Don't hesitate to experiment with a lesson plan if you like the focus. Be daring and modify! Take a risk!
LESSONS
LECCIONES
I have found that in my long career I have learned best from the example of other teachers. Here is a variety of elementary school lesson plans, activities, and ideas involving César Chávez and "La causa."
CÉSAR E. CHÁVEZ: A SHORT HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES
http://www.latinohistoryforkids.com/
activity book in English designed for children
by Richard S. Ramos & Ángel R. Cervantes
black and white outline drawings; sample pages
variety of tasks and games
goal: know responsibility that everyone has to serve own community

CURRICULUM COORDINATION DOCUMENTS FOR THE STUDY OF CÉSAR CHÁVEZ
http://www.libraryvideo.com/servlet/pdfmaker/cc/
43951/6KS9J7RU1B4F9LEQFXG5ACQBUD2C1077/V6239national.pdf
http://www.libraryvideo.com/cc/mdrp.asp?sku=V6239
http://www.libraryvideo.com/servlet/pdfmaker/cc/43964/6KS9J
7RU1B4F9LEQFXG5ACQBUD2C1077/V6239ontario.pdf
   national and state standard addressed for the following states:
   California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii , Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
             Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
             Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,
             Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
             Washington
  last url is for Ontario, Canada 

MODEL CURRICULUM LESSONS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_5_Memory_of_Cesar.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Similarities_Differences.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_2_The_Importance_Farm.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_We_Depend_on_the_Land.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_Cesar_E_Chavez_An_American_Hero.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Immigration.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_The_Struggle_for_Freedom.rtf
   kindergarten through grade five lesson plans
   Titles: "Memory of César Chávez," "Similarities/Differences," "Importance of Farms,"
              "We Depend on the Land,"  "César Chávez: An American Hero," "Immigration,"
              "The Struggle for Freedom"
   Note: Be patient as material can take time to download.

¡HABLEMOS SOBRE UN HÉROE O UNA HEROÍNA! / TALK ABOUT A HERO/HEROINE!
http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/espanol/parentsteachers/lessonplans/hero.html
http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/english/parentsteachers/lessonplans/hero.html
   "Maya & Miguel" PBS series lesson plan in Spanish and English

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: CÉSAR CHÁVEZ DAY
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_K-3.aspx
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_1_Cesar_Chavez_an_American_Hero.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_2_Cesar_and_Family.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_3_Cesar_and_Community.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_4_Making_Change.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Kindergarten_Lesson_5_Memory_of_Cesar.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_K-3.aspx#Grade1
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Boycott_Poster.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Timeline.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_De_Colores.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Farm_Worker_Inspired_Poetry.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Similarities_Differences.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_1_Violence_vs_Non-Violence.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_K-3.aspx#Grade2
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_2_The_Food_We_Eat.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_2_Farm_Labor.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_2_Pesticides.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_2_The_Importance_Farm.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_K-3.aspx#Grade3
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_We_Depend_on_the_Land.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_Cesar_E_Chavez_An_American_Hero.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_Understanding_a_Democratic_Society.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_An_Instrument_of_Change.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_3_Agriculture_and_the_Economy.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_4-6.aspx
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_The_Great_Depression.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Immigration.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Non-violence_Used_to_Educate_Public_.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Value_of_Education.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Civil_Rights.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_4_Cultural_Diversity.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons_4-6.aspx#Grade5
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_Independence_the_Final_Decision.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_The_Struggle_for_Freedom.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_The_US_Grows_larger.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_Cesar_to_California.rtf
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Grade_5_Exercising_Ones_Rights.rtf
   introductory material linking topic to State of California Educational Standards
   kindergarten topics: César Chávez: An American Hero, Family, Community, Change, Memories
   first grade topics: Boycott, Timeline, De Colores, Farmworker Poetry, Similarities/Differences, Non-Violence
   second grade topics: Food, Farm Labor, Pesticides, Importance of Farms
   third grade topics: Dependence on Land, Hero, Democratic Society, Instrument of Change, Agriculture & Economy
   fourth grade topics: Great Depression, Immigration, Non-Violence, Education, Civil Rights, Cultural Diversity
   fifth grade topics:  Independence, Freedom, US Grows, California, Rights

MIGRANT FARM WORKS AND THEIR LEADER
http://si.unm.edu/pasalvador/unit%20/unit.html
   for grades four and five
   an extraordinary person; how crops are planted and harvested;
   benefits of agriculture; pesticides; life of a migrant farmworker

NAVIDAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
http://service.csumb.edu/programs/Chavez_Caruso.pdf
http://service.csumb.edu/programs/Chavez_Foley.pdf
http://service.csumb.edu/programs/Chavez_Kennelly.pdf
http://service.csumb.edu/programs/Chavez_Ramirez.pdf
   service day projects for grades K-5
   bilingual placemats and several gardening-related projects

LESSON PLAN PAGES
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSLAMDCesarChavez24.htm
http://www.lessonplanspage.com/SSArtLACesarChavezQuiltStories36.htm
   biography/chronology lesson,
   making a César Chávez quilt

SAN DIEGO COUNCIL OFFICE OF EDUCATION
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/chavez/welcome.asp
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/chavez/english.pdf
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/chavez/spanish.pdf
   vast selection of lesson plan ideas in English and in Spanish
   Note: expect slow download

CÉSAR CHÁVEZ: LESSONS IN COMPASSION
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/elementary.html
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_gradeK.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_grade01.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_grade02.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_grade03.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_grade04.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/cesarChavez_grade05.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/chavez_article.pdf
http://www.teachkind.org/feat/cesarchavez/chavez_letter.pdf
http://www.petaenespanol.com/feat/chavez/
   Grade K: César Chávez and the Community 
   Grade 1: César Chávez and the Economics of the Boycott 
   Grade 2: People Who Make a Difference 
   Grade 3: César Chávez: An Instrument of Change 
   Grade 4: César Chávez, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Civil Rights 
   Grade 5: The Struggle for Freedom
   last three URLs relate to the rights of animals in English and Spanish

WOODBURY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
http://www.woodburn.k12.or.us/Curriculum/FarmWorker.htm
   for grade four: Conditions of the Oregon Farm Worker: Agriculture in Oregon

"FLUFF AND FOLD" LEARNING PROJECT
http://www.cesarechavezfoundation.org/pdf/FluffandFold.pdf
   for grades 4-5, addressing clothing and homelessness

CROSSING THE LINE: A TRIBUTE TO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ, AN AMERICAN HERO
http://home.jps.net/~gailhd/crossing/student.htm
   grades k-3
   focus question: what makes a hero?

CÉSAR CHÁVEZ WEBQUEST
http://eprentice.sdsu.edu/S03X2/guerra/cesarchavezs.html
   designed for native speakers in third grade

ENCHANTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/
chavez/cloze/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/
chavez/cloze/answers.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/chavez/
glossary.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/books/biography/chavez/index.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/chavez/
bioprintout/index.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/alphabet/alphabeticalorder/people/10chavez/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/alphabet/alphabeticalorder/people/10chavez/
answers.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/chavez/
vocabquiz/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/chavez/
chavezkwl.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/causeandeffect/
fishbonechavez.shtml
    cloze activity and glossary are "free"
   activity book and variety of other worksheets and graphic organizers
           accessible with $20 year fee and access to other worthwhile activities

LETTERS TO CÉSAR CHÁVEZ FROM CHILDREN
http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/exhibits/fw/letterscc.html
http://chavez.cde.ca.gov/ModelCurriculum/Teachers/Lessons/Resources/Documents/ltr+cl_c.pdf
     in Spanish and English
     César Chávez received many letters from children concerned
            about his personal welfare and "La causa."

QUIZZES
http://www.cooperis.com/quizzes/quiz0018.shtml
http://www.colapublib.org/chavez/facts_quiz.htm

CROSSWORD PUZZLE
http://www.colapublib.org/chavez/crosspuzzle.htm

CONNECT THE DOTS
http://www.colapublib.org/chavez/dots.html

WORD SEARCH
http://www.colapublib.org/chavez/wordsearch.html

CARD GAME
http://suzyred.com/2004harvestinghopecardgame.pdf

ENCHANTED LEARNING
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/hispanicamerican/chavez/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/alphabet/code/chavez/index.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordsearch/chavez/index.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordsearch/chavez/answers.shtml
   for $20/year, teachers can access a multitude of activities --
   includiing an alphabet code, and a wordsearch

BEYOND THE FARM -- EXPLORING THE WORLD OF MIGRANT FARM WORKERS
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/bilingual/elementary/beyondthefarm.html
   migrant workers move from farm to farm throughout the United States,
picking the crops that we enjoy in the supermarket. It is a hard life,
a life of constant changes and uncertainties
   program honors those who spend their days in the fields
   books, decorations, bulletin board, riddles, poetry, theater, crafts, maps

GO TO MY "TECH HELP" PAGES TO FIND RESOURCES TO HELP
MAKE YOUR OWN ACTIVITIES.

IDEA
Click on this idea plant to access a draft of a storybook for children to make in fifth grade based on Kathleen Krull's HARVESTING HOPE.
Have your students write their own letter to César Chávez afters they are familiar with his life story and works.
IDEA
IDEA
All the fun activities on the right can be modified to another level or language.
IDEA