They come to live in freedom, to live in a safe place, or to make better lives for themselves and their families.
Many people who come to live in the United States want to become United Statescitizens.
Coming to the United States
Vocabulary Matching
Draw a line from the word to the correct definition.
- Native Americans
- citizens
- descended
- except
- immigrants
- immigrated
- permanently
Coming to the United States
Writing Practice
Write the words.
- citizens
- descended
- except
- immigrants
- immigrated
- Native Americans
- permanently
Coming to the United States
Spelling Practice
Write the correct letter in the blanks.
- im__igrants
- Nati__e Americans
- excep__
- __mmigrated
- citi__ens
- per__anently
7.des__ended
Coming to the United States
Circle the Word You Hear
- Americans
- citizens
- immigrate
- easy
- purple
- native
- citizens
- permanently
Coming to the United States
Circle the Word You Hear
Answer Key
The instructor should call out the following words and ask the students to circle the word(s) that they hear.
1. Native Americans2. citizens
3. immigrated
4. except
5. permanently
6. native
7. descended
8. immigrants
Coming to the United States
Conversation
Student 1 / Hi, I am from ______. Where are you from?Student 2 / I am from ______.
Student 1 / I am an immigrant.
Student 2 / What does that mean?
Student 1 / That means that I am from another country, and I have come to the United States to live permanently.
Student 2 / I am an immigrant, too. Why did you come to the United States to live?
Student 1 / I came hereto live in freedom and to make a better life for myself. Why did you come here?
Student 2 / I came here to live in a safe place and to make a better life for myself.
Student 1 / The United States is a great place to live. I am glad that I am here.
Student 2 / I am glad that I am here also.
Coming to the United States
True or False
Circle T if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is false.
T / F /- Some people come to the United States to live in a safe place.
T / F /
- There are no immigrants in the United States.
T / F /
- Native Americans are immigrants.
T / F /
- Many people who come to live in the United States want to become citizens.
T / F /
- Some people come to the United States to live in freedom.
T / F /
- Mexico is a country that some immigrants come from.
T / F /
- All immigrants come from Japan.
T / F /
- Some immigrants come from Italy, Russia, and Vietnam.
Coming to the United States
True or False
Answer Key
Circle T if the sentence is true. Circle F if the sentence is false.
- Some people come to the United States to live in a safe place.
- There are no immigrants in the United States.
- Native Americans are immigrants.
- Many people who come to live in the United States want to become citizens.
- Some people come to the United States to live in freedom.
- Mexico is a country that some immigrants come from.
- All immigrants come from Japan.
- Some immigrants come from Italy, Russia, and Vietnam.
Coming to the United States
More Writing Practice
Write each of the following sentences.
- I am an immigrant.
2. My friend immigrated from Vietnam.
3. Many people have immigrated to the United States.
4. I came to the United States to live in freedom.
5. I want to become a United States citizen.
What Is a United States Citizen?
What Is a United States Citizen?
Approximate Time: 3 hoursPrerequisite Skills: See Introduction in this manual.
Vocabulary:
citizen
community
country
government
improve
loyal
member
rights
Materials Needed: White board or flip chart, erasable markers, copies of United States Citizenship Manual (Student Version, Beginning Level ) for each student, newsprint (optional), colored pencils/markers or crayons (optional), glue (optional), old magazines (optional), scissors (optional).
Equipment Needed: Multimedia computers with Internet access (optional).
Activities:
1)Have the new vocabulary words written on the board when the students arrive for class.
2)Distribute United States Citizenship Manuals to students and explain the purpose of the lesson.
3)Before beginning the lesson, you may want to review the previous chapter by generating a discussion about “What Is a United States Citizen?” Write emerging vocabulary on the board for reference or further review as the lesson progresses.
4)Introduce new vocabulary. Make sure that each student can correctly pronounce the new words by having them pronounce the words aloud as a group and then individually. Repeat as necessary.
5)Tell students to turn to the What Is a United States Citizen? Vocabulary in the manual.
a)Carefully explain each word and make sure that students understand the meanings.
b)Orally review both pronunciation and meaning of vocabulary words.
6)Have the students turn to What Is a United States Citizen? (story). Read the story aloud to the students as they follow along. Explain in appropriate detail any new information or vocabulary words. Write emerging vocabulary on the board for reference or review as the lesson progresses.
a)After having discussed the story, have students get in pairs or small groups and take turns reading a paragraph in the story until the entire story is completed. Repeat as necessary.
b)Ask for volunteers who may want to read the story to the entire class.
c)Ask for volunteers who may want to tell the story in their own words.
7)Have students turn to What Is a United States Citizen? Vocabulary Matching and have them complete this exercise. Review the answers orally.
8)Have students turn to What Is a United States Citizen? Writing Practice and What Is a United States Citizen? Spelling Practice. These worksheets can either be done in class or given as out of class assignments depending on whether the students are low-beginning level or high-beginning level. Giving these as out of class assignments, and asking the students to share the worksheets and explain the vocabulary words to a family member or friend are good ways to encourage use of English outside the classroom.
9)Give students What Is a United States Citizen? Circle the Word You Hear worksheet. Using the instructor answer key in this manual, call out a word and ask the students to circle the word they hear. Review the answers orally.
10)Before going on to the next activity, make sure that your students:
a)can pronounce each new vocabulary word correctly,
b)know the meaning of each new vocabulary word,
c)can write and spell the new vocabulary words, and
d)understand the content of the story.
11)Have students practice the What Is a United States Citizen? Conversation. You can have them do this in pairs at their seats, in pairs at the front of the room, or both. Repeat as necessary. The instructor can also participate by reading the script of one of the students.
12)Have students turn to What Is a United States Citizen? More Writing Practice. This activity can be done in class or assigned as an out-of-class activity.
13)You may want to wrap up this lesson by asking students to tell about what being a United States citizen means to them if you have not previously had this discussion by discussing with the students what they have learned. You may also want to use some of the optional activities.
Assessment/Evaluation of Learning:
1)Teacher observation of students’ participation.
2)Evaluation of completed worksheets/handouts.
Optional or follow-up Activities/Ideas:
1)Have students make drawings about “What Is a United States Citizen?” They can be encouraged to use national symbols that they have learned about in previous lesson plans. Post the drawings around the room and ask each student to tell about his/her drawing. If students would prefer, they can cut out pictures from old magazines.
2) This is a link to a website of stories written by beginning students. This is part of the E-mail Projects website created by Susan Gaer.
3)Invite a recently naturalized citizen to speak to the class.
4)Tell your students what being a United States citizen means to you.
5)Read stories or books about new citizens.
6)Have the students write a letter to a friend, relative, classmate, etc. telling them why they want to become citizens.
7)Have the students make flash cards of the vocabulary words and other vocabulary that emerged during the course of the lesson. Have them take them home to practice with family or friends.
8)Optional worksheets. (See Optional Worksheets section.)
What Is a United States Citizen?