WHAT IS LIBERTY BELLE’S IMMIGRATION NATION?
Immigration Nation is a fun and interactive online game which teaches students about the
paths to American naturalization and citizenship. Students are presented with immigrants
hoping to enter the country and asked to determine whether or not to provide them access. If
the request is granted, the student sends the immigrant to the appropriate harbor based on
their statement. The objective of the game is to help show students the range of allowable
circumstances for legal residence and the requirements for naturalization and full citizenship.
HOW DOES THIS GAME FIT INTO THE REST OF THE ICIVICS CURRICULUM?
Immigration Nation follows “Just the Facts” lesson plan and can be supplemented by the “Can
I?” and “Citizen Me’” lesson plans as well as playing Responsibility Launcher and Cast Your
Vote. This game can be used to meet state standards that cover the need to identify various
ways people become citizens of the United States (e.g. birth, naturalization), as well as
identification of character traits that belong to an effective citizen.
WHAT DO MY STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THEY PLAY?
Nothing! Immigration Nation is designed for students to apply critical thinking skills to scenarios
while learning about the various paths immigrants take when they enter the United States.
WHAT KIND OF TIME AND TECHNOLOGY ARE REQUIRED?
 All you need are functioning computers, Internet access, and Adobe Flash Player 10, which
is available as a free download.
 Liberty Belle’s Immigration Nation takes approximately 15-20 minutes to play.
 The game is experienced best in a multi-computer classroom or computer
lab. Students can work individually or with partners.
HOW TO RUN LIBERTY BELLE’S IMMIGRATION NATION IN YOUR CLASSROOM:
1) Go to www.icivics.org/games, scroll down, and click on the game icon.
2) To start a new game, click “New Game.”
3) On the first screen, students will see a harbor, the Liberty Belle character, the Statue of
Liberty and two boats. Each boat represents a different hopeful immigrant.
4) Selecting a boat will bring up the immigrant’s statement on which student will base
his/her decision. Not all immigrants should be permitted entry, so read carefully.
5) Once the student decides to allow the immigrant entry, they must select the appropriate
harbor. This can be done in one of two ways. The student can make his/her selection directly
below the immigrant’s quote and confirm or click on the actual harbor area and confirm. More
harbors become available as the game progresses.
6) Students may look through the available harbors by clicking on the Harbor Guide button
at any time during the game (blue button with anchor on upper left of the screen).
7) If the student has selected the correct harbor, the Statue of Liberty will give a positive
response with additional detail. If an incorrect harbor has been selected, the Statue of Liberty
will give a corrective response and explain why the choice was incorrect. A score sheet will
appear at the end of each of six rounds.
8) As students advance, they will be faced with a greater number of immigrant ships to greet
and a wider selection of harbor options.
9) Once the game is completed, results may be printed. The feedback breaks down the
correct/incorrect answers by harbor. This allows the teacher to see if there are certain harbors
and immigration concepts that cause confusion.
www.icivics.org