Transparent Language

Supporting New Americans at Your Library:
Citizenship Classes, Tutoring, & Resources

A panel of ESOL experts from public libraries big and small gathered on Citizenship Day to share how they help patrons prepare for the citizenship test process. Watch the recording and explore the list of links below for:

Strategies for prepping for all four application & test components
Pros and cons of citizenship classes vs. one-on-one tutoring

Tips to run an effective mock interview

Lots of free resources to help you stand up a citizenship class

Editor's note 12/1/25: The American Citizenship Course (2025 Version) is now available in Transparent Language Online.

Below is a recap of our panelists' & attendees' recommended resources:

Citizenship News & Networking Resources:

  • IECHO Community - An online community of citizenship educators that meets monthly. Sessions aim to help them improve their teaching skills, build their organizations' capacities to assist more students, thereby creating more engaged community members who can enjoy the rights and responsibilities of US citizenship. [Free]
  • Citizenship News - Lynne Weintraub's blog with the latest resources + news for citizenship educators [Free]
    • 🆕 Learn more about the 2025 test update on Lynne's post here. Includes a side-by-side comparison of the 2008 vs. 2025 versions.

 Teacher/Tutor Training Materials:


    • Pre-interview Small Talk Guide - A guide to help tutors/volunteers practice pre-interview small talk.
    • Lesson Guides - The Jones Library offers ten citizenship lesson guides (based on Lynne's textbook Citizenship: Passing the Test). These could be used alongside the book or as inspiration for how to organize a 10-week citizenship curriculum.
  • Literacy Minnesota Citizenship Support Kit - A kit for teachers and volunteer tutors with all of the materials necessary to help learners prepare for all portions of the citizenship interview, as well as activity ideas to keep learners engaged as they study one-on-one with a tutor. [Free]
  • ProLiteracy Education Network Resources - ProLiteracy offers a variety of resources for citizenship instructors, including 3 online courses, podcasts, and fact sheets on naturalization. [Free; you must create a free account in order to access the site.]
  • Thomas Crane Public Library ESL Center Recommendations - Panelist Molly Makrogianis put together a list of her favorite resources and recommendations for implementing them. IT includes an outline of her 10-week citizenship course curriculum. [Free]

Citizenship Process Overview:


Multilingual Materials:

  • 🆕2025 Test Civics Questions Translations - USAHello is providing translations of the updated 128 civics questions in several languages.
  • USCIS Multilingual resources - USCIS provides brochures, translations of the 100 civics questions, flashcards, interactive practice tests, and more in 20+ languages. Materials vary by language, but this site is easy to filter by language and/or resource type. [Free]
  • USAHello Civics Questions - A complete list of citizenship test questions and answers in 17 different languages. Some languages include videos with audio. [Free]
  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center N-400 forms - Translations of the citizenship application form (N-400) in Spanish, Korean, Khmer, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Haitian, and Portuguese. Although USCIS only accepts the English version, it is vital that applicants understand the questions so they can fill out the form truthfully and discuss their answers with the interviewer during the interview. [Free]
  • USCIS 100 Questions Video - Visit the USCIS YouTube Channel to watch short videos of a USCIS officer reading each civics question and give the correct answer. Includes links to 100 20-second videos. Subtitles available in 6 different languages so applicant can read along in their own language while listening in English. [Free]

N-400 Materials:

  • Literacy Minnesota N-400 Vocabulary List - A helpful list that can be used to make flashcards for N-400 prep. Panelists recommend including pictures, translations, and using big print if possible.
  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center N-400 forms - Translations of the citizenship application form (N-400) in Spanish, Korean, Khmer, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Haitian, and Portuguese. Although USCIS only accepts the English version, it is vital that applicants understand the questions so they can fill out the form truthfully and discuss their answers with the interviewer during the interview. [Free]

Interview Materials:

  • Literacy Minnesota Mock Interview Form - A form that tutors or mock interviewers can use to simulate an authentic practice interview. [Free]
  • Jones Library Pre-interview Small Talk Guide - A guide to help tutors/volunteers practice pre-interview small talk. [Free]
  • Jones Library Practice Interview Guide - A guide to help tutors/volunteers conduct authentic mock interviews. [Free]
  • USCIS Interview Video - A video overview of the naturalization process and testing requirements. The video highlights scenes from the naturalization interview, including the English and civics portions of the naturalization test. Also comes with a Teacher Guide for educators. [Free] Note: you can also find hundreds of videos on YouTube depicting the interview, often with descriptions in different native languages. 
  • Tricky Vocabulary (Section 9) Sheet - Lynne Weintraub's guide to preparing students for questions about tricky vocabulary during their interview. [Free]
  • USCIS 100 Questions Video - Visit the USCIS YouTube Channel to watch short videos of a USCIS officer reading each civics question and give the correct answer. Includes links to 100 20-second videos. Subtitles available in 6 different languages so applicant can read along in their own language while listening in English.
  • US Citizenship Podcast Interview Strategies - A podcast with lots of scripts, videos, and resources for prepping for the interview.

Literacy Section Materials:


Civics Section Materials*:

*Note: These resources may become outdated on 10/18/2025. Learn more about the 2025 test update on Lynne's post here. Includes a side-by-side comparison of the 2008 vs. 2025 versions.


Other Ways to Help & Get Help:


  • CitizenshipWorks - Find and get free legal assistance with the application in your area. [Free]
  • Citizenship Corners - If your library doesn't have the resources to offer a class or tutoring, set up a Citizenship Corner with free resources provided by USCIS. [Free]
  • Project Citizenship - In Massachusetts, Project Citizenship provides free legal assistance with completing and submitting the N-400 application. They have in-person workshops in Central and Eastern Massachusetts and can provide online assistance to people in other areas of the state.

Helpful audience tips from the chat box:

  • Making classes accessible: "Each class is from 6:30-7:30 pm. We have also lined up volunteers from the high school government class (they are required to do so many hours of community volunteering) that are available to entertain the student's children in case they don't have childcare. We wanted to remove that barrier." - Kari M.
  • Incorporating images to make the civics content memorable: "We also use pictures of the local reps so they have an idea of who they are." - Karla A.
  • Making the literacy section dictation activity more realistic: "Having students use the Notes app on their phones can also be helpful to practice writing on a screen." - Brigid P.
  • Making the mock interview more realistic: "My students have an initial interview with me and then practice interviews with other staff members once they get more comfortable." - Gaspar G.

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