Module 1: Benefits and Responsibilities of Citizenship – Who is Eligible

Module 1 is done entirely on the first day of class. It is intended to show students the benefits and responsibilities of being citizens of the United States. The class should be conducted in an order similar to the one presented below:

1. Sign In/Registration
2. Pass out handouts
3. Introductions
4. USCIS Flash Presentation
5. Questions
6. PowerPoint Presentation
7. Questions/Review Handout for PowerPoint Presentation
8. Review the Naturalization process handout
9. Review the Modules Handout
10. Show the class the USCIS website

It is very important that students understand that our class is not an ESL class. The class should be conducted almost entirely in English! The reason for this is that the applicants interview will more than likely be conducted in English (there are certain exceptions that will allow the interview to be conducted in a language other than English).

Module 2: Naturalization Process – Assistance with the N400 Form

Module 2 covers the application for naturalization that all applicants must use in order to apply for naturalization. The application is 10 pages long and can be time consuming if the applicant does not fully understand all of the questions. It is imperative that the applicants understand that the questions must be answered truthfully. Certain questions only ask about the five year period before the submittal of the application, others ask about the applicants’ entire life. The class should be conducted in an order similar to the one presented below:

1. Sign In/Registration
2. Pass out handouts
3. Introductions
4. PowerPoint Presentation
5. Questions
6. Fill in the N-400 application
7. Questions/Review the application
8. Discuss the important questions handout (most frequently asked questions rephrased)
9. Questions
10. Discuss what will be covered next class

It is important that the applicants understand the entire application before leaving the class. If he or she has questions about the application try to answer it before the end of class. The reason for this is that they may seek this information elsewhere and it may be incorrect! WE WANT THE APPLICANTS TO FULLY UNDERSTAND THE APPLICATION! If there question is more of a legal question then we can provide them with a place to seek legal help.

Module 3: Oral Exam – Read and Answer 100 Questions

Module 3 covers the civics portion of the naturalization interview. The civics portion consists of a random assortment of 10 questions pulled from a list of 100. In order to pass this Module of the interview the applicant must answer at least 6 questions correct. The questions are pulled from the handout that we provide the students in class. However, it is important to understand that the officer may rephrase the questions in any way as long as it is still the same answer. As such, it is important to familiarize the students with as many variations to the questions as possible. One useful tool to demonstrate to the students is the random question generator that is found here. The class should be conducted in an order similar to the one presented below:

1. Sign In
2. Pass out handouts
3. Introduction
4. PowerPoint Presentation
5. Questions
6. Discuss what will be covered next class

The 3rd Module of the class usually spans two class periods and is often combined with the 4th Module of the class to prevent the students from becoming bored of the class.

Module 4: Written Exam – Practice writing Sample Sentences

Module 4 covers the written exam portion of the interview. Also during this module the students begin to practice their reading. Applicants must both read and write at their interview. To test the ability of the applicant to read the officer may ask him/her to read a sentence off of the N-400 application, one of the sample sentences, or one of the civics questions. The applicant must be able to read the sentence to such an extent that the officer believes that he/she is able to read and speak English. The class should be conducted in an order similar to the one shown below:


1. Sign In
2. Pass out handouts
3. Introductions
4. PowerPoint Presentation
5. Questions
6. Discuss what will be covered next class


Remember: The 4th Module of the class usually spans two class periods and is often combined with the 3rd Module of the class to prevent the students from becoming bored of the class.


It is important that the applicants understand that they must both read and write in English at their interview. Only certain applicants will be allowed to take their interview in a different language; this is based on length of permanent residency and age. It is imperative that the instructor stresses the need for the applicant to practice his/her English outside of class. In class English should be the only language being spoken! Students tend to fall back into their native language when they are unable to express themselves in English, this must not be allowed to occur. The reason for this is that they students must learn to express themselves in English properly. If a student is having difficulty expressing himself/herself in English the instructor should refer the student to an E.S.L. class. Remember, we are not an E.S.L. class!

Module 5: Role-play interview with students and Extra information

Module 5 covers the actual interview process itself. During this module the students will participate in a mock interview in front of the class. It is preferable that the students who have their interviews approaching participate in the mock interview first. However, if no students have their interview approaching then the instructor may pick a student at random. The interview is conducted in no particular order at this time; this means that the students should be thoroughly warned about this ahead of time. The interview must cover the following three parts: Civics, Reading & Writing, N-400 (personal information). During these three parts the applicant is only able to speak English unless they have requested an interview in their native language. In order to qualify for an interview in another language an applicant must meet one of the following criteria:

Applicants are exempt for the English requirement if they meet the following criteria on the date they apply for citizenship:

50 years or older and a lawful permanent 20 years or more
- OR -
55 years or older and a lawful permanent resident for 15 years or more
- OR -
65 years old or older and a lawful permanent resident for 20 years or more
(NOTE: if the applicant qualifies for the final criterion he/she may take a modified civics test in his/her native language)

If they have successfully requested an interview in their native language then the interview will be conducted in one of the following manners: an officer fluent in the applicant’s native language will conduct the interview, a translator will be brought in (the translation may also be provided via the telephone), the applicant may bring in his/her own translator. The manner by which the interview will be conducted will be determined by the U.S.C.I.S. office where the applicant has his/her interview (this usually depends on the policies of the particular filing district that the applicant lives in). The class should be conducted in an order similar to the one shown below:

1. Sign In
2. Pass out handouts
3. Introductions
4. Mock Interviews
5. Questions