Lesson Plan: Standing Strong

Essential Questions

• What responsibilities do employers have to their workers?
• What can individuals do to help solve problems in society?

Literature Connection

• Graphic nonfiction: The Delano Grape Strike (Movements and Resistance) by Daniel Mauleón
• Historical fiction: A Seed in the Sun by Aida Salazar

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). The subtitle mentions the “Delano Grape Strike.” Delano is a city in California. Are you familiar with the word strike? What are some of its meanings? What do you think it means here? Answers will vary. Explain that the word strike in this context means a group effort by workers to stop working as a form of protest.
• Study the map “Where in the World: Delano, California” and read its caption. Why is California often referred to as “the state that feeds America”? California is often referred to as “the state that feeds America” because it plays a major role in the nation’s food production.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (harvest, conditions, commotion, migrants, criticized, boycott) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the article “Standing Strong” tells the amazing story of Dolores Huerta and her courageous efforts to fight for the rights of farmworkers.
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (e.g., photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.
• Point out the activity at the end of the article and tell students they’ll complete it after reading. Encourage them to keep the Think About It! question at the bottom in mind as they read.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• The author begins the article by describing a time when Dolores Huerta visited a field and encouraged workers to strike. Why do you think she chose to start the article this way? (author’s purpose) By showing how hard and unpleasant the working conditions were, the author helps you understand how badly farmworkers needed help. When you start off by reading a description of people who were suffering and felt helpless to do anything about it, and then someone suddenly offers them a chance to change their lives, it’s dramatic. It can make you want to keep reading. 
• What did some grape growers and their supporters say about Huerta during the strike? What do you think was behind their criticism? (inference) Huerta faced criticism from certain growers and their supporters who said she should focus on caring for her children instead of fighting for farmworkers’ rights. These people may not have felt any real concern for Huerta’s children. It’s likely that they wanted to make people think less of Huerta so that she would have fewer supporters and give up, and they could continue mistreating farmworkers. Also, attitudes about women doing any work outside the home were different in the 1960s; people may have disagreed with what Huerta was doing because she was a woman.
• Based on the article, what did the farmworkers gain as a result of the Delano Grape Strike? (cause and effect) As a result of the Delano Grape Strike, the farmworkers gained higher pay, access to health care, rest breaks, toilets, and protection from pesticides.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• What did the strike and the grape boycott have in common? Why were both of these actions effective? (synthesizing) Both the strike and the boycott were organized by the union, and both actions involved a large number of people refusing to do what the grape growers wanted them to do. The strike involved workers not working, and the boycott involved customers not buying grapes. Without people to pick grapes or customers to buy grapes, the grape growers’ business would fail. These actions showed the growers that the union had the power to affect their business and should be taken seriously.
• Think about Huerta’s slogan: “Yes, we can!” What does it mean? Who is the “we” she is referring to? What can they do? (interpreting text) The slogan means that ordinary people can create important change. It’s an inspiring answer to any statement that begins “We can’t . . .”  The article  says that many workers lived on growers’ land and could be fired for complaining. The slogan is meant to encourage workers who might be afraid to speak out, and to show them that they do have some power.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
• Have students work independently to complete our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that you are part of a group that is starting a new middle school. You plan to name the school after Dolores Huerta. Write a short speech (one to three paragraphs) explaining your decision. Include information about what Huerta did to help farmworkers, why she did it, and why you believe she is a strong and important role model for students.