Enhancing Citizenship Lessons With Technology

Friday, October 2, 2026
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (online via Zoom)

In this workshop we will explore a variety of interactive online tools that citizenship teachers can use to make their lessons more engaging, such as Padlet, Wayground (formerly Quizizz), and Flippity. With these tools, teachers can help students prepare for all aspects of the naturalization interview: the civics test, the reading and writing tests, and the speaking test based primarily on the N-400 application. The tools are effective in both in-person and online classes, and they can be used to create asynchronous activities for homework or self-study. We will also discuss recent changes to the civics test and the naturalization process.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

• Create engaging citizenship activities using online tools, such as Padlet, Wayground, and Flippity

• Prepare students for aspects of the naturalization interview, including the civics test and the reading and writing tests

• Identify helpful citizenship resources that they can use with students in class and share with applicants for self-study purposes

Presenter:

Andrew Shapira has been working in adult education for over 15 years. He has taught citizenship at several programs, and he has presented workshops on a variety of online teaching tools – Padlet, Nearpod, Wayground, Edpuzzle, ChatGPT, etc. – at First Literacy, MCAE’s Network conference, SABES, and elsewhere. He is the coordinator of the English Language Learning Program at the Newton Free Library.

Micocredential Categories:

• Civic, Cultural, and Current Events (C) 
• Technology (T)

This workshop is free to staff of all Massachusetts non-profit ABE and ESOL Programs.

First Literacy does not receive any state or federal funding and we work very hard to raise 100% of our budget from private sources. Please consider making a donation to First Literacy so we can continue to offer FREE high quality professional development workshops.