How would your students perform on the U.S. Naturalization (a.k.a. Citizenship) Test? 

Nearly half of Americans can’t define the Bill of Rights. Three-fourths don’t know why we fought in the Cold War. And 6% don’t even know when Independence Day is. Yikes!

Have them citizenship-ready by the time they leave your classroom with this simple 4-part test kit that weaves seamlessly into your Civics course.

Then culminate with an authentic Op-Ed research and writing project, answering, “Should American high schoolers be required to pass the Naturalization Test to graduate high school?”

This kit gives you both the perfect Week 1 activity and End-of-Course final!

Included in this course-long Citizenship Test & Op-Ed Kit:

Overview

• Teacher Lesson Plan with a detailed sequence plan of this semester-long activity
• Reflection & Growth Logs, Study Plan sheets to support student growth
• Citizenship Award certificate to award after the final test
• Links to online study resources and background news articles
• Links to Google Docs & Slides versions of student materials 

Civics Only Questions Test Questions

• 60-question Practice Test with key
• Two 30-question Quizzes with keys
• 60-question Final Test with key
• Editable Google Doc version of all tests

All 100 Questions Test Questions

• 100-question Practice Test with key
• Two 50-question Quizzes with keys
• 100-question Final Test with key
• Editable Google Doc version of all tests

Op-Ed Research & Writing

• Graphic organizers for quality researching and analyzing sources, outlining, reflecting, and rubrics (editable Google Docs)
• Skill-build handout reference sheets: Writing an Op-Ed Essay (with annotated sample), Annotating a Text, News Media Source Analysis, Finding Sources, Deciding a Position, Including Evidence, Creating a Works Cited, Annotating a Citation (non-editable Google Slides)

This resource is 104 PDF pages, plus Google files. 

Tips from my Classroom:

I give the Practice Test in the first week of class as a course-opening activity for my Civics class.

During Week 6 and Week 12 of the semester, we conduct Quiz 1 and Quiz 2, each having half of the questions. Then, my students take the Final Test as part of their end-of-course final.

Also, during one of the last weeks of class, we set aside to craft the Op-Ed essay. 

This test + op-ed kit also works great for unique situations like credit retrieval or independent study.

What grades is this intended for?
This was designed for high school, especially the op-ed essay project portion. If you want to use this with middle schoolers, the test series is offered as a stand-alone resource.

What supports are included? How can I modify this?
Several included forms scaffold proper study skills. Included editable versions of each test can easily be shortened, translated, or read aloud with text-to-speech software to support student needs. 

The op-ed portion is highly scaffolded, from brainstorming to editing, with forms and how-to skill sheets for each step of the process. You can easily shorten the requirements for this open-ended assessment.

Can I use this in a homeschooling setting?

Sure! Everything in this kit can easily be used in a solo or a small-group setting. 

Is this editable? What file types does this resource come in?

The main resource comes as a secured, non-editable PDF file intended to be printed.

Included are links to editable Google Doc files of each test and the op-ed forms, to customize to your classroom needs and assign digitally if you choose. The how-to sheets that teach the research and writing skills come in non-editable Google Slides.

What standards does this address?

Several! Standards vary, but this resource supports these from various states:

• Understand the structure and function of each of the three branches of government
• Understand constitutional principles like checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights
• Understand the two-party system and election procedures 
• Identify rights of people and responsibilities of citizens in the US 
• Identify the various methods of participation in the political process
• Write argument focused on discipline-specific content that is appropriate to the purpose and audience, developing claim and counterclaim, gathering and evaluating credible sources, and planning and revising to strengthen writing 
• Participate in civil discourse on relevant social studies topics

What are the terms of use for this resource?

This resource, including all ancillary files, may be used as needed for regular, non-commercial single-classroom use between a teacher and their students. 

This includes printing copies and sharing digital files with students through a secure platform, like Google Classroom or Canvas, email, or a classroom-only shared drive.

The using and sharing of any part of this resource in any manner outside the above-mentioned capacity is strictly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to,

• posting files on the open internet or in a Facebook group
• emailing files to or sharing print copies with others (without purchasing additional licenses)
• uploading or storing files in a shared cloud drive accessible by anyone other than students
• including any part, or any derivative work, within any commercial endeavor like curriculum development, professional training, or for-profit teaching like Outschool, or selling this resource as your own in either print or digital formats

Doing so violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), copyright law, and these terms.

By downloading this resource from Let’s Cultivate Greatness, the original user has been granted one license for a single teacher (or number of teachers matching the number of licenses purchased) and their students at any one time.  

Let’s Cultivate Greatness retains the full copyright of this resource.

My students were really engaged with this resource; they liked learning about what it takes to become a citizen. Great learning experience for them!  – Amanda B.

This was a great way to have students think critically about the content  – Brandon P.

This resource has a lot of valuable resources for students and teachers. I was able to use this to supplement my lessons on naturalization as well as give students a chance to revise and retake after state testing.  –  fellow TPT seller