Resources

Collection of lesson plans from The Advocates for Human Rights for various ages of K-12 students, intended to teach about human rights generally and specifically (e.g., rights of migrants, racial discrimination, etc.). Some lessons may not be ideal for all ABE classes, since they were created for children; teachers should use best judgment.

Created by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, the Family Preparedness Plan can be downloaded as a PDF from their website. Pages 16-19 of the PDF allow individuals to fill in phone numbers and information for emergency contacts, health conditions and medical help, community resources, important documents, etc. This could be done as a class activity, possibly in a computer lab so students can practice searching for information online.

Collection of links to free citizenship test prep materials. (The author also has her own citizenship class textbooks for sale.) The "News" page tracks changes to the N-400 citizenship application form and USCIS administration of the test.

Classroom resources (lesson plans, handouts, videos) from the National Constitution Center for teaching about topics like the First Amendment, judicial review, executive power, etc. Published by a non-partisan nonprofit. Intended for K-12 students but could be adapted for more advanced ABE classes.

Although originally published in 2008, this PDF-version of The Change Agent's "Democracy in Acton" edition has many readings and activities related to civic participation that still relevant for current times. The Change Agent is a publication that helps teachers incorporate social justice content into their curriculum. There are even articles written by adult leaners. It does require a subscription and is appropriate for intermediate and above ELL students and for learners at the Pre-GED/GED levels. In this edition, readers are first introduced to different types of civic participation and problem solving strategies. The next sections include topics related to politics, the history of voting, and the connection between money and politics. The final readings discuss political parties and the democratic system of government.