Lesson Title: 
The Memory of César E. Chávez

Grade Level:
Kindergarten, Lesson 5

Unit of Study: 
Working Together: Exploring, Creating, and Communicating

History-Social Science Standard:
K.1   Students understand that being a good citizen involves acting in certain ways.

K.6   Students understand that history relates to events, people, and places of other times.

K.6.1   Identify the purpose of, and the people and events honored in, commemorative holidays, including the human struggles that were the basis for the events (e.g., Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthdays, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day).

Correlation to K-8 California Adopted Textbooks:
Harcourt Brace: My World and Me.  Unit 3: I Know Who Takes Care of me.  Lesson 7.  Unit 5: I Know About Changes.  Lesson 7.

McGraw-Hill: Here I Am.  Unit 5: Hooray for Special Days.

Setting the Context:
On August 18, 2000, California Governor Gray Davis signed Senate Bill 984 and created a new holiday honoring César E. Chávez.  This commemorative holiday honors the life and work of a great man whose life story reminds us of the courage and sacrifice that is necessary in order to change the world.

César E. Chávez Day of Service and Learning is a day when we honor the memory and spirit of Chávez.  Children who serve in the community learn that they can create change.  By personally taking action to better our world, we remember and honor this American hero.

Focus Question:
What can we do to better the world?

Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will plan and complete a service learning project.

Assessment:
Students will reflect on the service learning project through a drawing or by explaining what they learned in a video taped interview.

Key Concepts:
interdependence
learning, cooperation/working together, exploration, working

Essential Vocabulary: 
project

Primary Sources: 
Photograph
Quote

Visuals: 
Photographs
Artwork

Procedure

Motivation:
Display a photograph or portrait of César E. Chávez (click for photo) and the following quote by Chávez: “You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.”  Tell students that César E. Chávez was famous for many great speeches and quotes.  What do you think he meant by this quote?  Discuss the quote for meaning and ask students their opinion of this quote.

Making Connections:
Lead a discussion about a time when you needed help from others.  Ask students to share a time when they needed help too.  All humans need help at one time or another.  Helping one another makes a community strong and a nice place to live.

Vocabulary Activity:
Introduce the word project to students.  Ask students what they think of when they hear this word.  Tell students that a project is a planned, organized task.  Use examples of classroom projects recently completed.  Tell students that, to honor César E. Chávez, they are going to plan and complete a project to help others.

Guided Instruction:
The following steps are suggested for planning and completing a class service learning project:

1)	Select a Problem
Discuss problems or needs that you see or know about at school or in the community.  Make a list and choose one problem to focus on.  To help you decide, ask the following questions: Which problem affects your school or community most?  Which would be most interesting to work on?  Which could be easiest to work on?  Which would you learn the most from?

2)	Learn about the Problem
Try to find out as much as you can about these questions:  What causes the problem?  What are its effects on the community?  What is being done about the problem?  Who is working on the problem or is interested in it?  To find answers, try using the library, talking to community members or school personnel, invite in experts to talk to the class.

3)	Decide on an Action Project
Think of project ideas that would address the problem the class has chosen.  Make a list.  Think about time, materials, and resources.  Select the most suitable project as a class.

4)	Plan the Project
Select a name for your project.  Describe the problem with a single sentence.  Record what you know about the problem – causes and effects.  Describe the goal with a single sentence.  Describe your project in two or three sentences.  Make list of groups or individuals in the school or community who might help you with your project.  Write down the steps of your plan.  Explain how the project will work.  Think of everything that needs to be done and break the steps down into tasks.  Set a deadline for each task.  Document the work by using a camera, video camera, tape recorder, or a journal.

5)	Do the Project

6)	Reflect on the Project
Have students reflect on the project by writing or drawing in a journal.  Ask them if they felt the project was a success.  Why or why not?  Also discuss how well the class worked together and what you learned as an individual. 

Possible project ideas for young children:
A)	Do a history of your school or community.  Interview administrators, teachers, parents, former students, and long-time community members.  Give the history to the school library or local historical society.

B)	“Adopt” grandparents at a convalescent home or senior center: lunch with the elderly, display artwork, write letters, and so forth.  Involve the new friends in your studies on historical events.  Invite them to school performances.

C)	Help the environment.  Keep an adopted wall free of graffiti.  Plant and care for trees on campus or gardens near by.  Encourage neighborhood planting with posters.  Sell seed packets as a fund-raiser or collect aluminum cans.  Use the money to help a local charity.  Recycle cans, bottles, paper, or plastic.  Find out where the items go.  Recycle paper and other items for junk art that you can display in public places.  Make a class waste reduction plan: use the backs of paper, turn out lights, and so forth.

D)	Help the homeless.  Collect hygiene items including toothpaste, soap, and shampoo.  Schedule a canned food drive during a non-holiday month.  Grow a school garden and donate the crop.

E)	Help a local hospital.  Design holiday cards for hospital patients. 

F)	Help the disabled.  Paint handicapped parking spaces in the school lot.  Be buddies for special-needs students at school.

G)	Help your school.  Adopt a portion of the grounds and keep it litter-free.  Paint a mural.  Plant flowers.  Begin a Citizen Appreciation Day and celebrate volunteers at the school.  Sponsor school staff and teacher appreciation activities.  Develop a school creed or service slogans.

Integrating Language:
Listening
Speaking
Shared Reading
Class charts

Enrichment:
Document the Service Learning Project and make a presentation to parents, community organizations, school board or city council.
Learn and perform the folk song “De Colores.” (click for song, words)

Service Learning:
The entire lesson is dedicated to a Service Learning project.