Lesson Plan - History Makers: César Chávez

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Learning Objective

Students will understand the impact and contributions of César Chávez, who fought for the rights of American farmworkers.

Text Structure

Profile, Sequence

Content-Area Connections

Civics; U.S. History

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.6, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.10, L.4.4, SL.4.1

NCSS: Civic Ideals and Practices

TEKS: Social Studies 4.17

1. Preparing to Read

Slideshow: Leading the Way

After watching, ask: Which leaders described in the slideshow do you think made the greatest contributions? Give reasons for your choices.

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • migrant workers 
  • union


Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them identify the problem that Chávez fought to solve.

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. What detail in the text helps you understand what migrant workers do? The text says that migrant workers “traveled from farm to farm, depending on where they could find work.” 

(RI.4.4 WORD MEANING)


2. What are some nonviolent methods that Chávez used to bring about change? Chávez created a group to try to end the struggles farmworkers faced. To help grape workers get better work conditions, he encouraged them to strike and led a boycott in which people stopped buying grapes. He also organized a march. 

(RI.4.2 KEY DETAILS)


3. What is the section “A Lasting Impact” mostly about? What is another good heading for it? This section is about how Chávez is remembered and honored today. For example, schools and parks are named for him. Another heading might be “Honoring Chávez.” 

(RI.4.2 MAIN IDEA)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Synthesize Information

Use “All About César Chávez” to have students complete a biographical profile. Download it as Google Slides or a PDF.

(RI.4.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)

Differentiate & Extend

Multilingual Learners 

Point out that the prefixes un- (as in unfair) and non- (as in nonviolent) are added to some English words to mean “not.” Share other examples, like unhappy and nonprofit.

 

Striving Readers 

Give students a chance to read the sidebar, “Leading the Way,” several times. Then pair students and have them read the sidebar aloud to each other.

 

Article Extension 

Have students watch the video “My Father’s Legacy” and take notes. Ask them to compare the video with the main article: What is the focus of each? What details are included?

Text-to-Speech