Who is a Citizen? What is citizenship? This Who Is a Citizen? Article & Review makes a great introduction to Civics and Citizenship for your middle school Civics or American Government class. Students close-read an article introducing the concepts of Civics, Citizenship, the 14th Amendment, Law of Soil and Law of Blood, the Naturalization Process, refugees, and both legal and illegal aliens. They then complete a worksheet that reviews the article, asking about key concepts and vocabulary.
Compatible with the 2023-2024 Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics:
- Standard 2 SS.7.CG.2: Evaluate the roles, rights, and responsibilities of United States citizens, and determine methods of active participation in society, government and the political system.
- SS.7.CG.2.1: Define the term “citizen,” and identify the constitutional means of becoming a United States citizen.
✯ The 3-page Article covers the following topics:
- Civics
- Citizenship
- Natural-Born Citizenship
- Law of Blood
- Law of Soil
- The Naturalization Process
- Refugees
- Legal and Illegal Aliens
✯ A Review asks students such questions as:
- To what two groups of people does the 14th Amendment guarantee citizenship?
- Alisha was born in a hospital in Miami, Florida, but her parents are not citizens. They’re from Spain and have lived in America for three years. Is Alisha a U.S. citizen? Why or why not?
- Describe the difference between a refugee, legal alien, and illegal alien in your own words.
- Define vocabulary terms Law of Blood, Law of Soil, civics, citizenship, refugees, immigrant, naturalization, legal and illegal aliens.
This resource comes as a printable, non-editable PDF as well as digital versions, and includes an Answer Key! There is also a link in the PDF for the Google Slides version, or you can assign the TPT Easel digital version directly to your Google Classroom!
What teachers are saying about this resource:
“Created a great conversation”
The simplification and organization of the information regarding citizenship was perfect for a 7th grade class. The assignment uses legal terms that are often misinterpreted. This created a great conversation for my students who have a hard time processing what they hear in the news.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Allison T.
“Students were very engaged”
My students were very engaged with this citizenship activity. I really liked that the readings are short and at a level that students can understand. This fit very nicely at the beginning of my Constitution unit.
★ ★ ★ ★
— Rosa N.
“Really helped”
Really helped students understand the requirements of being a citizen.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Social Studies in Middle School
Other Happy Teacher Resources You Might Enjoy:
✩ Standards-Based Bell Ringers for Civics & American Government | Quarter One
✩ Becoming A United States Citizen Blog & Video Response | Civics & Citizenship
✩ Who is a Citizen? Civics & Citizenship Matching Activity for American Government
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