Constitution and Citizenship Day, a day selected to celebrate the cultural melting pot that is America and reflect on what it means to be a citizen, is Sept. 17. Every year, hundreds of thousands of US residents become citizens, with New Jersey among the top five states in the country for those undergoing naturalization.
One of the final steps in the years-long process is passing the naturalization test, which requires eligible applicants to display their command of the English language and knowledge of civics and American history. That’s where ProCitizen comes in; a free virtual citizenship study app, ProCitizen can be a critical tool for those preparing to take the naturalization exam.
ProCitizen offers 100 videos focusing on topics you will find on your citizenship test. Each section also includes quiz questions and educational exercises to test your knowledge. Here are some examples of what you can learn
- Principles of American Democracy, including topics like freedom of religion and what Constitutional amendments are.
- Reading Test Vocabulary, including names of important people in American history and national holidays, as well as function and question words.
- Recent American history, like who fought in World War II and info about American Indian tribes.
After you watch a video, you’ll answer spelling, writing, listening, and speaking questions to reinforce your knowledge.
If you’d like some help learning English, try out Pronunciator. This free website is a fun and free way to learn English as a second language. You can start from more than 51 languages and use their translation tool!
Looking for more content for English language learners? Come in and check out the library’s Adult Literacy section. You’ll find:
- Textbooks,
- Short stories, and
- Even selected chapters of famous novels
- Try Carrie by Stephen King or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Finally, head to the ELL Resource Guide to get connected with additional educational opportunities, immigration and naturalization application assistance, foreign language films from Kanopy, study guides for high school equivalency exams, and more! Both in the library and beyond, let BCLS help put you on the path of learning.
