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Others?
Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker's Struggle

What Roles Do Philanthropists Play in Influencing
Others?
Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker's Struggle

Lesson 9:

From Unit Concepts of Leadership

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Media Genres; Research; Technology
PHIL:	Advocacy; Hispanics; Leadership; Minorities; Stewardship
SOC:	Chávez, César; Grapes of Wrath; 1 genOn; 10 genOn; Citizenship/Civic Engagement; Civil Rights; Common Good; Labor; Minorities; Nonprofit; Public Policy; Research

Focus Question(s):

What are the social conditions under which an individual realizes his or her full potential as a leader who is willing to take private action for the common good?

Purpose:

To enable students to list the conditions which led César Chávez to direct the farm workers' struggle for economic wellbeing and to evaluate current issues facing farm workers and the American consumer today.

Duration:

One 50-Minute Class Period

Objectives:

The learner will:

list three conditions that led Chavez to form the Farm Worker's Union.
cite the main ideas behind Chavez's philosophy and identify various examples of the actions he took to insure the welfare of his community.
cite examples of issues that continue to face farm workers today.

Service Experience:

Although this lesson contains a service project example, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

Students will provide an action project to the community highlighting the dangers of pesticides and their benefits.

Materials:

Copy of the documentary video: The Wrath of Grapes (see Bibliographical References)

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:

Ask the class how many of them live on farms or know a person who currently farms for a living. Brainstorm a list of concerns they think farmers face today.

View the documentary film, The Wrath of Grapes.
After the film, ask the students to make a list of conditions faced by the farm workers in the mid-80s that resulted in the grape boycott. They should:
- identify three conditions that led Chávez to form the Farm Worker's Union.
- cite the main ideas behind Chávez's philosophy.
- identify various examples of the actions he took to insure the welfare of his community.
- cite examples of issues that continue to face farm workers today.
In teams, students use the Internet to research articles about air, water, and ground pollution caused by pesticides today, as well as the benefits of pesticides.
Students come to some conclusion about the danger of toxic chemicals on today's food.
Students work with partners to develop an action project to make the community aware of the dangers and/or benefits of pesticides today. An example might be to provide a display in the school or local library on this topic.