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Children with César at La Paz
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César Chávez Day
4-6 Model Curriculum and Resources

César Chávez Day > Intro > Model Curriculum > 4 — 6 Curriculum
César Chávez Day

Grade Four: California: A Changing State
Students, in this grade, study the history and development of California from earliest times to the present. The curriculum emphasizes the role of immigration, the development of California’s economy, agriculture and infrastructure, its geography and the contributions of men and women of diverse backgrounds. Students will study, in an in-depth manner, “Modern California: Immigration, Technology and Cities“. Within this unit of study, special attention will be given to the role of labor in industry and agriculture, including how César E. Chávez, through nonviolent tactics, educated the general public about the working conditions in agriculture and led the movement to improve the lives of farm workers. Students will also analyze how agricultural research, economic development, business, and industry depend on strong public education for all.

Grade Four History-Social Science Standards
The following academic content standards for California will be addressed in the development of the curriculum.

Standard 4.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions in California
4.1.3 Identify the State Capital and describe the various regions of California, including how their characteristics and physical environments affect human activity.
4.1.4 Identify the locations of the Pacific Ocean, rivers, valleys, and mountain passes, and explain their effects on the growth towns.

Standard 4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.
4.2.4 Describe the geographic basis of, and economic factors in, the placement and function of the Spanish missions. Understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.
4.2.6 Describe the role of the Franciscans in changing the economy of California from a hunter-gatherer economy to an agricultural economy.
4.2.7 Describe the effects of the Mexican War for Independence on Alta, California, including its effects on the territorial boundaries of North America.
4.2.8 Discuss the period of Mexican rule in California and its attributes including land grants, secularization of the missions, and the rise of the rancho economy.

Standard 4.3 Students explain the economic, social, and political life in California from the establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican American War, the Gold Rush, and the granting of statehood.
4.3.5 Discuss how California became a state and how its new government differed from those during the Spanish and Mexican periods.

Standard 4.4 Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its political and cultural development since the 1850's.
4.4.3 Discuss immigration and migration to California between 1850 and 1900, including the diverse composition of those that came; the countries of origin and their relative locations; and conflicts and accords among the diverse groups.
4.4.4 Describe the rapid American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and growth of towns and cities.
4.4.5 Discuss the effects of the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
4.4.6 Describe the development and locations of new industries since the turn of the Century, such as the aerospace industry, electronics industry, large-scale commercial agriculture and irrigation projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications and defense industries, and the important trade links with the Pacific Basin.

Standard 4.5 Students understand the structures, functions, and powers of the local, state, and federal governments as described in the U.S. Constitution.
4.5.2 Understand the purpose of the California Constitution, its key principles, and its relationship to the U.S. Constitution.
4.5.4 Explain the structures and functions of state governments, including the roles and responsibilities of their elected officials.

Lesson 1 How the Great Depression Affected California and César E. Chávez
The students will be able to identify some possible causes and effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The students will learn about the life of a boy (César E. Chávez) who was a migrant farm worker, during the Great Depression, and compare his life to theirs. The students will predict how people their age act today when faced with homelessness and poverty.
Lesson 2 Immigration: When did your family arrive?
The students will learn about the immigrant history of California and discuss the manner in which immigrants were treated. The students will discuss discrimination and racism, as well as develop an appreciation for what various cultures have contributed to California. The students will identify and assess the immigrant heritage of relatives or other adults that work at the school. The students will determine that many immigrants contributed to California's success.
Lesson 3 César E. Chávez Used Nonviolence to Educate the Public
The student will explain that agricultural production in California has always depended on the farm workers that cared for and harvested the crops. The student will identify and evaluate how César E. Chávez used nonviolence, marches, and boycotts to educated the public on the hardships suffered by California farm workers.
Lesson 4 The Value of Education For California and César E. Chávez
The students will identify how a strong public education has contributed to the development of California. The students will conclude they can acquire an education and they are important to the advancement of California. The students will select one or two possible areas that they may pursue in higher education. The students will evaluate the life of César E. Chávez and analyze his comments and philosophy on education.
Lesson 5 César Chávez, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Civil Rights
The students will be able to define civil rights and compare César E. Chávez and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in their beliefs, efforts, and accomplishments.
Lesson 6 César E. Chávez Celebrated Cultural Diversity
This lesson builds on the research done by the students in the Immigration Lesson (Lesson 2). The student will define culture, national culture, and cultural diversity. The student will identify the influx of different cultures that have contributed to California's cultural diversity. The student will relate the current acceptance of cultural diversity to César E. Chávez's philosophy of acceptance, tolerance, appreciation, and justice for all. The student will attempt to identify elements in his own life that could be a reflection of ethnic culture.

Grade Five: United States History and Geography: A New Nation
Students in this grade study the historical developments leading to the discovery and colonization of North America by European countries and the ensuing interactions between Native Americans, Europeans, and enslaved Africans.

Standard 5.8 Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid-1800s, with emphasis on the role of economic incentives, effects of the physical and political geography, and transportation system.
5.8.5 Describe the continued migration of Mexican settlers into Mexican territories of the West and Southwest.

Lesson 1 Independence: The Final Decision
Students will be able to identify the major causes leading up to the revolutionary war, be able to identify the reasons that this struggle was inevitable, be able to engage in a debate presenting the colonists perspective and the British perspective.
Lesson 2 The Struggle for Freedom
Students will be introduced to César E. Chávez and understand that he was fighting for basic rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, draw comparisons between the colonists’ struggle and the struggle of the farm worker, and understand the plight of the farm worker and why a revolution by the group was inevitable.
Lesson 3 The United States Grows Larger
Students will identify the reasons that people moved west. Students will identify the causes of the Mexican War in a cause and effect format. Students will identify the how the United States won control of Texas, California, Oregon, and the Southwest.
Lesson 4 César E. Chávez Makes it to California
Students will identify the reasons that the Chávez family moved west and will identify the causes the led the Chávez family to lose their land. Students will describe the hardships faced by the Chávez family and many others who moved west.
Lesson 5 Exercising One's Rights as a Citizen
Students will identify the reasons why people moved west. Students will identify the causes of the Mexican War in a cause and effect format. Students will identify the manner in which the United States won control of Texas, Oregon, and the southwest.

Grade Six: World History and Geography: Ancient Civilization
Students studying the life, work, and philosophy of César E. Chávez in grade six will learn that religious ideas have always inspired and influenced the lives and actions of men and women, as they did Chávez. They will see how his unselfishness, compassion for others, tolerance, and nonviolence have roots reaching back thousands of years. They will learn how his dedication to improving the lives of others and his civic participation compares or contrasts to the role of citizens in ancient civilizations in various parts around the world.

Grade Six: History-Social Science Framework
Students in grade six will learn about people and events that ushered in the dawn of major western and nonwestern civilizations. For all societies, emphasis is placed on those major contributions, achievements, and belief systems that have endured across the centuries to the present day. Students will learn about Buddha and his central beliefs and moral teachings: unselfishness, compassion for the suffering of others, tolerance, and nonviolence. They will also learn about Jainism and how it introduced the idea of ahimsa or nonviolence and see how it continued to play a role in modern India, especially seen in Gandhi’s idea of nonviolent civil disobedience. When studying ancient China, students will learn about Confucius and his teaching of the dignity and authenticity of humanity. While studying Rome, students will learn about the teaching of Jesus that advocate compassion, justice, and love for others. Students will engage in comparative analyses across time and across cultures. They will compare, for example, the origins of major religions and ethical belief systems that unified cultures and defined the good and right way to live. To make these studies relevant for today, students will develop appreciation for the continuity of human experience, the great debt we own to those who came before us and established the foundations upon which modern civilizations rest, and the responsibilities we owe to those who will come after us. (Pp. 74-79)

Grade six: History-Social Science Standards
Standard 6.3 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Ancient Hebrews.
6.3.2 Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the Commentaries): belief in one God, observance of law, practice of the concepts of righteousness and justice, and the importance of study; and describe how the ideas of the Hebrew traditions are reflected in the moral and ethical traditions of Western civilization.

Standard 6.5 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of India.
6.5.5 Know the life and moral teachings of Buddha and how Buddhism spread in India, Ceylon, and Central Asia.

Standard 6.7 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures during the development of Rome.
6.7.2 Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its significance (e.g., written constitution and tripartite government, checks and balances, civic duty).
6.7.6 Note the origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, resurrection, salvation).

Lesson 1 César E. Chávez: Education Of The Heart
Students will read and discuss the many education of the heart quotes of César E. Chávez and realize that the quotes may apply to the student's life currently, as the quotes applied to César E. Chávez and his generation.
Lesson 2 Farming as a Way of Life
Students will gain a greater understanding of the difficulties experienced by farm workers that led to the development of the rights and regulations we have today.
Lesson 3 Migration
Students will understand the concept of migration, how this concept is related to migration in farming today and how the César E. Chávez family coped with migration.
Lesson 4 Impact of Pesticides/Herbicides on Farm Workers
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the impact of fertilizers/pesticides on the farming industry and the people employed in that field by completing a Web search. The students will write a brief synopsis of their findings.
Lesson 5 Understanding Surplus
Students will understand the concept of surplus and its relationship to economic profit.
Lesson 6 César E. Chávez: Nonviolence
Students will learn how César E. Chávez was able to use the tactic of nonviolence in his struggle to achieve respect and dignity for farm workers.
Lesson 7 Service for Citizenship
Having practiced citizenship skills, students will see the value of service to their community.


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