Napa County Reads
STUDY GUIDE
___________________
The Circuit: Stories from the
Life of a Migrant Child
By Francisco Jiménez
Napa County Reads is a joint project between the Napa County Office of
Education, the Napa City-County Library, Napa Valley College,
and the Five School Districts in Napa County
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Table of Contents
________________________
About the Writer .................................................. 3
About the Book ..................................................... 4
Before Reading the Book ..................................... 77
Ways to Participate .............................................. 8
Make a Connection............................................... 9
Assessment Options ............................................ 10
Reading Comprehension Strategies .................. 14
Reading/Language Arts ..................................... 20
History/Social Science ........................................ 29
Glossary ............................................................... 78
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About the Writer
Francisco Jiménez
Francisco Jiménez was born in the small village of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, Mexico, and came to
the United States with his family at age four. "My parents brought the family across the border
to seek work in the United States and leave poverty behind," he says. "We settled in Santa
Maria, California, from Santa Rose to Bakersfield. From the time I was six years old, I worked
in the fields alongside my parents and older brother. Just as I entered high school, my father's
illness forced us to abandon the harvest circuit, and I was able to attend school full time from
then on. While attending high school I worked with my older brother for a commercial janitorial
service company to support our family.
"I began writing autobiographical pieces during my sophomore year in high school. Audrey
Bell, my English teacher, encouraged the class to write narrative accounts of personal
experiences. Even though I had difficulty expressing myself in English, I enjoyed the
assignments. Long after I left her class, I would jot down recollections, hoping to write about
them in the future."
In 1995, Mr. Jiménez took a year-long sabbatical to write The Circuit Stories from the Life of a
Migrant Child, an account of his childhood experiences. The Circuit, which has been published
in Spanish and Chinese, was his first Junior Library Guild selection and won a Boston GlobeHorn Book Award and a Jane Addams Children's Honor Book Award. A one-act play based on
the book was performed by the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Hancock College
in Santa Maria, California.
Francisco Jiménez says, "Breaking Through, the sequel to The Circuit, spans crucial years of my
young adult life. I wrote this sequel to pay tribute to my family and teachers and to document
part of my own history, but more importantly to voice the experiences of many children and
young adults who confront numerous obstacles in their efforts to 'break through and become
butterflies.' How they manage to 'break through' depends as much on their courage, hope, and
God-given talents as it does on living, compassionate, and generous people who commit
themselves to making a difference in children and young adult lives."
Francisco Jiménez is the Department Chair of modern languages and literatures at Santa Clara
University. He and his wife, Laura, have three sons.
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About the Book
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant
Child
________________________________________________________________________
Text by Kathryn Bold
Like the Joad family in the Steinbeck classic, Grapes of Wrath, the Jimenez’s came to California
to escape poverty and find a better life. In the first chapter of The Circuit, titled "Crossing la
Frontera" (the border), told from a child's point of view, Jimenez describes his family's flight
from their home in a small village north of Guadalajara across the border into the United States:
“On both sides of the fence were armed guards in green uniforms. Papa called them la migra and
explained that we had to cross the fence to the other side, without being seen by these men. If we
succeeded, we would enter los Estados Unidos....We continued walking along the wire wall,
until Papa spotted a small hole underneath the fence. Papa got on his knees and, with his hands,
made the opening larger. We all crawled through it like snakes."
“A few minutes later, we were picked up by a woman whom Papa had contacted in Mexicali.
She had promised to pick us up in her car and drive us, for a fee, to a place where we would find
work. As we traveled north through the night, I fell asleep for a long time on Mama's lap. I woke
up at dawn and heard the woman say, we're entering the San Joaquin Valley. Here you'll find
plenty of work. ‘This is the beginning of a new life,’ Mama said, taking a deep breath. ‘A good
life,’ Papa answered.
As it turned out, many years would pass before anyone in the Jiménez family experienced that
good life. Jiménez’s father, Francisco, his mother Joaquina, and his older brother Roberto, found
work picking crops in the fields. So began the cycle of moving from camp to camp, following
the harvest.
The family, which eventually grew to nine children, lived in one-room shacks and tents. In the
summer, they picked strawberries in Santa Maria. Then they traveled to Fresno to pick grapes in
early September and on to Corcoran and Bakersfield to pick cotton in the winter. In February,
they moved back to Santa Maria to thin lettuce and top carrots.
Working from sunup to sundown, the entire family earned just $15 a day. Jiménez called this
nomadic existence "the circuit" in a short story by that title that has been reproduced many times
in textbooks and anthologies of American literature.
"It's a symbolic circuit," he says. "If you're a migrant worker, you're constantly living in poverty.
It's very difficult to get out of it."
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Yet Jiménez soon found relief from the hard life in the fields and a way to escape the circuit:
school. "I came to realize that learning and knowledge were the only stable things in my life.
Whatever I learned in school, that knowledge would stay with me no matter how many times we
moved."
Because Jiménez could not start school until after the mid-November harvest and because he
knew so little English, he struggled to keep up with his classmates. One teacher even labeled him
mentally retarded.
"I would start school and find myself behind, especially in English," he remembers. "School for
the first nine years was very sporadic."
Still, Jiménez was luckier than his brother Roberto, who was old enough to pick cotton and
therefore could not start school until February. In "The Circuit," Jiménez describes the pain of
leaving his brother behind on his first day back at school:
"I woke up early that morning and lay in bed, looking at the stars and savoring the thought of not
going to work and starting sixth grade for the first time that year. Since I could not sleep, I
decided to get up and join Papa and Roberto at breakfast. I sat at the table across from Roberto,
but I kept my head down. I did not want to look up and face him. I knew he was sad. He was not
going to school today. He was not going tomorrow, or next week, or next month."
Unlike many of his classmates, Jiménez looked forward to the days he spent in school. "I had
many embarrassing moments; but in spite of those, I enjoyed the environment," he says. "School
was a lot nicer than home. Many times, we lived in tents with dirt floors, no electricity or
plumbing. In school we had electricity, plumbing, lighting. We even had toys."
Although the physical environment was pleasant, interactions with classmates often were not.
"Kids would call me spic, or greaser, tamale wrapper. They made fun of my thick accent and
whenever I made grammatical mistakes. That really hurt. I withdrew and became quiet," Jiménez
says.
Fortunately, Jiménez sometimes encountered a friendly teacher who recognized his desire to
learn. His sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Lema, helped him with his English during lunch. Discovering
that Jiménez enjoyed music, the universal language, Lema offered to teach him to play the
trumpet.
But Jiménez never got his first lesson. When he went home to tell his mother and father the good
news about his music lessons, he found the family's possessions neatly packed into cardboard
boxes. They were moving again.
To compensate for his sporadic education, Jiménez began teaching himself. He would jot down
words he was trying to memorize on a small note pad and carry it with him into the fields so he
could study during his breaks.
Whenever his family visited the local public dump to collect discarded clothes, wood for a floor,
and other necessities, Jiménez would pick up books. Once he found a single volume of an
encyclopedia. Not realizing it was part of a 20-volume set, he leafed through its pages, figuring
that if he could learn to read the whole thing, he'd know just about everything there was to know.
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Wherever he was, Jiménez always knew to run and hide from la migra (Immigration and
Naturalization Service agents), especially when they made their sweeps through the fields and
camps.
Jiménez and his family lived in fear of being deported. His father had a visa, but the others did
not; visas were too expensive. Jiménez remembers the INS officers interrogating people and
sometimes beating them. When someone asked where he was born, he lied.
When he was in junior high school, INS agents entered Jiménez's classroom and arrested him as
an illegal immigrant. The family was deported to Mexico but returned after several weeks with
visas obtained with the help of a Japanese sharecropper who sponsored them.
Jiménez's life changed forever when he was about to enter high school. Because his father
suffered from permanent back pain--probably from too many hours bent over the crops--he could
no longer work in the fields. It was up to Roberto to support the family.
Roberto found a job as a janitor at a school in Santa Maria; Jiménez also worked for a janitorial
company. Now the family did not have to follow the harvest. Now Jiménez could start school
with the rest of the class and keep up with his studies.
"The work was indoors; and after I was done cleaning, I could study in an office," he says. "This
was my chance."
With his newfound stability, Jiménez thrived. He became student-body president of his high
school and earned a 3.7 GPA. A guidance counselor, disturbed that a gifted student was not
going to college because the family could not afford to send him, managed to arrange for
Jiménez to obtain scholarships and student loans so that he could enroll at Santa Clara
University.
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Before Reading the Book
The Circuit: Stories from the Life
of a Migrant Child
 Discuss with students what a migrant worker does. Talk about the many
crops which migrant workers gather, such as grapes, strawberries, apples,
peaches, cherries, and cotton.
 With a partner, think of a situation in which a young person makes an
unintentional mistake or is otherwise embarrassed in front of other people.
Imagine how this person would feel, and then think about the
encouragement or advice an older friend or relative might give this person to
help them feel better about what happened. Then, role-play the conversation
between the young person and supportive friend. The conversation should
open with the young person explaining the embarrassing moment. The
friend or relative can offer insights or comfort. After you have role-played
this scene, switch roles with your partner and role-play a different situation.
When you have finished, discuss the different ways you can go about
helping someone through a difficult experience.
 Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn. With a partner, think about a
dream you have for the future. Then, discuss this scenario: Imagine that
your family has to relocate to another country. How would you cope with
losing something – a person, a way of life, an experience? Make notes about
how you would react to such a difficult situation. What plans would you
make to fulfill your dreams? Discuss your revised vision of the future with
your partner. As you read The Circuit, pay attention to how Francisco deals
with his own obstacles in living in the United States.
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Ways to Participate
The Circuit
1. Read the book The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez. You can get a copy of the
book at a bookstore near you, or at any branch of the Napa City-County
Library. The book is also available in Spanish.
2. If you are in a book club, suggest the club read and discuss the book at your
September meeting. A discussion guide is available on the website.
3. Host an informal book discussion group at home with friends or neighbors or
at your workplace with interested readers. A discussion guide will be available
on the website.
4. Have your family read the book aloud, perhaps a chapter at a time. Discuss
the themes of the book and compare your family to the Jiménez family’s
situation. Make a list of things for which your family is grateful and discuss
ways to help people who are less fortunate.
5. Attend a free community discussion group in October. A calendar of events
will be posted on the Napa County Office of Education website
(ncoe.k12.ca.us) and publicized in the Napa Valley Register. The author will
be speaking at several Napa locations on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2003.
6. Organize a book discussion group at your place of worship and consider
“adopting” an immigrant family who is working to get ahead.
7. Participate in the on-line forum on the website to discuss the book with
others.
8. Write a letter to the author expressing what you liked or learned from the
book. You can send your letter to: Professor Francisco Jiménez, Santa Clara
University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-0632
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Make a Connection
The Circuit
Have students remember a time when they have had to say goodbye to
someone. What positive or negative emotions did they experience?
Have students recall a time when they conquered a fear or mastered a
task that was difficult for them. Discuss how they felt when they
succeeded.
Have students remember a time when they made a new friend. Discuss
how valuable a friend can be in a difficult situation.
Have students think of a time when they traveled to a new place. Were
they excited or anxious? Discuss the emotions associated with
experiencing an unfamiliar location or landscape.
As they read, have students keep notes about the external and internal
conflicts that Francisco experiences and how he deals with each one.
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Assessment Options
________________________
The Circuit
Francisco Jiménez
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Assessment Options
The Circuit
Perhaps the most important goal of assessment is to inform instruction. As you monitor the
degree to which your students understand and engage with the book, you will naturally modify
your instructional plan. The frequency and balance of class and small-group discussion, the time
allowed for activities, and the extent to which direct teaching of reading skills and strategies,
literary elements, or vocabulary can all be planned on the basis of your ongoing assessment of
your students' needs.
Several forms of assessment are particularly appropriate for work with the novel:
Observing and note taking Anecdotal records that reflect both the degree and the quality of
students' participation in class and small-group discussions and activities will help you target
areas in which coaching or intervention is appropriate. Because communication skills are such
an integral part of working with the novel in a classroom setting, it is appropriate to evaluate the
process of making meaning in this social context.
Observing yourself with dialogue journals and letters You may want to exchange notes with
students instead of, or in addition to, encouraging them to keep reader's logs. A powerful
advantage of this strategy is that at the same time you have the opportunity to evaluate students'
responses; you can make a significant difference in the quality of the response. When students
are aware that their comments are valued (and addressed to a real audience - an audience that
writes back), they often wake up to the significance of what they are reading and begin to make
stronger connections between the text and their own lives.
Agreeing on criteria for evaluation If evaluation is to be fair, it must be predictable. As
students propose and plan an activity or project, collaborate with them to set up the criteria by
which their work will be evaluated, and be consistent in applying only those criteria.
Encouraging self-evaluation and goal setting When students are partners with you in creating
criteria for evaluation, they can apply those criteria to their own work. You might ask them to
rate themselves on a simple scale of 1, 2, or 3 for each of the criteria and to arrive at an overall
score. Students can then set goals based on self-evaluation.
Peer evaluation Students can participate in evaluating one another's demonstrations and
presentations, basing their evaluations upon a previously established set of standards. Modeling
a peer-evaluation session will help students learn this method, and a chart or checklist can guide
peer discussion. Encourage students to be objective, sensitive, courteous, and constructive in
their comments.
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Opportunities for Assessment
The suggestions in this Study Guide provide multiple opportunities for assessment across a range
of skills:

Demonstrating reading comprehension

Keeping reader's logs

Listening and speaking

Working in groups - both discussion and activity oriented

Planning, developing, and presenting a final project

Acquiring vocabulary

Taking tests
Items for a "Working" Portfolio

Reading records

Drafts of written work and project plans

Audio - and videotapes of presentations

Notes on discussions

Reminders of cooperative projects, such as planning and discussion notes

Artwork

Objects and mementos connected with themes and topics in the novel

Other evidence of engagement with the book
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Questions for Self-evaluation and Goal Setting

What are the three most important things I learned in my work with this book?

How will I follow up with these so that I remember them?

How did I deal with the difficulty and what would I do differently?

What two goals will I work toward in my reading/writing/group work?

What steps will I take to achieve those goals?
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Reading Comprehension
Strategies
________________________
The Circuit
Francisco Jiménez
These instructional strategies are specifically designed for reluctant readers but
will work well for most of your students.
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The Circuit
Constructing Meaning
Dependent readers often don’t understand how to construct meaning from text. They allow their
minds to wander while they read, and their eyes move over the page without comprehension.
The Say Something technique (Harste, Short, and Burke, 1988) interrupts students’ reading and
gives them a chance to think about what it means.
Here’s how it works. Students work with a partner. They read 3-4 paragraphs silently, then stop
to “say something.” The “something” may be a prediction, a question, a clarification, a
comment, or a connection. The partner should offer a response to what was said, and then they
continue reading the next portion of the text.
Rules for Say Something
1.
With your partner, decide who will say something first.
2.
When you say something, do one or more of the following:
3.

Make a prediction

Ask a question

Clarify something you had misunderstood

Make a comment

Make a connection
If you can’t do one of those five things, then you need to reread.
Make a Prediction
Ask a question
- I predict that…
- Why did…
- I bet that…
- What’s this part about…
- I think that…
- Why…
- Since this happened, (fill
- Who is….
in detail) then I bet the
- Do you think that…
next thing that is going
- I don’t get this part here…
to happen is….
- How is this part like this…
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- Reading this part make me
- What does this section mean..
think that this (fill in detail)
is about to happen…
- I wonder if….
Clarify Something
Make a Comment
- Oh, I get it…
- This is good because…
- Now I understand…
- This is hard because…
- This makes sense now…
- This is confusing because…
- No, I think it means…
- I like the part where…
- I agree with you. This means..
- I don’t like this part because…
- At first I thought (fill in), but
- My favorite part is…
now I think…
- I think that….
Make a Connection
- This reminds me of…
- This is similar to…
- This part is like…
- I also (name something in the text that
- This character is like…
has happened to you)
Tea Party
This pre-reading strategy gives students a chance to get up and move around the classroom,
while they predict, compare and contrast, and draw on their prior experiences.
First, you select phrases from the story that might provide insight into characters, setting, or
conflicts. Choose less than half as many phrases as you have students, so each phrase will be
repeated two or three times.
Print the phrases individually on index cards. Give one card to each student. Ask everyone to get
up and move from student to student to share their card with as many classmates as possible,
listen to others read their cards, discuss how the cards might be related, and speculate on what
the cards, all together, might be about.
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Students move around sharing their cards for 10 to 12 minutes. Then have them get into groups
of 5 and share their cards, discussing what they heard when they walked around the room. Then
the group must come up with a “We think” statement that briefly describes what they think the
selection will be about. When they report their “we think” statements, ask them to explain how
they reached their prediction. Then read the selection, so they can revisit their predictions.
Think Aloud
Another technique that you can use to help your students pay attention to the meaning of the text
is the Think-Aloud strategy. As students read, they pause occasionally to think aloud about
connections they are making, images they are creating, or problems they are having
understanding the text. This will help you to understand why the student is having difficulty, and
will help the student analyze how he is thinking about reading.
First you will need to model the strategy for the class. Tell them that you will be reading a
portion of The Circuit aloud to them, and as you are reading, you will be stopping to think
through what you are reading. Ask them to listen for when you predict, visualize (or picture in
your mind), question, clarify, connect, comment, monitor your understanding, or identify ways to
correct your misunderstandings. Tell them that skilled readers do this regularly as they read.
You might start by looking at the cover of the book. You might comment, “The book is called
The Circuit. When I think of circuits, I think of electricity. But when I look at the picture on the
cover, there’s nothing that would suggest electricity. So “circuit” must mean something else.
The rest of the title says that these are stories from the life of a migrant child. What does
“migrant” mean? It must be related to migrate, which means to move from one place to another.
So these stories must be about a child who moves around from place to place. So maybe a
circuit is a regular route that he travels around.
Then you might begin reading chapter one aloud.
“La frontera” is a word I often heard when I was a child living in El Rancho Blanco, a small
village nestled on barren, dry hills several miles north of Guadalajara, Mexico. I heard it for the
first time back in the late 1940’s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother,
that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our
poverty behind.”
You might say, “I see that this happened in the 1940’s. That’s about 60 years ago, so some of
the things that happen in this story are going to see very old-fashioned and out of date. It says
that the village he lived in was on barren, dry hills. That must mean that they can’t grow much
food. He also says that Papa and Mama talked about leaving their poverty behind. So they’re
poor, and they’re going to come from Mexico to California so they won’t be poor any more,
which means “la frontera” must be the border between Mexico and the United States. I predict
that the story will be about what happened when the family migrated to the United States.”
As you continue to read, paragraph by paragraph, you can stop and “think-aloud,” which will
show students how you figure out what the words mean. When something is confusing, you
17
might stop and say, “I don’t quite get this. I’d better reread it.” Or you might say, “Let me read
a little further and see if I get a clue that will explain what this means.”
As you report out, make sure the students know you have stopped reading and are now thinkingaloud. You might put the book down as a visual clue. Occasionally, jot your comments on a
transparency, and ask students to decide if you were predicting, commenting, showing confusion,
clarifying your confusion, or visualizing what you were reading. This will help students
understand what skilled readers do.
The think-aloud self-assessment form on the next page will help students figure out whether they
stop to think about the meaning of what they are reading. You will need to model thinking-aloud
often, and provide multiple opportunities for students to practice.
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Name__________________________________
Date__________________
Think-Aloud Self-Assessment
Part I. Read each statement below. Put a 1 by the items you do often, a 2 by the items you
sometimes, and a 3 by the ones you do rarely.
When I pause to think aloud…..
____ I make my mind try to visualize the scene. (visualizing)
____ I try to figure out which parts have confused me. (monitoring comprehension)
____ I compare what has happened now with what happened previously. (comparing)
____ I ask questions about what’s going on in the text. (questioning)
____ I make myself connect what I know to what’s happening in the story. (connecting)
____ I anticipate what a character might do next. (predicting)
____ I think about what the author is doing to give me hints about the characters or plot.
____ I wonder what the author wants me to figure out at this point. (questioning)
____ I try to figure out if I need to reread a section. (monitoring comprehension)
____ I think about the characters to see how they are alike or different. (comparing)
____ I try to connect the characters to people I know. (connecting)
Part II. Look at the numbers you put in the blanks in Part I.
1. What do you do most often when you think aloud?
2. Why do you think you do that the most?
3. What do you do the least?
Part III. Complete the following statements to help you plan your next think-aloud.
1. Think-alouds help me because…..
2. I need to keep practicing (visualizing, predicting, comparing, monitoring
comprehension, questioning) because……
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do
3. In my next group of think-alouds I
Reading/Language Arts
_________________________
will……
The Circuit
Francisco Jimenez
Lessons for Reading/Language Arts
may be adapted and used for middle and high school.
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Reflection and Discussion Questions
1. What did you learn about the experience of Mexican-American migrant farm workers of
the 1940s?
2. How different would this book be if it were about migrant farm workers of Mexican
descent today?
3. How would these stories be different if they were told from the eyes of the father in the
story? From one of Francisco’s teachers? From one of the landowners?
4. What stereotypes are there about Mexican-Americans? Mexico? Migrant farm workers?
5. What are some examples of racial prejudice in this story?
6. What are some examples of power in this story? How is it used?
7. What do you know of migrant farm workers in your community? Of MexicanAmericans? How could you find out more? What do the Mexican-Americans in your
community express as their needs (if they are heard in your community)?
8. This book is for adults and children. If you were giving this book as a gift to a child what
would you want the child to know about the book and how young a child would you give
this book to?
9. In the section about the author, Jimenez talks about being given The Grapes of Wrath as a
teenager and realizing it was the first book he had read to which he could relate. What are
the stories of your cultural heritage and when did you read them? What stories are the
children in your community being asked to read and does it relate to their cultural
heritage? What values does this book share in its telling? How would you and folks from
your congregation greet migrant farm workers such as Francisco’s family if they showed
up in church? How is this book helpful in unlearning racism?
10. What questions do you still have that you would like the group to discuss?
11. What do you still wish to know more about and will explore on your own?
12. What did you like most and least about the book?
13. What did you feel and learn about yourself?
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Things to Discuss
The Circuit
Overall Reaction
1. How did the story impact you and what did you learn from the book?
Comparing the Immigrant Experience
1. If you are an immigrant to this country how was Professor Jiménez’s life story similar or
different than your own story?
2. If you were born in this country, how were your parents’ or grandparents’ lives similar to
or different from the Jiménez family?
3. Given that the story was written about events nearly 45 years ago, how do you think
things are similar or different for immigrants in 2003?
4. Given the continuous controversies surrounding immigration laws in the state and
country, are there any changes you think need to be made?
The Role of Our Community in Educating Our Children
1. What teachers made an impact in your life and why?
2. Should the community play a role in supporting the education of ALL students?
3. What suggestions do you have for assisting and improving bilingual education?
Relating One's Own Personal Story
1. What times have there been in your life when you have had an experience similar to
something described in The Circuit?
2. What helped you succeed?
Closing
1. As a result of the Napa County Reads project, what impact do you think reading and
discussing the book will make on you or the community as a whole?
2. Do you have any suggestions for future book selections for the community?
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Activities
The Circuit
These activities may be done separately or as a unit.
Research
Students will be given a topic from the story, The Circuit, to research using the internet,
resources page, reference books, and personal family histories.
Topics:







Guadalajara, Mexico
Jalisco, Mexico
El Santo Nino
Braceros
Francisco Jiménez
Migrant Workers
La Migra
Presentations
Students will organize information in a format that can be presented to the class. This can be in
the form a poster, oral report, bag report, role play, maps, or other presentation of the student’s
choice.
Foods
Students will prepare a meal consisting of the foods eaten by the Jiménez family in the book to
celebrate the end of the unit and the completion of the projects.
E-mail
Students will compose an e-mail to Francisco Jiménez, the author of the book, The Circuit, to
comment on their thoughts on the book and the impact his stories have had on them.
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The Circuit
Classroom Activities

Social Studies:
1) Bring in a classroom guest who works with migrant laborers or who has lived within
"the circuit" of migrant labor camps. Have the guest discuss how the experience
affects children.
2) Visit a local historical society or museum to learn more about the contributions of
members of the Hispanic community; for example, Cesar Chavez, Henry Cisneros, or
Ernesto Cortes.

Language Arts:
Have students compare The Circuit with John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Begin
by identifying the basics (author, theme, tone, mood, style and the books’ messages to the
readers). Before students begin writing, brainstorm and discuss questions such as: What
do the authors' lives have in common? How the books’ themes are similar or different?
Do the books have the same type of tone or mood? Have the class share their findings
with the class in small group presentations.

Spanish:
Present a unit comparing the differences and similarities between the Spanish spoken by
the U.S. Chicano community and that spoken in the villages of Mexico, such as El
Rancho Blanco, the author’s hometown. Listen to Chicano music, to literature being read
aloud, and to people speaking in the target language.
24
Themes
The Circuit
Students will see the following themes, or main ideas, developed in detail in The
Circuit.

Breaking down barriers

Striving for a better way of life

Helping to support your family

Having a strong work ethic

The value of education

Being respectful to others

Encountering racism

Being proud of your heritage

Making friends and becoming a leader at school

Having your parents rely on you for many things

Trying to balance the traditions of your family with a new set of values and a different
way of life

Working hard to fulfill your dreams

Writing a story about your life
25
Summarizing
The Circuit
A summary is a short restatement of written material. Summaries are much shorter
than the original passage, but they provide basically the same information as the
original.
Summarize the story of how Francisco and Roberto came to the United States.
Characters:
Conflict:
When and Where:
First Event:
Second Event:
Third Event:
Resolution:
26
Characters:
Conflict:
When and Where:
First Event:
Second Event:
Third Event:
Resolution:
27
Characters:
Conflict:
When and Where:
First Event:
Second Event:
Third Event:
Resolution:
28
Understanding Character
The Circuit
Describe Francisco’s relationship with each of these characters. State briefly what the
relationship tells you about Francisco. Did any of the relationships change with time?
Roberto
_______________
_______________
_______________
Mamá/Papá
_______________
_______________
_______________
Francisco
Teachers
_______________
_______________
_______________
Brothers/Sisters
_______________
_______________
_______________
29
Roberto
_______________
_______________
_______________
Mamá/Papá
_______________
_______________
_______________
Francisco
Teachers
_______________
_______________
_______________
Brothers/Sisters
_______________
_______________
_______________
30
Roberto
_______________
_______________
_______________
Mamá/Papá
_______________
_______________
_______________
Francisco
Teachers
_______________
_______________
_______________
Brothers/Sisters
_______________
_______________
_______________
31
Essay Topics
The Circuit
Use your own paper to write an essay on any of the given topics.
 Jiménez writes about his life as it was for a migrant worker some fifty years
ago. Do you think that the lives of migrant workers are better today?
 One of the book’s themes is “breaking down barriers.” Think of a barrier in
your own life that you have had to overcome. Write about the hardship and the
process you used to break through.
 Jiménez had some wonderful teachers that influenced his life in a very positive
way. Write about someone that has touched your life to make you achieve
goals that you never thought were possible.
Name __________________________________
Date ___________________________________
32
Score __________
History/Social Science
________________________
The Circuit
Francisco Jiménez
33
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Francisco Jimenez and the Purpose of Public Education
Unit of Study:
The Divergent Paths of the American People: 1800-1850; The Northeast
History-Social Science Standard:
8.6.5 Trace the development of the American education system from its earliest roots,
including the roles of religious and private schools and Horace Mann’s campaign for free
public education and its assimilating role in American culture.
Setting the Context:
Though Thomas Jefferson and other early American leaders brought up the idea of universal
public education, it was Horace Mann who is given credit as the “father of the public school
system.”
It would be reasonable to believe that by the 1950s and 1960s the issues would have been
worked out enough that public education would serve as an institution that would benefit the
children of migrant workers. It was not. One of the goals of the migrant farm worker movement
was to secure a proper education for their children. It was as important to the migrant workers to
be activists for public education as for any of the demands they fought for in the fields.
Focus Question:
Was education one of the goals that migrant workers fought for?
Historically, how were Mexican American migrant workers’ children treated in some of the
public schools?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Through the use of a JIGSAW reading activity, students will be able to analyze how some
migrant worker families felt about the educational experiences their children were receiving.
Assessment:
Students will generate a consensus list of the aims of public education from the discussions that
they have on the oral interviews. Students can be measured in comparison to the other
cooperative education groups.
Key Concepts:
Democracy
Essential Vocabulary:
Assimilation
34
Procedure:
Motivation:
Start by asking the students why they come to school. Though there will be some negative
comments, it is more than likely that eventually the students will start discussing the positive
benefits of school. Lead the discussion towards possible reasons that people in the early 1800s
would have wanted universal public education for all children. Show the students the visuals of
migrant workers picketing for better schools and the César E. Chávez Elementary School Mural.
Explain to them that Chávez and the migrant workers were very interested in bettering education
for students.
Making Connections:
Students should be aware of some of the problems that are encountered by children of migrant
farm workers. Some of the problems are hard to avoid, (like inconsistent education because of
the moving around that occurs), but others were a result of prejudice. Teachers might want to
have their students read part of the middle level biography on César E. Chávez so that they can
make a connection to the type of schooling that César E. Chávez experienced.
Vocabulary Activities:
A discussion on the purposes of education should include a discussion on assimilation. As a
result, the vocabulary should come up within the discussion itself. It is not important for the
students to agree on the purposes of education, since it will be different for everyone, but
assimilation was one of the reasons specified by Horace Mann and others.
Guided Instruction:
1) After the motivation activity and the vocabulary activity, have the students break into
cooperative learning groups.
2) Explain to students that good listeners listen with a purpose. The purpose of this activity is to
read these oral interviews to determine how these workers felt about the role that education
should play for their children.
3) Students should have one student (or pair of students) pretend that they are the workers who
were interviewed. While one student should play the role of interviewer, the other students
will serve as note takers.
4) As the interviews take place, the listeners should take notes as to what was said about public
education. The roles should then be reversed as the members of the cooperative learning
group read the other oral interviews. Everyone in the group should have a turn as readers and
as listeners.
5) Once the activity is completed, the students should come to a consensus of the importance of
education to migrant farm workers and other immigrants.
6) The class should then share their findings.
35
Integrating Language:
Active listening is stressed throughout the cooperative learning activities, as are good speaking
and reading skills. Summary writing is emphasized as part of the listening skills.
Enrichment:
Students can be given excerpts of speeches made by Horace Mann, Benjamin Rush, and Thomas
Jefferson about public education.
36
Resources on Migrant Farm Workers/Laborers:
Juvenile Literature
Bunting, Eve. A Day’s Work. Clarion Books: New York, NY, 1994.
Brimner, Larry Dane. A Migrant Family. Lerner Publications Company: Minneapolis, MN,
1992.
Dorros, Arthur. Radio Man: A Story in English and Spanish. Harper Collins Children’s Books:
New York, NY, 1993.
Herrera, Juan Felipe. Calling the Doves.
Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child. University of New
Mexico, Albuquerque, NM: 1997.
Sullivan, Charles. ed. Here is My Kingdom: Hispanic-American Literature and Art for Young
People. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.: New York, 1994. Dedication and p. 82.
Other:
Atkins, Beth. Voices From the Fields: Children of Migrant Farm Workers.
Rivera, Tomás. …y no se lo tragó la tierra¨. Arte Publico Press: Houston, 1992.
Stanley, Jerry. Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp.
Crown Publishers, Inc.: New York, NY, 1992.
Valle, Isabel. Fields of Toil: A Migrant’s Family’s Journey. Washington State University Press,
Pullman, Washington: 1994.
Westridge Young Writers Workshop. Kids Explore America’s Hispanic Heritage. John Muir
Publications: Santa Fe, NM, 1992. pp. 18-20, 83-84, 93.
Play:
Gonzalez, Sylvia. The Migrant Farm Worker's Son: a Play in Two Acts.
Poetry:
Herrera, Juan Felipe. Laughing Out Loud, I Fly: Poems in English and Spanish. Joanna Cotler
Books (An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers): New York: NY, 1998.
An Overview:
This unit is a three - week study on the life of Francisco and the lives of migrant farm workers.
As a class and individually, students will read biographies on Francisco, stories of farm workers
who are their age, use the resources in the classroom and on the web, and create various projects
37
to highlight what they learn from this in-depth look at migrant farm workers and their leader,
César Chávez.
During the first week, the students will read, compare and contrast biographies on Francisco and
make a pictorial collage on his life. For the second and third week, they will produce and keep a
seven-day diary of a farm worker (a persona they will create) and write a Who Am I?/ ¿Quien
Soy Yo? poem. Also during this time, they will make the science, math and social studies
connections to agriculture and the lives of migrant farm workers. For the last week of the study,
the students will create a United States postal stamp to honor migrant farm workers.
A Play Script:
Taken from The Migrant Farm worker's Son: a Play in Two Acts by Sylvia Gonzalez.
Activity with Music and Poetry:
This activity is to be executed in the beginning of the third week. This activity is a good bridge
from the first week and the focus on César Chávez and the class activities and information on
agriculture and migrant life during the second week.
Poem taken from Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English by Alma Flor Ada:
César Chávez (poem in Spanish)
Ya tus pasos no cruzan los campos polvorientos
ni los alumbras con tu buena voz
pero tu ejemplo
y tu palabra
retoñan en los surcos
en brotes de callada esperanza.
César Chávez (poem in English)
Your steps no longer cross the dusty fields
where your strong voice once shown
yet your example
and your words
sprout anew in the field rows
as seedlings of quiet hope.
38
The song is based on the poem and sung by Suni Paz and Alma Flor Ada. This is on the
CD/cassette Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English.
Activity (can be modified for individual or class activity):
1. Show book cover and illustrations of book. What environment do they depict?
(Agricultural, that of a migrant farm worker). Show illustration from the book. What do
they see and how does it represent Francisco?
2. Read dedication of book to the students, "To my students… with gratitude for all they
have taught me about the lives of farm workers."
3. Read above poem and discuss how the author (Alma Flor Ada) describes César Chávez.
4. Focus on the adjectives in the poem (dusty, strong, and quiet). How do they describe
Francisco and migrant farm workers?
5. Listen to song on CD/cassette. Ask the students how they feel and what they imagine
listening to the CD.
6. Visual art extension: have students be the illustrator for the poem. Along with their
illustration, have them provide a narrative as to why they chose certain elements in their
design. How does it represent Francisco?
Two Language Arts Activities:
Activity 1: Read biographies of Francisco Jimenez and create a pictorial collage of his life
This activity is to be done during week 1. It can be done individually or as a small group of four
people.
Monday - Wednesday:
1. Discuss with students the qualities that make an extraordinary person: what they do for
others, what is their character, how does their life impact others' lives?
2. Direct the students to select one or more biographies on Francisco. They will look for the
details of his life that are common and not common in the biographies they have selected.
3. After they have read one or more of the biographies, direct them to answer the essential
question: What were the major events in his life and what made him an extraordinary
person? They should list at least ten events in his life.
Thursday - Friday:
4. Visual art extension: Direct students to gather these materials: poster board, glue, and
scissors. They will create a pictorial collage of the events they have listed. The students
may not use any words on their collage. Direct them to use their own drawings to
illustrate scenes from his life, cut and paste copies of pictures found in books in the
classroom, and pictures and images found on the web to completely cover their poster
board. As a final touch, they can use glitter, and small objects to decorate their collage.
39
Activity 2: Produce and keep a personal diary of a farm worker (fictional)
This activity will be executed during the second week. The duration of this writing assignment is
seven days. It should be done individually.
1. This week in class, whenever possible, read books and poems on migrant farm workers to the
students. Encourage the students to listen carefully to the kind of life they have. Direct them to
think about where and how they live, if the children go to school or work in the fields, what kind
of work they do, and how they feel about their work and themselves.
Monday - Friday:
2. Direct students to keep a fictional diary of a farm worker for seven days. They should create a
diary using the paper and material to cover the diary that is in the classroom. They should decide
if they are female or male, their age, where and how that person lives, what work they and their
family does, what is important to them, their dreams and what makes them happy and sad. After
reading aloud in class every day, have the students write in their diary as the person they have
created. They may also include drawings or pictures to add to what they have written.
Monday:
3. Students will write in their journal for the last day. Direct them to consider: How will you end
this week?
40
Visual Art Extension Activity: Create a U.S. postal stamp that honors
migrant farm workers.
This activity will become the culminating project of the unit. This activity should be done
individually. Students will place value on the contributions farm workers make to our economy.
1. Direct the students to gather these materials: then Design Your Own Stamp sheet, plain
white paper for rough sketch of drawing, colored pencils or crayons to draw.
2. Before the students begin their rough sketch of their drawing, have the students think
about why and how the work migrant farm workers do is important. What do they do that
is valuable?
3. Students make a rough sketch of what they will draw. Tell them to fill in the space of the
stamp completely.
4. Students meet with one other student to evaluate drawing and ask for suggestions. Direct
them to begin by saying at least one thing that they like about their drawing. Then they
should give the partner suggestions for improving the design.
5. Students complete final drawing on the Design Your Own Stamp sheet.
Cross Curricular Activities/Tie-Ins:
Language Arts:
Students will:
1. Read biographies on Francisco Jiménez.
2. Read aloud stories of migrant farm workers.
3. Produce and keep a diary of a farm worker (persona created by student).
4. Poetry reading on César Chávez found in Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and
English.
5. Write a Who Am I?/ ¿Quien Soy Yo? Poem on the farm worker persona created.
Math:
Students will solve math problems that deal with money, time, weight, distance, and area. These
problems will relate to the lives of migrant farm workers.
Examples:
1. If you are paid $.08 for a pound of picked chili, and it takes you 1 hour to pick one
pound, how much will you earn in 9 hours of picking chili?
2. What is the distance in miles between Yuma, AZ and Delano, CA? If gas costs $1.87 a
gallon, and your car drives 25 miles for every gallon, how much money will you need to
41
save for your family to make this trip? (Provide map and distance key and ruler to solve
problem).
3. If you have a field of strawberries that is 500 ft. x 600 ft. and in one day one person can
pick 8,000 square ft., how many days will it take ten workers to pick this field?
Science:
Students will review how crops (plants) are grown. Students will investigate and reflect on the
effects of pesticides on food, for the consumer and on the laborers. Students will examine why
do farmers use pesticides, what are the benefits and harmful effects of pesticides?
Social Studies:
Students will research and document the agricultural products of states in the southwest. Also,
students will investigate which crops are harvested by machines and which are still picked
manually. Finally, students will map the year's cycle of crops harvested by farm workers in the
United States (geography).
Spanish:
Spanish will be integrated with the poetry activities in this unit.
Activity: write a Who Am I?/ ¿Quien Soy Yo? poem.
This will be completed the third week of the unit. It should be done individually. Students will
reflect on the lives of migrant farm workers.
Tuesday - Thursday:
1. Direct students to follow this format:
Yo soy, ______(describe who you are, in English or in Spanish)______.
Yo vivo, ______(describe where and how you live, in English or in Spanish)_.
Yo trabajo, ____(describe the work you do, in English or in Spanish)___. (If you go to
school, replace with, Yo voy a la escuela, ___describe how it is to go to school).
Me importa, ___(describe what is important to you, in English or in Spanish)__.
Yo quiero, ___(describe what you wish for or want or need)______________.
Gracias, César Chávez, ____(for what would you thank César Chávez?)___.
2. Direct students to title their poem.
3. Direct students to type their poem on the computer and print it out.
4. Visual art extension: Students will create a frame for their poem using construction paper,
other materials, etc.
42
Art:
Students will:
1. Create a pictorial collage of the life of Francisco.
2. Illustrate the poem on César Chávez found in Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish
and English.
3. Design a United States postal stamp to honor migrant farm workers.
4. Create a diary and add artwork to entries.
Music:
Activity with poem on César Chávez found in Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and
English. Students will evaluate why the author and musician chose the words, and style of music
to portray César Chávez.
Evaluation of students
The projects will be evaluated on five criteria:
1. How does the project show what you know and the information you have gathered?
2. Creativity
3. Thoughtfulness
4. How well did you follow the directions?
5. Neatness
43
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Migration
History-Social Science Standard:
6.1.2 Students identify the locations of human communities that populated the major regions of
the world and describe how humans adapted to a variety of environments.
Setting the Context:
The migration patterns of early man that caused movement and population of geographical areas
and its correlation to the concept of present - day migrant farming.
Focus Question:
What is migration and how does migration affect people today?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will explain the concept of migration, how this concept is related to migration in
farming today and how the César E. Chávez family coped with migration.
Assessment:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of migration by charting on a map the origins of
their families.
Key Concepts:
Migration
Essential Vocabulary:
glacier
migration
land bridges
ancestors
hunter-gatherer
bands
Ice Age
mobility
Primary Sources:
Internet, textbook, diaries, first-hand accounts, family records.
Motivation:
Millions of years ago huge sheets of ice called glaciers covered large areas of the earth, perhaps
the area where you live; this period was called the Ice Age. Because of the glaciers the level of
water dropped, land bridges emerged to allow hunters to follow their prey to virtually all areas of
44
the world. These early hunters didn't know it, but they were on a migration. That is what you
are going to do, go on a migration.
Make location signs: Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. Have
all the students assemble at Africa. Give each student a folded slip of paper with one of the
continent signs on the card or paper. Most of the cards/papers should have Europe and Asia on
them. Have some cards with North and South America. Have the students move/migrate every
two minutes, allow the students to freely visit every time they move. You may want to provide
fruits and vegetables at the North and South America locations. Be creative, this should be a fun
activity. The movement can also be done outside.
Making Connections:
Mobility was very important to hunters and gatherers. It is still an important component in some
work today. Discuss with students workers who are still mobile such as farm workers, sales
representatives, truck drivers, and professional athletes.
Vocabulary Activities:
Students will be given a skill page displaying vocabulary. They will complete the definitions
through inference during classroom discussion and dictionary usage.
Guided Instruction:
Students listen to teacher or fellow student reading of the Chapter 3 “Trabajadores”. Hold
discussion about the hardships of migrant workers and make connections to the lesson outcome.
After discussion, students pair up to compare answers on vocabulary skill sheet and look up any
vocabulary not defined. Teacher assigns home activity (see enrichment).
Integrating Language:
Students will listen to teacher’s introduction, read the textbook, participate in class discussion,
and interview family members or neighbors. If there is no family or neighbor to interview, view
farm worker interview on CDE Web site and use that information for your interview.
Enrichment:
Students will interview family members or neighbors and chart on a map the origin of his or her
family and their migration to their current location. Students will bring this information back to
class to be recorded on a classroom map displaying all students’ information.
45
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Impact of Pesticides/Herbicides on Farm Workers
History-Social Science Standard:
6.2.2 Students trace the development of agriculture techniques that permitted the production of
economic surplus and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power.
Setting the Context:
As farming techniques progressed through time, chemical pesticides and fertilizers become
essential to high production of crops. Unfortunately, these same chemicals also pose a health
threat to underground water supply, consumers, and the farm workers who harvest the crops.
Focus Question:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of pesticides?
How can we strive to maintain a safe and just food supply?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
The students will compare the positive and negative effects of chemical fertilizer and pesticide
use.
Students will offer suggestions on how to maintain a safe and just food supply.
Assessment:
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.
Students will (verbal or written) offer suggestions on how to maintain a safe and just food
supply.
Key Concepts:
Fertilizers and pesticides provide a benefit to the farming industry, but also create significant
risks to the water supply, animals, and humans.
Essential Vocabulary:
pesticides
herbicides
fertilizers
organisms
cancer
pollute
production
immigrate
46
Primary Sources:
Textbook, Internet, pictures of workers and the fields being sprayed from the CDE Web site.
Procedure:
Motivation:
Show pictures or bring to class: apples, strawberries, grapes, peaches, corn – foods we love to
eat. Every day these foods, and many others, are being sprayed with toxic chemicals that affect
the food organisms and the farm workers that grow and pick the food we eat. Is the food we eat
safe? How do we know?
Making Connections:
Discuss with students these four themes:
Respect for the Earth:
Because of their intimate relationship with the earth, farm workers and growers can provide a
perspective unlike any other members of our society.
Farm Workers:
Farm workers historically portray the struggle or workers for basic human rights.
Social Responsibility:
The history of immigrants has been shaped by real individuals acting on their beliefs and values,
and for a democratic and just society.
Service Learning:
Service Learning, when implemented in a way that connects classroom content and skills to
meeting actual community needs, will improve the community and society.
Vocabulary Activities:
Vocabulary words will be placed on the board. Students will keep a vocabulary journal to define
the words from class discussion and research. Students will complete a vocabulary skills sheet.
Guided Instruction:
1) Anticipatory question (refer to motivation)
2) Discuss Group Projects: Electing a group leader, define the group problem, divide the
problem, select sub-committee leaders, research and hold sub-committee meetings,
reassemble the entire class, and hold group presentations.
3) Assign the Group Project task: Is the food we eat safe?
4) Allow 2-4 days to research the task. Have group presentations.
47
Integrating Language:
Students will listen to teacher’s introduction, do research on the Internet, participate in group and
class discussion, and complete the vocabulary skill sheet.
Recommend students go to the Internet and search “Environmental organizations dealing with
pesticides.” There are thousands of organizations dealing with the environment. Two
recommended sites are: yourplanetearth.org and emagazine.com. The emagazine.com site has a
very powerful link that allows you to find out who is polluting in your backyard. From the
Environmental Defense’s SCORECARD, you can type your zip code and find out how your
county scores compared with the rest of the nation.
Enrichment:
Students will do research on cancer. Two sites are recommended: healthfinder.gov- Type
CANCER, then press Go, over 200 cancer links for research. This Web site is totally translated
in Spanish; you need to press Espanol.
Other search engines can be accessed by typing CANCER, then press Search to display many
useful research links such as the American Cancer Society, Ask NOAH about cancer, OncoLink,
Outlook, and many others.
Assessment:
Service Learning
Have students volunteer to support the Dream Foundation of Santa Barbara, California. The
mission of the Dream Foundation is: To enhance the quality of life for individuals and families
battling terminal illnesses.
The Dream Foundation is the first and only national wish-granting organization for adults ages
eighteen to sixty-five. The majority of dreams granted involve children whose parents are
desperately trying to create one final positive memory for their family to hold onto after they are
gone. Fundraising in your classroom or school, such as penny jars will help with the cash
donations needed to help make dreams come true.
The Dream Foundation Flower Empowerment Program is wonderful opportunity for students to
show the caring for others that typifies the life of César E. Chávez. Flower Empowerment is a
weekly delivery outreach to individuals who are catastrophically ill who have been referred to
the Dream Foundation by health-care facilities, hospices, and hospitals. Flower Empowerment
delivers fresh flowers (donated by flower vendors) and cards (made by school children) to well
over 60 individuals and families, living in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles area. They could
deliver many more if more schools and school students volunteered.
The following guidelines will help your students:

Messages are to be nongender specific and without reference to age or generation.

No reference to religion or religious affiliation.
48
Skills Sheet – Pesticides
Name_______________
Date________________
Choose the best word from the word list to match each meaning. Then write the word in the
blank.
Pesticides
Pollute
Fertilizers
Service Learning
Organisms
Production
Cancer
Immigrate
1. Any living being_______________
2. To make or render unclean_______________
3. A malignant growth of tissue_______________
4. A teaching method that connects classroom learning to meeting community
needs_______________
5. The making of goods available for human wants______________
6. Moving from a country to settle permanently elsewhere _______________
7. Any substance used to kill small insects and plant life_______________
8. Any substance used to enrich the soil_______________
49
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Farming as a Way of Life
History-Social Science Standard:
6.2.2 Students trace the development of agriculture techniques that permitted the production of
economic surplus and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power.
Setting the Context:
The development of settled communities led to the domestication of plants and animals.
Learning to control/work with their environment made possible the beginning of agriculture, or
farming. With the arrival of agriculture, not everyone was needed all day in the fields to raise
food for the group. Therefore, others explored other occupations becoming toolmakers, builders,
fishers, crafts persons, priests, and leaders. The farming was eventually left to the farmers. As
farming developed, workers were needed to assist in the farming. Often conditions were not
favorable for these workers.
Focus Question:
What are some of the problems and solutions facing farm workers today?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will explain the difficulties experienced by farm workers that led to the development of
the rights and regulations we have today.
Assessment:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the plight of farm workers by completing a
problem/solution “T” chart. This chart will list several problems facing farm workers today,
along with their solutions.
Essential Vocabulary:
wages
strike
picket line
boycott
United Farm Workers Union
Teamsters Union
fast
nonviolence
50
Procedure:
Motivation:
What are the most critical problems in the fields? What are the problems that you learned from
the video or book? How can the plight in the fields be corrected?
Making Connections:
Farming gradually developed as a result of specialization and knowledge of working with the
environment. Successful farming practices brought about the need for additional farm help.
Possible questions: Why do people end up working for wages on land owned by others? Why
don't farm workers have their own farms? Why do growers pay farm workers very low wages?
In the 1960s and 1970s there was turmoil in the fields, why was the philosophy and strategy of
nonviolence used by César E. Chávez so important? Discuss the problems that plague farm
workers and present day solutions to these problems.
Vocabulary Activities:
Vocabulary words will be placed on the board. Students will keep a vocabulary journal to define
the words from class discussions, videos, and guest speakers. At the culmination of this lesson,
students will be given a word/definition match skill sheet to demonstrate their understanding of
the vocabulary.
Guided Instruction:
How can the plight in the fields be corrected? Show and discuss the video.
Teacher places a model “T” chart on the board displaying problems/solutions of farmers and
farm workers. A few problems/solutions are completed together as a class. Students are
instructed to make a chart of their own and fill in additional problems/solutions as derived from
textbook/videos/class discussion. Some key problems should be: very low wages, poor working
standards, no drinking water, no portable toilets, corrupt contractors, and so forth.
Guest speaker gives insight into the problems/solutions of farmers and farm workers. Classroom
discussion ensues, with students participating in questioning the speaker.
Students continue to fill in their “T” chart.
Integrating Language:
Students will listen to teacher’s introduction, read textbook, watch video, participate in
classroom discussions, listen to guest speaker, and complete a “T” chart.
Enrichment:
Interview a grower or farm worker to learn more about farming as a way of life. Use the
following guidelines in your interview:
51
1) Arranging the interview: The key is to establish rapport with the potential interviewee.
2) Setting up the location of the interview: Choose as quiet a location as possible.
3) The interview process: An oral history interview is not a general dialogue. The purpose of
the interview is to listen to what the interviewee has to say to stimulate the narrative with
understanding comments and intelligent questions. Ask open-ended questions first, waiting
to see where they lead.
4) Possible themes: family, migration, childhood, job history, strikes, and unions.
5) Possible questions: What were some of the problems that you faced as a farm worker? How
did these problems affect your family? Were the problems ever resolved?
52
Farming Skill Sheet
Name__________________
Date____________________
Choose the best word to match each meaning below. Write the word in the blank.
Wages
strike
United Farm Workers Union
picket line
boycott
Teamsters Union
fast
nonviolence
1. Person posted by a union at a place of work affected by a strike________________
2. To quit work in order to obtain a change in a job or situation_________________
3. Pay given for work done__________________
4. Philosophy of César E. Chávez: "it is hard work, the willingness to sacrifice, and the
patience to win"__________________
5. A labor organization primarily dealing with transportation and drivers_______________
6. To abstain from food, for César Chávez a form of protest__________________
7. A farm workers' union founded in 1962 by César Chávez__________________
8. Concerted action used to stop the buying of certain items_________________
53
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Understanding Surplus
History-Social Science Standard:
6.2.2 Students trace the development of agriculture techniques that permitted the production of
economic surplus and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power.
Setting the Context:
As farming techniques advanced through time, surplus goods became available for trade or for
profit. This surplus allowed farmers to trade for necessities and luxuries they couldn’t produce.
The greater yields required additional workers in order to harvest the crops in an efficient,
productive manner. Farmers hired workers who migrated from other areas in order to secure
employment.
Focus Question:
What is a surplus?
Who is involved in the production/harvest of this surplus?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will explain the concept of surplus and its relationship to economic profit.
Key Concepts:
Surplus and its impact on Migrant Farm Workers.
Essential Vocabulary:
surplus
migrant farm worker
supply/demand
technology
trade
profit
scarcity.
Primary Sources:
Textbook, photos from the CDE Web site, and first account from workers on the CDE Web site.
Internet: CDE Web site (farm worker interview video), transcripts (look under documents)
54
Procedure:
Motivation:
What do you do when you have too much of something? Pretend that you have a small garden
where you are growing tomatoes. The weather has been warm, you have tended your garden
well providing water and fertilizers, and you have kept all of the weeds away. Your garden is a
whopping success! You have given tomatoes to your relatives, neighbors, and friends, and you
still have so many tomatoes. What are you going to do with them? You are a great success,
shouldn't you be rewarded?
Making Connections:
As farming techniques improved, farmers grew more produce than they could use, creating a
surplus. A surplus meant success, more money for growers, but not everyone shared in the
success, more money - a surplus. In reference to surplus, César E. Chávez said, "Farm workers
are involved in the planting and the cultivation and the harvesting of the greatest abundance
[surplus] of food known in this society. They bring in so much food to feed you and me and the
whole country and enough food to export to other places. The ironic thing and the tragic thing is
that after they make this tremendous contribution, they don't have any money or any food left for
themselves."
Vocabulary Activities:
Students continue to list and define teacher given vocabulary in their vocabulary journals. (Refer
to farming lesson)
Guided Instruction:
In our wonderful, successful tomato garden you did all the work in the garden and you owned the
land, you were both grower and farm worker. But in the real world of agriculture, the grower
and the farm worker are not the same and that is the problem. Let us first review surplus and
then discuss the plight of the farm worker.
Students/teacher read and discuss text pages 132-143 and make connections to the key concept:
Surplus and its impact on farm workers. Teacher assigns students to complete the flow chart
from page 143. Students should work independently or in small groups.
To review the plight of the farm worker, watch or read one of the following: The Fight in the
Fields: César Chávez and the Farm Worker Movement; (Fighting for Our Lives, The United
Farm Workers' 1973 Grape Strike); Ferriss, Susan and Sandoval, Richard. The Fight in the
Fields, César Chávez and the Farm workers Movement (Chapter 6: Blood in the Fields)
Discuss the video or reading and list the problems of the farm workers.
Integrating Language:
Students will listen to teacher’s introduction, read textbook, participate in classroom discussions,
and complete a flow chart, interview a farm worker, or grower.
55
Enrichment:
Interview a grower or a farm worker and share your interview with the class. Use the following
guidelines for your interview:
1) Arranging the interview: The key is to establish rapport with the potential interviewee.
2) Setting up the location of the interview: Choose as quiet a location as possible.
3) The interview process: An oral history interview is not a general dialogue. The purpose of
the interview is to listen to what the interviewee has to say and to stimulate the narrative with
understanding comments and intelligent questions. Ask open-ended questions first, waiting
to see where they lead.
4) Possible themes: family, migration, childhood, job history, education, and unions.
56
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Our Common Ground
History-Social Science Standard:
8.8.5 Discuss Mexican settlements and their locations, cultural traditions, attitudes toward
slavery, land-grant system, and economies.
Setting the Context:
Mexican American “pilgrims” of Delano marched to Sacramento and demonstrated that cultural
community demand for justice, freedom, and respect. César E. Chávez began in San Jose where
“house meetings” got Mexican Americans first talking about civic rights and registering them to
vote and moving them toward a sense of community and “union consciousness.” This tradition
dates back to the Spanish and Mexican ideas of community property in the Southwest. These
ideas became laws that entitled farmers, “parciantes,” to share water and provided property
protections for women and children.
Focus Question:
What is community?
How is it formed?
Why do we need these groups in a democracy?
Assessment:
Have the students create a visual diagram of all the important communities and the historic role
of the Mexican American communities to which they belong.
Through class discussion, students will explain how the U.S. has inherited more than language
and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Key Concepts:
communities
culture
values
Essential Vocabulary:
liberty
collaboration
pilgrim
community
egalitarian (one who believes in human equality)
57
Primary Sources:
Ross, Fred, Conquering Goliath: César Chávez at the Beginning El Taller Grafico Press,
Kenne, CA 1989, page 99.
Procedure:
Motivation:
Quotes:
“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” - Indira Gandhi
“We can choose to use our lives for others to bring about a better and more just world for our
children.” César E. Chávez
Making Connections:
Economics: Tradition of Acequias for 400 years: sharing a precious resource for mutual benefit.
Geography: The landscape of the Southwest and Pacific Regions
Vocabulary Activities:
1) Use the new vocabulary in sentences.
2) Put them on 3x5-inch cards for easy reference.
Guided Instruction:
What is a community? Lead a discussion brainstorming on this topic. It’s more than a
geographic locality where people live together under the same government; it can also be things
like common interests or a feeling.
Have the students create a visual diagram of all the important communities to which they belong.
For example, have them print their own name on an individual sheet of paper. Then have them
write the names of communities they feel they belong to on separate circles of paper. Example
labels can be suggested like: family, country, school, neighborhood, organization, club, church,
apartment building, Internet community, sports team, and so forth.
Have them arrange the circles so that those communities most important to the student are
closest to the student’s name, and those least important farthest away. How might the
importance of these different communities change? Have them arrange the circles according to
how they felt when they were younger and how they predict they might feel in the future. What
communities might be added or removed in the future?
Have them create a circle for those students in the classroom. Have them write the names of
people with smaller letters into the different community circles. Note any classmates’ names
that might be shared in more than one circle.
58
What if the students had been born hundreds of years ago, or some other period of history you’ve
been studying? Would the list of communities be different? Why? Conjecture on what
communities would be important to a person from another time. Use the textbook chapter to
examine community importance during the nineteenth century and how the development of our
country was aided by this social structure. Make the contemporary connection for the students
with César’s story.
Integrating Language:
Write a poem or short essay using terms from the American civil rights movements:
Injustice
Freedom
Segregation
sit-in
boycott
civil rights
nonviolence
passive resistance
racism
brotherhood
oppression
creed
equality
martyr
dream
59
Enrichment:
Research the “Acequia” system in New Mexico where communities have shared water for
centuries.
Assessment:
Assignment: Research a local person who you admire for their commitment to democracy or
building common ground through collaboration.
Research guide - Biography data sheet (You may use this as a guide when you research a
personality from the history of your town.)
1) What is the personality’s name? When and where were they born? If applicable, when and
where did they die?
2) What were the most important experiences in this person’s life?
3) What local contributions did this person make? How did this person help in the development
of the city? Or how did this person lead his or her ethnic group?
Service Learning:
Neighborhood issues
How are people joining together to resolve these issues?
What community resources do we have today? With a partner, interview representatives from
these community groups (police officer, park ranger, club president). Name a problem they dealt
with?
How did it come up? How were citizens involved in solving it? (Videotape interviews if
possible.)
This is a list of possible community problems that offer service opportunities ideas:
community gardens
voter registration
helping seniors
transportation
homelessness
AIDS
suicide prevention
60
farm and food issues
traffic and safety
hate crimes
endangered species
parks
drinking and driving
teen support groups
graffiti
animal rights
eating disorders
61
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
The Industrial Revolution and the Formation of Unions
Unit of Study:
Industrial Revolution
History-Social Science Standard:
10.3 Students analyze the effects of the Industrial Revolution in England, France, Germany,
Japan, and the United States
10.3.4 4 Trace the evolution of work and labor, including the demise of the slave trade and the
effects of immigration, mining and manufacturing, division of labor, and the union movement.
Setting the Context:
The Industrial Revolution in Europe during the nineteenth century had a profound effect on all
aspects of life. The move from a cottage system to a machine-driven industry affected the
workingman and his family in all aspects of life.
Family units often worked the factories. Women and children were used for the most demanding
jobs in the workplace. Many drug coal cars in the coal mines of England. Fathers, in the
meantime, would use picks and shovels to get at the coal. In the textile factories, children
worked for their parents at such jobs as picking up waste and fixing the most dangerous parts of
machinery.
These working conditions, coupled with very low wages, pushed workers to unite. Groups in
Great Britain formed worker associations that represented the interests of the workers in various
industries. The associations eventually turned into labor unions. These unions, however, ran
into serious problems in the beginning. In both France (1791) and Britain (1799 and 1800), laws
were passed to ban unions. It would not be until much later that the idea of unions would be
recognized.
Focus Questions:
What were the working conditions like during the Industrial Revolution?
How do people handle bad working and living conditions?
Have workers in California and the United States experienced these bad working conditions?
What did they do?
What are some of the conditions farm workers endure?
62
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will identify the reasons why unions are formed and specifically why the UFW was
formed. Students will apply these reasons to a variety of working situations in their area.
Students will compare and contrast why unions started during the Industrial Revolution and why
César E. Chávez started the UFW.
Key Concepts:
unions
industrial revolution
Essential Vocabulary:
union
collective bargaining
strike
Le Chapelier Law
Combination Act
Primary Sources:
History of the Farm Worker Movement, Fred Ross Sr. at Dayton, Ohio. October 1974, Part I
Background.
Address by César E. Chávez, The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, November 9, 1984
Visuals:
Pictures of women and girls in coal mines during the Industrial Revolution
Pictures of housing in migrant farm worker camps
Picture of farm workers in the fields
Procedure:
Motivation:
Tell the students that they will receive a certain number of bonus points if they can complete
cutting out a given number of letters in 10 minutes. If they do not accomplish it, they will be
penalized and will receive a 0 for the day. Have students cut out letters from construction paper
to very specific standards. These letters must be perfect. Give them 10 minutes to complete a
virtually impossible number to complete. Only one or two people, of your choosing, should
receive the points.
*Teacher’s Note: Ensure that, at the end of the lesson, the students understand this was only a
ploy to make them feel the part of the worker.
Vocabulary Activities:
Create a vocabulary journal of the new words and concepts as the lesson develops. The class
should discuss the terms and concepts at the end to make sure that the correct meanings are
realized.
63
Guided Instruction:
1) Do the Motivation activity above.
2) Ask the students how they felt about the letter cutting exercise and have them write it down.
3) Students should have read the appropriate material from their textbook on the Industrial
Revolution and the teacher has provided additional information from the Setting the Context.
4) Have the students look at the pictures and discuss what they see. After completing the
discussion, give the students the two primary documents from the given primary material
source.
5) HOMEWORK: Have the students look around in their own area or nationally in areas where
there is the potential to unionize. Report back to the class with at least one visual aide (e.g.,
poster, workers hat) on their findings.
6) Students will write an essay comparing and contrasting why unions were formed in the
Industrial Revolution and why the UFW was formed.
Enrichment:
1) Students can gain more understanding of the formation of the UFW by reading the high
school biography of César E. Chávez on the CDE Web site.
2) Debate panel discussion - with those who might be opposed to unions forming. What are
their reasons to oppose?
3) Research the Factory Act of 1833 and others that helped European workers in the nineteenth
century.
Integrating Language:
1) Pre-reading skills will activate prior knowledge through classroom discussion.
discussion will be used in reviewing the primary source documents.
Active
2) Speaking and listening skills will also be used when students share their findings on potential
unionization with the class.
3) Writing skills will enhance through comparison essay that makes historical connections.
Service Learning:
Identify the Problem
Many people in the community do not know the history of the UFW or traditional unions.
64
Develop a Plan
Brainstorm the best way to help people learn the history of these unions. You will want to
research the history of unions in your area as well as the UFW. If there are no unions in your
area, you may want to research why there are none.
Initiate Action
Follow through with developing the history in the format of your choosing. Present the end
product to the unions, business organizations, and to area libraries.
Reflection
Students will review their product and, if possible, have professionals in the particular media
area also review their material. They will then write a short narrative piece on their feelings
about what they found and what they did not find.
65
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Francisco Jimenez Biography Boards
Unit of Study:
United States History
History-Social Science Standards:
11.10 Students will analyze the development of Federal civil rights and voting rights.
11.10.5 5 Discuss the diffusion of the civil rights movement of African Americans from the
churches of the rural South and the urban North, including the resistance to racial desegregation
in Little Rock and Birmingham, and how the advances influenced the agendas, strategies, and
effectiveness of the quests of Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans for
civil rights and equal opportunities.
Focus Question:
Who was Francisco Jimenez, and what were his achievements?
Assessment:
Working in groups of 5-6, students will create biography boards representing various aspects of
Francisco’s life. Students will be assessed based on the quality of their projects and their oral
presentations according to the rubric provided.
Key Concepts:
commitment
community
compassion
civil rights
civic action
culture
Democracy
dignity
empowerment
equality
fairness
generosity
honesty
66
hope
justice
leadership
motivation
nonviolence
organizing
power
respect
sacrifice
service
struggle
unity
Essential Vocabulary:
drought
migrant
Pachuco
Zoot suit
Sal Si Puedes
empowerment
strike
volunteerism
boycott
fast
labor contractor
collective bargaining
representational election
short-handled hoe
Agricultural Labor Relations Act
injunctions
Community Service Organization
Guided Instruction:
After introducing the lesson as described under Vocabulary Activity and Motivation, break the
class into groups of 5-6 students. Either assign or allow groups to choose the aspect of
Francisco's life they will research. Hand out the assignment sheets to each group. There are
separate assignment sheets for each topic. Next, hand out the illustrations of the biography board
and explain your expectations based on the rubric. The remainder of the period can be used for
groups to meet, choose a group leader, recorder, and supplies person, and discuss their
assignment sheet.
67
Homework:
Students can begin their research at home. If they have computers, they can browse the
California Department of Education website, or they can look through the section of their
textbook that corresponds to the time period of Francisco’s life that their group is researching.
They should look for historical events that relate to their topic and can be incorporated into their
time line.
DAY 2-4 Students will be conducting research in the computer lab using the Francisco’s
website.
DAY 5 Students will assemble their biography boards and prepare their oral presentations.
DAY 6-7 Each group will present its biography board to the rest of the class. The teacher will
lead a discussion in which students summarize their research. They should answer the question,
who was Francisco Jimenez, and what were his achievements?
Integrating Language:
Students must listen to the instructions and to their fellow students during group work and class
discussion. They will utilize their speaking abilities in both classroom discussion and their oral
presentations to the class. Students will be asked to research both primary and secondary sources
as part of the computer lab research component. Students will write captions for their pictures
and historical summaries of key events on their time line and each student will write a one-page
essay on their biography board.
Enrichment:
1) Students could construct a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Francisco Jimenez with
another author.
2) Students could take notes during the group presentations and write a brief summary of the
research completed by each of the other groups.
Students could read a biography about Francisco.
Assessment:
The finished product will be a biography board created by each group. These boards will
represent their research on Francisco, and each board will represent a different aspect of
Francisco’s life. A rubric is provided for assessment of each student's contribution to the
biography boards. Teachers may assign points for group work, as well as for contributions
during class discussion. All individual contributions to the biography boards will be mounted on
color-coded paper for ease of grading.
Service Learning:
1) Students could volunteer in elementary classrooms as tutors, class aides, or "book buddies"
for English Language Learner students.
2) Students could volunteer at elementary schools as after school playground/gym supervisors.
68
3) Students could volunteer in pre-school/Head Start programs to help disadvantaged children
and serve as mentors and role models.
4) Students could set up a homework club at Community Centers or at elementary schools in
poor neighborhoods.
Reflection on Service Learning:
After completing any of the activities above, students should take time to reflect and write their
experiences. They should try and focus on identifying the goals of the activity and whether they
felt they were successful in accomplishing them. Students should also note any personal feelings
and experiences that occurred during the activity.
69
Francisco Jiménez
BIOGRAPHY BOARD GROUP ASSESSMENT
GROUP # _______________
NAMES OF STUDENTS IN GROUP:
1._____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
4. ____________________________________
5. ____________________________________
6. ____________________________________
Possible
Points
1. Title: Spelling and neatness
2. Introductory Statement
Quality of writing and thoroughness of content
5
10
3. Map Representative of topic
Content of caption and explanation of historical significance
4. Pictures: Representative of topic
Content of captions and accuracy of information
5. Quotes: Appropriate for topic
Content of captions and accuracy of analysis
6. Time line:
Neatness and Presentation accurately shows passage of time
5
5
Entry captions contain appropriate and accurate information
10
10
10
10
10
15
Accuracy of dates for historical events
7. Papers: Thoroughly cover topic
10
10
Quality and accuracy of content
8 Overall Presentation: Well organized, neatly constructed
10
10
Interesting and informative
10
130
TOTAL
GRADE _________
EXTRA CREDIT: Going beyond minimal assignment
20 points possible
70
Earned
Points
Francisco Jiménez
BIOGRAPHY BOARD INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT
GROUP # ______________
NAME OF STUDENT:
________________________________________________
COLOR OF MOUNTING:
___________________________________________________________
1. Participation: Contribution to group
2. Time on Task: Use of research time
3. Class Discussion: Ideas and involvement
4. Pictures: Representative of topic
Quality of captions and accuracy of information
5. Quotes: Appropriate for topic
Quality of captions and accuracy of information
6. Time line: Entry captions contain appropriate and accurate information
Accuracy of dates for historical events
7. Visual Presentation: Organization and neatness of entries
8. Oral Presentation: Summary of paper, pictures, and quotations
TOTAL POINTS
Possible
Points
10
10
10
5
10
5
10
15
5
10
10
100
Extra Credit: Going beyond minimal assignment
20 points possible
71
GRADE _______
Earned
Points
The Circuit
Lesson Title:
Agricultural Workers and Their Wages 1910-1995
History- Social Sciences Standard:
12.4 1 Understand the operation of the U.S. labor market, including the circumstances
surrounding the establishment of principal American labor unions, effects of unionization
and minimum wage laws.
12.4 2 Describe the current economy and labor market, the effects of technological
change and international competition.
12.4 3 Discuss wage difference among jobs using the laws of supply and demand and the
concept of productivity.
Focus Question:
Did the laws of supply and demand apply to agricultural wages between 1910-1995?
Why/Why not?
Expected Learning Outcomes:
Students will understand that the wages of agricultural workers have been affected by
war, depression, natural disasters, "guest workers," inflation, technological changes,
government action, international trade, and unionization.
Key Concepts:
Supply and demand, depression, inflation, costs of production, mechanization,
unionization government regulation negative externalities, and minimum wages
Essential Vocabulary:
Dust Bowl
National Labor Relations Act of 1935
Collective Bargaining
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939
Bracero Program
The United Farm Workers Union (UFW)
California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA)
Primary Sources:
The chart of farm labor statistics from the National Agricultural Service. Also, a history
of César Chávez and the United Farm Workers Union is available on the web. Note that
this includes the passage of the California ALRA and the accomplishments of the UFW.
Visuals:
The chart representing the number of farm workers and their wages between 1910-1995.
72
Procedure:
Motivation:
After the class finishes the section of the chapter on labor that deals with wages as a
function of supply and demand, ask students the following questions:
1. Are there factors other than demand that influence wages?
2. Do the wages of farm workers follow the same pattern as those of industrial workers?
3. How have factors such as war, depression, natural disasters, government intervention,
mechanization, unionization, inflation, and international trade agreements influence
the demand for workers and their wages?
If the teacher decides to use the computer lab to make this lesson interactive, the
motivation will be the challenge to figure out the correct answer. If the teacher
decides to make this a written exercise, students can be assigned to teams and
compete to see which team can answer the most questions correctly.
Making Connections:
Students should have knowledge of U.S. history in the 20th century and the history of
organized labor. An understanding of the terms on the vocabulary list is essential if
students are to successfully complete this lesson
Vocabulary Activities:
Duplicate the vocabulary list with definitions. After students read the definitions the
teacher should lead a discussion on the significance of each term.
Guided Instruction:
This is intended as a one-day lesson on agriculture labor and the effects of the United
Farm Workers Union on agricultural wages. After the vocabulary activity, which should
take fifteen minutes, the class can either go to the computer lab for an interactive lesson,
or they can work in teams of three or four students to answer the questions. Students will
be given charts of agricultural workers and wages 1910-1995, and the vocabulary list.
Integrating Language:
Students will be required to read the vocabulary definitions and to interpret the statistical
charts. They will be listening to instructions and the discussion of vocabulary terms.
They will be writing their answers to the questions or they will be reading the answer on
the website.
Enrichment:
Teachers may assign students to do research on the United Farm Workers using the César
E. Chávez website. Possible topics are as follows:
73
1. How and when was the UFW organized?
2. What tactics did the union use to gain contracts?
3. What wages and conditions existed in agricultural labor before and after the
establishment of the UFW?
4. What was the California ALRA, and how successful was it in resolving agriculture
labor disputes?
5. How did grower use of pesticides constitute a negative effect?
6. What effect would the resumption of a "guest worker" program have on the wages of
farm workers?
Assessment:
The teacher will assess student understanding of these concepts through class discussion
and by reading students written answers to the questions.
Service Learning:
Students could organize "gleaner" groups to go to local farmers' markets and ask farmers
at the end of the market to donate their left over produce to the food bank or homeless
kitchen. Students could contact local organizations that provide food for the needy and
get certificates authorizing them to collect food. If they live in rural areas, students could
go to packing sheds and ask if they could have "seconds," fruit or vegetables with slight
blemishes. They could "glean" the fields or orchards after the last picking or harvest. If
they have a letter of authorization or a letter identifying them as members of a school
group, they might be better received.
74
The Number of Farm Workers in the U.S. and Wage Rates for Agricultural
Workers, 1910-1995.
Question 1
Why did the number of farm workers reach its height between 1916-1918?
Answer: During World War I, the U.S. provided food for the Allies, and the Food
Administration within the Federal Government encouraged farmers to increase
production by offering price supports. As American farmers expanded production, they
required more workers.
Question 2
Why did the number of farm workers decline between 1919-1929
Answer: At the end of World War I, there was a decline in demand for American
agricultural products. Since farmers had increased production during the war, by 1919
there was an over supply in the world market. The agricultural sector entered a
prolonged depression during the 1920s resulting in a declining demand for farm workers.
Question 3
Why did the number of farm workers continue to decline between 1929 and 1939?
Answer: With the Stock Market crash of 1929, the Great Depression began. The
depression was worldwide, and the demand for agricultural products continued to
decline. Also, in the mid 1930s, a prolonged drought, resulting in the Dust Bowl, drove
many farmers off their land, and many of them became migrant workers. As the number
of farms decreased, the demand for farm workers also declined.
Question 4
Why did the steepest decline in numbers of farm workers occur between 1939-1942?
Answer: Many men and women engaged in agricultural work in 1939 soon found higher
paying jobs in shipyards and defense plants. By 1942, millions were joining the Armed
Services. Farmers had an increasingly difficult time finding a sufficient number of farm
workers between 1939-1942.
Question 5
Why did the number of farm workers temporarily increase between 1943-1950?
Answer: In 1942, the Federal Government introduced the Bracero Program that allowed
growers to bring in Mexican nationals as "guest workers" to work in the fields. They
filled the wartime need for farm workers, and temporarily reused the number of
agricultural laborers. World War II created an increased demand for agricultural
products, and also an increased demand for farm workers. Wartime government imposed
wage and price controls kept farm wages low. The farm lobby was successful in
convincing Congress to extend the Bracero Program in the post-war years.
75
Question 6
Why did farm wages decline between 1919-1937?
Answer: With a declining demand for agricultural products and a surplus of men and
woman seeking work, farm wages declined. As the nation entered the Great Depression,
all wages were lowered
Question 7
Why didn't farm wages increase after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of
1935, as industrial wages began to do?
Answer: The NLRA of 1935 only provided industrial workers the right to organize unions
and enter into collective bargaining. Farm workers and domestic workers were exempted
as part of the political compromise required to pass the act.
Question 8
Why did it take farm workers until 1980 to earn the national minimum wage, if the Fair
Labor Standards Act of 1939 had established a minimum wage for workers?
Answer: Farm workers and domestics were excluded from coverage of the minimum
wage under the FLSA of 1939. Only industrial and other non-farm workers were covered
and their wages increased far more rapidly than farm workers.
Question 9
Why did the number of farm workers decline after 1950?
Answer: By the 1950s, mechanization of agriculture and the introduction of chemical
fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides began increasing agricultural productivity and
reduced the need for farm workers. Also, world wide agricultural production increased
after World War II. With increased competition from foreign countries, the number of
farms in the U.S. declined and the number of farm workers decreased.
Question 10
How did the Federal Government help reduce the number of farm workers between 19651970?
Answer: In 1965, the Federal Government terminated the Bracero Program that had
allowed growers to bring in Mexican Nationals as "guest workers". Also, State and
Federal research grants resulted in the further mechanization of agriculture, as
exemplified by the development of the tomato harvester at the University of California at
Davis. Thus, government subsidies to farmers resulted m the displacement of farm
workers.
76
Question 11
Why did the wages of farm workers rise rapidly between 1965-1975?
Answer: A variety of factors may account for this rise. In California, César Chávez and
the United Farm Worker Union were putting pressure on growers to agree to contracts
raising farm workers' wages. The Vietnam War and increased government spending
caused inflation. The oil crisis of the 1970s further increased inflation. Also, the end of
the Bracero Program in 1965 created a greater demand for domestic farm workers, and
forced growers to offer higher wages. Finally, increases in the minimum wage resulted in
higher wages for the lowest paid workers.
Question 12
Why did agricultural wages increase dramatically between 1975 end 1990?
Answer: After 13 years of labor disputes between the United Farm Workers (UFW), led
by César Chávez, and the growers in California, the State Legislature enacted the
Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA). This legislation extended the rights on union
representation and collective bargaining to farm workers. This was 40 years after the
NLRA of 1935 had granted the same rights to industrial workers. The UFW gamed
contracts improving workers' wages and working conditions. Many growers began
cutting wages in order to prevent the UFW from winning even more representation
elections.
Question 13
What generalization can be made concerning agricultural wages in 1995?
Answer: While wages were the highest they had ever been, they were still only slightly
higher than the minimum wage. Illegal immigration of Mexican nationals and the failure
of the Federal Government to punish growers who hired them suppressed the wages of
farm workers. NAFTA also created greater competition from Mexico and Latin America,
pressuring American growers to keep the cost of production, including labor, as low as
possible. Farm workers wages are considerably less than industrial workers today.
Question 14
What trend would you expect to see in the numbers of agricultural workers between
1995-2000?
Answer: After ten years of decline in the number of agricultural workers, the numbers
leveled off during the 1990s at approximately 873,000 (See charts). Many workers made
the transition into higher paying service sector jobs where working conditions were
better. As the economy continued to expand between 1993-2000, service sector jobs
increased, as did wages. The number of agricultural jobs declined slightly between 19952000, partially due to NAFTA and some shift of agricultural production to Latin
America.
77
Question 15
Is there a direct correlation between the decreasing number of agricultural workers and
the increase in farm worker wages?
Answer: As you have seen in this exercise, a complex mix of economic factors including,
war, depression, unionization, inflation, mechanization, immigration, government action,
increased trade and expansion of the job market all influence the demand for farm
workers and their wages. There is no simple relationship between the number of farm
workers and what they are paid. The supply and demand curves are only models, and
they do not explain the causes for increased or decreased demand for workers or an
increase or decrease in their wages.
78
The Number of Farm Workers in the U.S. and Wage Rates for Agricultural
Workers, 1910-1995.
Instructions: Based on the statistical data provided in the charts, answer the following
questions.
1. Why did the number of farm workers reach its height between 1916-1918?
2 . Why did the number of farm workers decline between 1919-1929?
3 . Why did the number of farm workers continue to decline between 1929 and 1939?
4 . Why did the steepest decline in numbers of farm workers occur between 1939-1942?
5 . Why did the number of farm workers temporarily increase between 1943-1950?
6 . Why did farm wages decline between 1919-1939?
7 . Why didn't farm wages increase after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act
of 1935 as industrial wages began to do?
8 . Why did it take farm workers almost until 1980 to earn the national minimum wage if
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1939 had established a minimum wage for workers?
9 . Why did the number of farm workers decline after 1950?
10. How did the Federal Government help reduce the number of farm workers between
1965-1970?
11. Why did the wages of farm workers rise rapidly between 1965-1975?
12. Why did agricultural wages increase dramatically between 1975 and 1990? What
generalization can be made concerning agricultural wages in 1995?
13. What trend would you expect to see in the numbers of agricultural workers between
1995-2000?
14. Is there a direct correlation between the decreasing number of agricultural workers
and the increase in farm worker wages?
79
National Agricultural Statistics Service, Farm Labor Charts
Page 1 of 2
United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Chart last updated 01/31/96
Review the data for this chart (ASCII).
Go To: [ NASS Home Page | ERS Home Page | USDA Home Page ]
Send comments and questions to: NASS Customer Service at nass@nass.usda.gov
or Phone the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540.
http//www usda gov/nass/aggraphs/fl-hired htm
80
9/14/2001
Chart: FL_HIRED CIF
YR
1910
20
30
40
1950
60
70
80
1990
95
Wages
$/hour
Workers
million
0.12
0.13
0.31
0.24
0.23
0.14
0.17
0.47
0.56
0.68
0.82
0.95
1.42
2.43
3.66
4.42
5.52
6.54
3.381
3.452
3.391
3.321
3.190
2.878
2.679
2.119
2.329
2.036
1.885
1.482
1.1745
1.306
1.307
1.094
0.895
0.873
http//www.usda.gov/nass/graphics/data/fl-hired.txt
81
Glossary
________________________
The Circuit
Francisco Jiménez
82
Glossary of Terms
The Circuit
barbed-wire (noun)
strong wire with barbs at regular
intervals used to prevent passage
democracy (noun)
a political system in which the supreme
power lies in a body of citizens who can
elect people to represent them
barrack (noun)
a building used to house military
personnel
deport (verb)
to expel from a country
benediction (noun)
a ceremonial prayer invoking divine
protection
depression (noun)
sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
disheveled (adjective)
in disarray; extremely disorderly
bickering (noun)
petty quarrel
draft (noun)
a current of air (usually coming into a
room or vehicle)
blight (noun)
any plant disease resulting in withering
without rotting
explorer (noun)
someone who travels into little known
regions (especially for some scientific
purpose)
callused (adjective)
having an area of hard, thickened skin,
esp. on the feet or hands
chamois (noun)
a soft suede leather formerly from the
sheep of the chamois antelope but now
from sheepskin
feigned (adjective)
not genuine
fumigate (verb)
to subject to smoke or fumes, usually in
order to exterminate pests or disinfect
clunker (noun)
an old or badly working piece of
machinery; especially: a dilapidated
automobile
gawked (verb)
to look with amazement; look stupidly
crate (noun)
a rugged box (usually made of wood);
used for shipping
grammatical (adjective)
conforming to the rules of grammar or
usage accepted by native speakers
83
gratitude (noun)
a feeling of thankfulness and
appreciation
mijo (noun)
Mijo is a contraction of "mi hijo," which
means "my son" or "my child"
haggard (adjective)
showing the wearing effects of overwork
or care or suffering
milled (verb)
to move about in a confused way within
a particular place or area
hobbled (verb)
to walk with difficulty in an awkward
way, usually because of an injury to the
feet or legs
mononucleosis (noun)
an acute disease characterized by fever
and swollen lymph nodes and an
abnormal increase of mononuclear
leucocytes or monocytes in the
bloodstream; not highly contagious;
some believe it can be transmitted by
kissing
illegally (adverb)
doing something prohibited by law or by
official or accepted rules
immigration (noun)
migration out of a place
murmuring (verb)
to make a low, continuous, indistinct
sound or succession of sounds
infested (adjective)
to have insects and some animals be
present in large numbers, sometimes
causing disease or damage
pace (noun)
a step in walking or running
parallel (adjective)
being equidistant and not intersecting
invocation (noun)
a prayer asking God's help as part of a
religious service
pensive (adjective)
persistently or morbidly thoughtful
jalopy (noun)
a car that is old and unreliable
procession (noun)
the action of a body of people
proceeding in a regular formation
jerked (verb)
to throw or toss with a quick motion
reflection (noun)
the image of something as reflected by a
mirror (or other reflective material)
melancholy (noun)
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
migra (noun)
Spanish for migrant worker
Rotary Club (noun) a group of
businessmen in a town organized as a
service club and to promote world peace
migrant (adjective)
habitually moving
from place to place especially in search
of seasonal work
rotate (verb)
to cause to turn in a circle, esp. around a
fixed point
84
Santo Niño de Atocha (noun) a very
popular devotional figure in Spain,
Mexico and New Mexico. The Child is
said to roam the hills and valleys
bringing aid and comfort to the needy,
and thereby wearing out his shoes.
Pilgrims to the Santo Niño chapel in
Chimago bring him new shoes and place
them at his feet
SpaciousSpacious (adjective) (of
buildings and rooms) having ample
space
sputtered (verb)
make an explosive sound
squeegee (noun)
T-shaped cleaning implement with a
rubber edge across the top; drawn across
a surface to remove water (as in washing
windows)
savor (verb)
to derive or receive pleasure from; get
enjoyment from; take pleasure in
startled (adjective)
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and
making a quick involuntary movement
scholarship (noun)
financial aid provided to a student on the
basis of academic merit
stern (adjective)
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor;
forbidding in aspect
sharecropper (noun)
A tenant farmer who gives a share of the
crops raised to the landlord in lieu of
rent
sympathetically (adverb)
expressing or feeling or resulting from
sympathy or compassion
sheepishly (adverb)
embarrassed because you realize you
have done something wrong or silly
transmitted (verb)
to cause to spread; pass on: transmit an
infection or a disease
skimmed (verb)
to read or look at (something) quickly to
understand the main points, without
studying it in detail
undocumented (adjective)
lacking necessary documents (as for e.g.
permission to live or work in a country)
snaked (verb)
moved along a route that includes a lot
of twists or bends
visas (noun)
an endorsement made in a passport that
allows the bearer to enter the country
issuing it
snickering (verb)
to laugh quietly at someone or
something that you think is silly or
slightly ridiculous
wincing (verb)
to make a face indicating disgust or
dislike
wrath (noun)
intense anger (usually on an epic scale)
85