Resources for Citizenship and English Literacy Civics

TCALL Resources

EL Civics & Citizenship Resource Listing (On TCALL Library Search page use Broad Search Categories box to find library resources in this subject area, equivalent to the hard-copy bibliography.)

Glossary of Key Terms in Adult & Family Literacy

National Institute for Literacy's LINCS Resources

"Civic Participation and Citizenship Special Collection" Web-based resources reviewed and compiled by National LINCS

For more information from a searchable nationwide adult education & literacy database, go to LINCSearch

Other Web Sites of Interest

Activities for Integrating Civics in Adult English Language Learning found on the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) website has several lesson plans centered on using music to integrate civics education into the ESL classroom, as well as activities centered around Black History Month. In both of these areas, there are activities geared towards beginning, intermediate, and advanced learners.

Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki – Learn about adult literacy education or add knowledge from your experience teaching adult learners, from research or professional wisdom, or from your experience as an adult learner. This community of practice has links to research for practitioners, researchers, learners and other adult literacy educators, including English language learning, numeracy, and adult basic and secondary education.

Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) ESL Curriculum for Adults - REEP makes its Adult ESL Curriculum and accompanying resources available online so that its teachers and staff can have ready, easy access as they plan and execute their instruction. Life skills instruction, student voice, and integration of technology are cornerstones of this program. Students vote on life skills and family literacy topics such as health, employment, child's school and transportation to determine the context through which they will develop their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.

Awesome Stories This website includes high-interest stories that students in pre-GED or Intermediate-Advanced ESL classes would enjoy reading. Categories of the stories include: Biography, Disasters, Famous Trials, Flicks, History, Inspiration, Religion, and Law Buzz.

Ben's Guide is meant to help children learn about US Government. But it can also be useful for adults studying for the citizenship test. For fun, try the easy picture matching game, or the vocabulary puzzle.

Bright Ideas ESL-Civics Curriculum for Very Beginning ESL Learners - The free, web-based Bright Ideas curriculum was designed for elderly learners participating in community-based ESL programs, but applies to any age of adult learner for developing oral English communication skills and providing opportunities for learners to use these skills inside the classroom and outside in the community. Each unit contains step-by-step instructions for the teacher, lessons for the students, and visual support materials to facilitate learning for students who have few literacy skills in English and in the native language.

Civic Education Volume Written by Dr. Fredricka Stoller, Associate Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, The Civic Education volume is designed specifically for language teachers who are turning toward content-based instruction to promote content learning and language learning in their classes. Through the exploration of topics related to civic education, language teachers can help their students master English and simultaneously become more knowledgeable citizens of the world. The combination of improved language skills and increased knowledge can enhance students' studies, work, and ability to become more active and conscientious participants in their communities.

Civics and Citizenship Study Materials - USCIS and the Office of Citizenship have developed a variety of educational materials that allow immigrants to learn more about U.S. history and government as they prepare for the naturalization test. These products include: Civics Flash Cards with sample U.S. history and government questions and answers; Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons; and Sample U.S. History and Government Questions and Answers available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Civics Participation and Community Action Sourcebook The sourcebook is published by the New England Literacy Resource Center, and focuses on various aspects of civics participation and community action. The version of the curriculum on the website contains articles by adult education teachers describing projects they have worked on with the learners in their classrooms, as well as lesson plans and activity ideas. The website also includes a wonderful "Webliography" that provides links to over 30 civics and community action-related websites. This is a great resource, highly recommended!

Eating Well, Living Well – Website developed by San Diego Community College has free nutrition lessons for English language learners (ELL) at various levels and a resource list of free nutrition-related materials as well as special links for ELL teachers. These materials, developed with federal funds, are designed for agencies that serve adults eligible for food stamps.

EL Civics Professional Development Courses Online – to assist teachers in creating interesting and effective lessons that integrate U.S. history and U.S. government into adult ESL classes, the Adult Learning Resource Center in Illinois developed this FREE training with guidance from the Center for Applied Linguistics under an agreement with OVAE and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Citizenship.

EL Civics Website for ESL Students - Created by an adult education teacher in Garden Grove, California, this website for students includes a picture tour of the Statue of Liberty, Washington, D.C., and the American Bald Eagle. It also has free downloadable worksheets and crossword puzzles.

English Literacy and Civics Education - This brief, written by staff members of CAELA (Center for Adult English Language Acquisition), explains the purpose and content of the U.S. Department of Education's English Literacy and Civics (EL/Civics) Education program. The brief also describes some ways that teachers can develop EL/Civics classes appropriate for learners at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English proficiency.

Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today This is a collection of online activities and lesson plans, as well as teachers' guides, for use in the classroom or independently by adult learners. These activities are sponsored by the Scholastic publishing company.

Migration and Immigration in the United States: Three Case Studies This page contains links to four activities plus extensions intended to help students compare and contrast the early migration and immigration experiences of three cultural groups: Native Americans, African Americans, and the British colonists.

People and Politics: A Civic Literacy Curriculum - This curriculum, written by Ashley Hager, consists of a series of activities designed to help students identify aspects of their communities they would like to change, and explore how voting and other forms of collective action can bring about positive change.

Preparing for the US Citizenship Interview puts the information from the "100 questions" list into 28 topic categories. There are practice questions and background information (with graphics) provided for each catagory, as well as several practice tests, and a dictation practice test (with audio).

Project CONNECT - On this web site, adults enrolled in adult education classes can practice their English skills and learn about working, studying and living in the United States -- all online using a computer with reading, writing, audio, video, Internet and email activities. Teachers can set up online class groups, send and receive email with their classes and review student work. Project Connect was created by PBS, the National Center for Adult Literacy at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky in partnership with KET - The Kentucky Network.

Promising Practices in EL Civics - The New England Literacy Resource Center hosts this collection of teacher writings that documents the work of programs funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education to include civic participation activities in the ESOL classroom. The list of promising practices reflects the teachers' collective thinking about practices they believe are important in teaching for civic engagement and participation in a democracy.

The Change Agent – This biannual newspaper for adult educators and learners has been published since 1994 by the New England Literacy Resource Center at World Education. The Change Agent is non-profit and provides a wealth of advertising-free, ready-to-use lessons, writings, math activities, and graphics. It can be downloaded free with site registration, and inexpensive print subscriptions are available as well.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services The USCIS website details general and special requirements for becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. This page also provides U.S. History and Structure Study Guides for the Civics Exam, which applicants are required to pass before being considered eligible for U.S. Naturalization. The USCIS is developing new English, U.S. history, and government tests. See the USCIS home page to review 144 Questions and Answers for the New Pilot Naturalization Exam.

U.S. Civics and Citizenship Online: Resource Center for Instructors - Site was developed by USCIS and the Office of Citizenship as a single destination housing educational resources for citizenship and civics instruction.