1. LITTLETON IMMIGRANT RESOURCES CENTER Citizenship Volunteer Orientation

2. LIRC CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
Citizenship Classes
Meet twice/week for 2 hours or once/week for 3 hours
2 class levels:
- Basic (for students with lower level English)
- Intermediate (for students with intermediate English)
Individual Citizenship Mentoring (Tutoring)
Meet 1-2 times/week for hours
Meet in a public place
Follow LIRC Syllabus
(Basic or Intermediate)
Cit students must be at least level 2, eg some English. Can teach ESL through a content area but they if they don’t have a base level of English it will take a loooong time to achieve Cit… we refer Level 0 & 1 students to ESL class or tutor. You can observe a class! Volunteers find it very helpful in gaining better understanding of what/how to teach.

3. GOALS OF LIRC CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
Our goals are to help students to…
…prepare for the citizenship exam
…understand the citizenship process
…improve their English communication
And also to…
understand the rights and responsibilities of citizenship
integrate more fully into the United States
increase their digital literacy

4. Role of Citizenship Mentors
Help student navigate citizenship process
Serve as link between student and LIRC
Monitor student’s timeframe
Refer legal questions to Citizenship Coordinator
Help student prepare for citizenship exam/interview
Follow LIRC syllabus & create a brief
lesson plan for each tutoring session
Provide ample opportunities for
your student to speak English
Contact Coordinator with questions
& for more learning materials
“help” is intentional. Cit process: The student needs to take ownership, do not do too much for them. Important: you need to know if the student has submitted their application! Usually we will tell you but if they are not applying with LIRC legal, we may miss it… let us know if they have applied and check wait times. If they have a shorter timeframe you may need to adjust lessons. Some students take class, some tutor, some do both.
Cit exam: “help to prepare” rather than teach because some think of teach as passing on information… as we will see that is only part of your role. (set up activities, answer questions/clarify, guide )

5. Citizenship Mentoring: Checklist
Register with LIRC, pass background check
Attend LIRC New Citizenship Volunteer Orientation
Meet with LIRC about a student
Review syllabus & learning materials
Contact student to schedule first meeting
Plan your first lesson
Meet your student!
Contact LIRC after your first tutoring session and then periodically to report on student’s progress.
Submit tutoring hours monthly
Continue meeting 1-2 times/week until USCIS interview
Attend N-400 Training within 3 months of Orientation

6. Who can apply for US Citizenship?
To apply, a person must be at least 18 years old and a lawful permanent resident (LPR, “green card” holder) for at least 5 years OR
Be an LPR for at least 3 years and be married to, and living with, someone who has been a US citizen for at least 3 years.
Applicants for citizenship must
also meet certain residence and
physical presence requirements,
must speak, read, and write
basic English, and must show
good “moral character.”

7. Who can apply for US Citizenship?
Note on Lawful Permanent Residents: People who are lawful permanent residents have Social Security cards and pay taxes, just like citizens. They can qualify for many federal benefits after having been an LPR for 5 years and having worked a certain number of hours in the US.

8. Who studies for citizenship with LIRC ?
Wonderful students from Mexico, Vietnam,
Guatemala, China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,
Russia, Sudan, and many other countries.
Motivated students who want to become U.S. citizens.
Common challenges our students face include:
multiple jobs, low incomes, family obligations,
low education levels, and unreliable transportation.
For more information see USCIS Volunteer Training Module 2:
Learning about Who Applies for Naturalization development/volunteer-training/module-2

9. The Citizenship Exam/Interview
Civics Test (“100 Questions”)
Applicant must get 6 of 10 correct
USCIS officer can repeat questions, but must ask questions the same way every time
Reading Test: must read 1 of 3 sentences “correctly” to pass
Writing Test: must write 1 of 3 sentences “correctly” to pass
Speaking Test
Must speak basic English (small talk, personal information)
Must be able to answer all N-400 application questions and possible follow-up questions
Officer can repeat or rephrase questions
All oral except writing test.
*see USCIS scoring guidelines, LIRC Student Packet page 10

10. Citizenship Civics Test
Applicants must learn answers to 100 questions
about U.S. History and Government. At the exam
they have to answer at least 6 of 10 questions, asked orally, to pass. They can ask the officer to repeat the question, speak more slowly, or speak louder.
“Please repeat
that.”

11. Citizenship Reading & Writing Tests
USCIS publishes “Reading Vocabulary” and “Writing Vocabulary” lists.
Applicants have to read and write sentences made from the words.
USCIS does not publish the actual sentences.
Students can practice possible sentences.
The Reading sentences are always questions,
ie: When is Labor Day?
The Writing sentences are statements,
ie: Labor Day is in September.
The applicant does not have to answer the Reading “questions.”
Click the link to see how the Reading & Writing tests are administered:

12. Citizenship Speaking Test
Applicants must be able to:
Make “small talk”
Answer questions about their personal information from the N-400
Answer more difficult questions, with possible follow-up questions, from N-400 application Part 12
What is your current
marital status?
N-400 Part 12, #14A: “Were you EVER involved in any way with genocide?”
Possible follow-up question:
“What does genocide mean?

13. The Citizenship Exam/Interview
What happens if the applicant fails?
Return for Interview # 2 in days.
Only retake part they failed, do not have to pay again.
Guaranteed different USCIS Officer
Citizenship students
on a tour of the USCIS office
Many fail speaking part. Some students come to us for the first time after failing; this is a special tutoring situation.

14. Citizenship Education: What You Will Help Students Learn & Practice
English (ESL)
N-400
Civics
Depends on ESL level, but some English instruction should be a part of every tutoring session. ESL mostly tied to N-400 (look at N-400). Civics mostly from textbook (given to student, Basic or Int.). Speaking/N-400 from syllabus, other dox in volunteer manual, Voices of Freedom, ESL books/websites, LIRC trainings

15. Citizenship Education: What You Will Help Students Learn & Practice
Steps in the citizenship process
Requirements to pass the citizenship exam
US history & government (“100 Questions”)
USCIS Reading & Writing Words
Basic English for small talk and personal
information questions from the N-400 application
More difficult vocabulary from Part 12 of the N-400
Totalitarian Genocide paramilitary
Are you willing to bear arms on behalf of the United States?
Have you ever advocated the overthrow of any government?

16. Citizenship Education: Basic Level Materials
Main text: Civics & Literacy
(students receive a copy)
Supplementary Texts: Voices of Freedom,
Ready for the Interview (can be checked out from Bemis)
Reading & Writing practice: Voices of Freedom workbook
Practice N-400 Application
Matching cards, pictures, maps

17. Citizenship Education: Intermediate Level Materials
Main text: Citizenship Now!
(students receive a copy)
Supplementary Texts: Voices of Freedom,
Ready for the Interview (can be checked out from Bemis)
Practice N-400 Application
Matching cards, pictures, maps

18. Additional Teaching Resources
Teacher’s Guides for all textbooks, available at Bemis
Videos for ESL, civics, N-400 (see Student Packet, p. 5-6 )
Apps for ESL & Citizenship study
(see Student Packet, page 5)
iPads available at Bemis front desk
USCIS.gov> Citizenship Resource Center
Volunteer Training Modules
Lesson plans /student handouts

19. Citizenship Education: How to Teach –Getting Started
Review LIRC syllabus (in Volunteer Manual),
create a short daily lesson plan
Model new English words & give
examples before asking questions.
Use visual aids (pictures, maps, flags, etc.)
Give you student time to think/process information
before asking them questions (“wait time”)
“I am not currently employed.
I do not work now.
Are you currently employed?”
Preview vocab: Basic syllabus includes list of difficult words for each unit; Intermediate book has Key Words at start of each unit.

20. Teaching Tips
1. Structure your lessons General sequence: Review, present new material, practice. Sample Lesson from LIRC Intermediate Citizenship Syllabus:
Class
Topics
Materials 7
Review civics questions from CN Unit 4
Small Talk for the Citizenship Interview
N-400 Parts 10 & 11,
Marital Status & Children
A Representative Government
Citizenship Now (CN), Appendix 1
Voices of Freedom (VOF) p. 214
or LIRC Volunteer Manual p. 21
N-400 Parts 10 & 11, VOF p. 222
CN Unit 5
(for pictures, see VOF p )
Homework: Review Unit 5, write answers to unit questions
“Introduce topic”…several possibilities here. What you should NOT do is talk a lot. The point is to make the reading accessible to the student, so, try to connect to what they already know (prior knowledge). Leader in your native country, national anthem (song)? Use pictures (book has pictures but may want to supplement). When in doubt, just say “Today we will learn about the govt of the US and national symbols. Some of the words you will read are : anthem, etc. (student repeats), etc. Or, go page by page?

21. Teaching Tips 2. Communicate lesson objectives
-- Share the lesson agenda on a
white board or paper.
-- Be prepared to explain why
we are learning this.
For more information, see USCIS Volunteer Training Module 3:
Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners
4. Especially adults with limited time, want to know the why as well as the what
5. They can communicate without these but need to understand them/be able to answer questions containing them.

22. Teaching Tips 3. Use a variety of learning activities.
What activities do you see here?
Repetition is a good thing, especially when in different contexts.

23. Teaching Tips
4. Create a low-anxiety learning environment. -- People learn best when they are not nervous. -- Speak slowly, introduce activities, give clear directions.
What is the student supposed to do with this map? Would you know what to do with the handout? Many of our students have low education levels, not to mention doing the exercise in their second language, so may not know how to do matching, fill in blank, etc.
Challenge a notch above their level, and provide support (pictures, preview vocab, etc.)
What would you do with this
if you had no directions?

24. Teaching Tips Reading with Students: Do’s and Don’ts
1. Do give a short introduction before
reading, using visual aids if possible.
2. Do preview difficult words. Have
student repeat for pronunciation.
3. Do invite student to read, stopping
at points to check for understanding.
4. Don’t give student a lot of extra
information. Stick to what is in the text.

25. Teaching Tips 5. Check for understanding Tell me about your job.
-- Ask some open-ended questions
(Yes/No questions are not enough)
-- Have students explain what they learned in their own words
-- Have student do something to show he/she understands
(matching cards, writing answers, etc.)
Tell me about your job.

26. Teaching Tips What is your spouse’s name?
6. Keep it relevant Focus on target language
(language your student needs for the exam/interview)
-- Concentrate on high frequency words and pronunciation.
What is your spouse’s name?
My country of birth is mexico.
How many trips have you taken outside the U.S in the last five years?
When? Where? How long?

27. Teaching Tips
7. Limit “teacher talk,“ leave space for student talk. -- Speaking helps students to process new information, and they need to practice speaking for the USCIS interview. -- Aim for a 50/50 student/teacher talk ratio.
2. Stick to the questions. Yes, context helps, but too much extra information can be overwhelming/confusing, especially if given orally. If you have ideas to help student understand, with pictures, video, other materials, great, but stay on timeline and do not lecture!

28. Teaching Tips
8. Try to speak at, or slightly above, student’s English level
-- your speech and teaching materials should have a mix of English words the
student already knows + some new words
-- if your speech is far above the student’s ESL level, it will be difficult for them
to understand. They will not be able to learn and may become frustrated.
For more on appropriate teacher talk:

29. Teaching Tips 9. Make corrections wisely
Don’t overcorrect -- choose a few things to focus on
Grammar is not that important -- communication is the goal
Use Positive-Negative-Positive for giving feedback

30. Teaching Tips 10. Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
Present information in multiple ways
and provide many opportunities to review.

31. “Whoever’s doing the talking
Teaching Tips
11. Give students the language to speak.
Give them time to think.
Limit your own speaking.
“Whoever’s doing the talking
is doing the learning”
--Somebody Smart

32. Finally… Is it ok to use other languages in the ESL class/tutoring session? Yes! (sometimes)
Note: You do not need to speak another language to tutor a student who has lower-level English. No beginner or advanced speakers in citizenship… just high beginner – high intermediate.

33. Welcome to LIRC!