Have you ever worked outside in a garden (such as picking weeds) or on a farm or on outdoor work? Can you imagine doing outdoor work all day? How much should you get paid?

Were you scared your first day of school? Where is Arizona? (there is probably a US map somewhere in the classroom) What do you think the title 'harvesting hope' means? Does the word 'harvesting' give you any clues about the life of Cesar Chavez?ĭiscussion topics for during/after reading:

What does harvest mean? (Harvest is the time when a crop is ready to be picked, gathered, etc. Have you ever heard of Cesar Chavez? What do you know about him already? To help the kids better understand how far 300 miles is, Los Angeles is about 150 miles north of Mexico, so Cesar and his marchers walked twice that distance for their cause. You can also read them aloud at the end of the book. Read to yourselves the Author's Notes at the back of the book before-hand for background on Cesar Chavez. The text is largely limited to one side of a spread beautifully rendered earth-toned illustrations flow out from behind the words and onto the facing page. While sufficient background information is provided to support the story and encourage further research, focusing on one event makes the story appealing to younger readers. The historic 1965 strike against grape growers and the subsequent march for 'La Causa' are vividly recounted, and Chavez's victory-the agreement by the growers granting the workers better conditions and higher pay-is palpable. After years of laboring in the fields, Chavez became increasingly disturbed by the inhuman living conditions imposed by the growers.

His childhood was cut short when, due to financial difficulties, the family was forced to move to California to seek employment. Readers meet Chavez at his grandparents' home in Arizona where he lived happily amid a large extended family. Grade 3-6-The dramatic story of Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California is the centerpiece of this well-told biography. Grade Level: 4th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.) Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez Volunteers needed in May! Click here to sign up.

Harvesting hope cesar chavez