The United Farm Workers, with the assistance of a panel of educators (including members of CTA), has created a supplemental curriculum kit on the life, legacy and work of Chávez. It includes a coloring book, a song book, a poster and a video. A teacher's guide includes a detailed biography, discussion questions and reproducible handouts.
The purpose of the materials is to help students understand the relevancy of Chávez's central philosophies on social justice, public action, nonviolence and volunteerism. The materials challenge students to address issues of justice, diversity and equality within their own communities.
For more information, visit the following websites:
César E. Chávez Model Curriculum
United Farm Workers Union
César E. Chávez Foundation
Selected Classroom Activities
1. Ask students to create a mural of César Chávez or the United Farm Workers activities. Cover the entire mural area with butcher paper. In the center of the paper, write "César Chávez" in large letters. Then ask students to make individual collages that carry out the themes of nonviolence and human rights and glue them onto the mural surface or paint them onto the mural.
2. Three important actions in the United Farm Workers nonviolent strategy are picket, boycott and strike. Ask students to look up each word in a dictionary and write the definitions. Ask students to think about something that is very important to them, something they believe needs to be changed to make it better. Ask students how they would use a picket, a boycott, and a strike to achieve their desired goals.
3. Ask students to draw a commemorative stamp that depicts the life of César Chávez. Consider the one word that best describes the importance of the man. In their research, ask students to study commemorative stamps, read a César Chávez biography, listen to songs about César, study posters and read stories about his life.