Standards
Addressed in Crossing the Line
This unit is designed for
students in grades 4-6. The recently established guidelines from the
State-Adopted History-Social Science Standards and Curriculum Framework
Pertaining to Cesar Chavez Day are the driving force behind this
unit:
"Every district,
school, and teacher should select resources that accurately portray
the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar Chavez and meet the adopted
state standards and curriculum."
Grade Four: California
History - California History and Geography is the focus at grade
four. Important for students to understand is the context in which
Cesar Chavez grew up and how he changed the state. At this point,
students could become more aware of Chavez's tactics as well as
his philosophy. The Curriculum Framework states: Student should
understand the role of labor in industry and agriculture, including
how Cesar Chavez, through nonviolent tactics, educated the general
public about the working conditions in agriculture and led the movement
to improve the lives of farm workers. (p. 57) Although not explicitly
mentioned in the standards, the context for studying the life, work
and philosophy of Cesar Chavez is provided: 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 1850s.
Grade Five: U.S. History
- At this grade students are studying the beginnings of the American
Republic and the US Constitution, teachers should compare the ideals
of the founding fathers and compare them with Chavez's philosophy.
At the same time, students may see how Chavez was caring out the
promises and ideas of the US Constitution with its emphases on liberty
and equality. The standards call for the teaching of the Constitution:
5.7 Students describe the people and events associated with the
development of the US Constitution and analyze the Constitution's
significance as the foundation of the American republic.
Grade 6: Ancient World
History - Students at this grade level could realize that Chavez's
use of nonviolence is based on ideas originated in Ancient India:
The Framework states: Jainism which introduced the idea ahimsa or
nonviolence has continued to play a role in modern India, especially
seen in Gandhi's idea of nonviolent civil disobedience. (History-Social
Science Curriculum Framework-preprint version, p.77)
In addition to the Cesar
Chavez guidelines, this unit also addresses the following History-Social
Studies Guidelines for Grades 4-6:
Grade Four
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 1850s.
3. Discuss immigration
and migration to California between 1850 and 1900, including the
diverse composition of those who came; the countries of origin and
their relative locations; and conflicts and accords among the diverse
groups (e.g., the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act).
4. Describe rapid American
immigration, internal immigration, settlement, and the growth of
towns and cities (e.g., Los Angeles).
5. Discuss the effects
of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
Grade Five
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
systems.
5. Describe the continued
migration of Mexican settlers into Mexican territories of the West
and Southwest.
Grade Six
6.1 Students describe what
is known through archaeological studies of the early physical and
cultural development of humankind from the Paleolithic era to the
agricultural revolution.
3. Discuss the climatic
changes and human modifications of the physical environment that
gave rise to the domestication of plants and animals and new sources
of clothing and shelter.
This unit also addresses
many standards from the Reading/Language Arts Framework for California
Public Schools. Although I am listing only standards for Grade
5, comparable standards for corresponding areas are in place for grades
4 and 6.
Grade five
Reading
2.0 Reading Comprehension
Comprehension and Analysis
of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.3 Discern main ideas
and concepts presented in texts, identifying and assessing evidence
that supports those ideas.
2.4 Draw inferences,
conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them with
textual evidence and prior knowledge.
Expository Critique
2.5 Distinguish facts,
supported inferences, and opinions in text
Writing
1.0 Writing Strategies
Organization and Focus
1.2 Create multiple-paragraph
expository compositions:
a. Establish a topic,
important ideas, or events in sequence or chronological order
b. Provide details
and transitional expressions that link one paragraph to another
in a clear line of thought.
c. Offer a concluding
paragraph that summarizes important ideas and details
Research and Technology
1.4 Create simple documents
by using electronic media and employing organizational features
Evaluation and Revision
1.6 Edit and revise
manuscripts to improve the meaning and focus of writing by adding,
deleting, consolidating, clarifying, and rearranging words and
sentences.
2.0 Writing Applications
2.4 Write persuasive
letters or compositions:
b. Support a position
with relevant evidence.
c. Follow a simple
organizational pattern.
Written and Oral English
Language Conventions
1.0 Written and Oral English
Language Convention
Students write and speak
with a command of standard English conventions appropriate to this
grade level.
Listening and Speaking
1.0 Listening and Speaking
Strategies
Organization and Delivery
of Oral Communication
1.4 Select a focus,
organization structure, and point of view for an oral presentation.
1.5 Clarify and support
spoken ideas with evidence and examples
1.6 Engage the audience
with appropriate verbal cues, facial expressions, and gestures
2.0 Speaking Applications
2.2 Deliver informative
presentations about an important idea, issue, or event by the
following means:
a. Frame questions
to direct the investigation.
b. Establish a controlling
idea or topic.
c. Develop the topic
with simple facts, details, examples, and explanations