E Pluribus Unum

Who is an American? Americans are not defined by race, religion, or a uniform culture. Their common bond is neither blood nor history, but an abstract truth: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This concept from the Declaration of Independence is intuitive. However, knowledge about American government, democratic principles, history, geography, documents, symbols, and holidays is gained by study and experience.

E Pluribus Unum offers citizenship instructors some materials, ideas, and examples to supplement any text with activities and projects. Each section incorporates an underlying idea about good citizens.

Good citizens are knowledgeable about the past.
To reinforce aspiring citizens’ knowledge and understanding of the Civics and N-400 questions for naturalization, the first section offers games, puzzles, handouts, and worksheets with many approaches and varied wordings.

Good citizens are involved in the present.
To get learners into the grassroots citizenship of their local towns and counties, the second section involves students in community volunteer activities.

Good citizens are custodians of the future.
To engage individuals in grasping important ideas about this country, the third section involves learners in writing about how they view America and Americans.

Finally, the Appendix consists of the guidelines used for E Pluribus Unum. These guidelines suggest community involvement ideas and writing topics in addition to those implemented by the consortium schools. The Appendix also gives many relevant internet resources.

The following schools constitute the Citizenship Consortium that prepared E Pluribus Unum:
Alamance Community College
Central Carolina Community College – Chatham Campus
Central Carolina Community College – Harnett Campus
Rockingham Community College
Stanly Community College

Sincere thanks to the North Carolina Community College System for the opportunity to do this project--which is funded under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 106-554).

These materials may be used in classroom instruction. The content should not be sold or published, in whole or in part. All rights belong to the North Carolina Community College System.

Test Preparation Games, Puzzles, and Activities

Grassroots Citizenship

America through the Lens of My Life

Appendix


About this site:
Alamance Community College, NC Community College System, CORD, and the respective Boards of Directors of these organizations accept no responsibility for the accuracy or appropriate inclusion of materials in the curriculum projects that comprise the contents of “The ESL Disk Library,” disseminated through this website as “ELA: A Virtual Library of Lesson Plans.” Most of the materials were developed by community colleges in North Carolina under the sponsorship of ELA/CIVICS grants in the years 2000 through 2011. Individual instructors should use their own professional judgment when using the materials. To ask questions about the project or materials on this site, please e-mail ela@nc-net.info