Resources

The goal of Citizens, Not Spectators is to demystify the voting process for students at all levels. It provides free downloadable elementary, middle, and high school level lesson plans and supporting materials that cover a wide range of topics, such as the history of voting rights in the United States, becoming an informed voter, and participating in an in-class simulated election. Especially useful for students is a printable leveled timeline regarding the election and voting process in the U.S.

This website saves time when needing an overview or a graphic representation of an event or period in American history. The outlines can serve as a scope and sequence for various topics and the charts consolidate a substantial amount of historical information that can either be projected or printed as a PDF document. The available outlines and charts cover a wide-range of time, from pre-Columbian Americans to recent American history.

Designed and piloted by a partnership between the University of Iowa and an Iowa school district, the Bringing History Home curriculum is comprised of ten sequential units that build student skills and knowledge in history across the K-5 grade level. All units can be adapted to the ABE classroom and each one is organized by lesson/activity plans, unit resources, suggested teacher adaptations, and a unit bibliography.

Includes free downloadable K-12-level lesson plans developed by master teachers, including graduates of the George Washington Teacher Institute, as well as by Mount Vernon educators and historians. The lessons can be searched by grade level, type, and theme, and are dedicated to teaching about the life and legacy of George Washington. The educational materials explore Washington’s world and topics range from Washington’s inauguration to his views on slavery.

The mission of Vote Smart is to provide free, factual and unbiased information on candidates and elected officials at the federal, state and local levels. Vote Smart provides candidates' biographical information, voting records/positions on various issues, endorsements, speeches, and contribution history. There are links related to ballot measures, election contacts, and voter registration by locality. For teachers and students, Vote Smart offers a free K-12-level government curriculum and an online “Government 101” tutorial with informative overviews on all aspects of American politics.

This ESL-focused Census curriculum has printable student workbooks and teacher's manuals for Beginning Low, Beginning High, Intermediate Low, and Intermediate High students. The Beginning Low and Beginning High workbooks both have leveled lessons on introducing the Census, the Census form, the importance of the Census, and talking to a Census enumerator. The Intermediate books have similar topical lessons plus ones on removing barriers to participation.

Offers hundreds of free activities that teachers can use in any year. Statistics in Schools (SIS) uses Census statistics to create classroom materials for grades pre-K through 12. The SIS site also includes materials specifically designed for the 2020 Census; these materials can be used with adult English language learners for building skills in history, math, geography, and English.

The National Coalition for Literacy’s 2020 Census website maintains a repository of Census-related information and links to resources for use by adult education teachers, program administrators, and other ABE practitioners. Resources range from Census overview guides and information about Census jobs to a regularly updated collection of Census-focused lessons, webinars on key Census topics, and conference presentations on the importance of the Census for adult education.

English Language Civics provides an easy way to learn about U.S. history, government, citizenship, geography, and culture. New lessons, worksheets, PowerPoint presentations and lesson plans are added to elcivics.com every week.

Find free materials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Materials include downloadable flashcards and study booklets, interactive practice exercises, videos, and a practice test.

USA Learns now has a U.S. Citizenship course to help learners prepare for citizenship or naturalization interview. The course has four units: Unit 1: Steps to Becoming a U.S. Citizen | Unit 2: N-400 Interview Practice | Unit 3: Civics, Reading and Writing Practice | Unit 4: Your Interview and New Citizenship

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) maintains a free, online resource center for educators and volunteers who are helping students prepare for citizenship. The comprehensive website has information about the naturalization process, links to supplemental teaching resources, and opportunities for professional development.