¡Si Se Puede!
Grade Level: Grades 3-12
Time: One class period (approx. 60 minutes)
"¡Si Se Puede!" Celebrating Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta: March & April 2024
Judges in the Classroom offers this lesson in the months of March and April to commemorate the birthdays of Cesar Chavez (March 31) and Dolores Huerta (April 8).
Using two of California's most recognized civil rights leaders as subjects, students will receive a lesson on the judicial branch, role of the courts, and grievances are brought to court. The lessons are posted below for lower and upper classes. Reference material follows, which may be incorporated into the visit or reviewed with students prior to the visit.
Submit your request with as much advanced notice as possible so coordinators can find your class the perfect match!
Questions? Contact judicialoutreach@jud.ca.gov
Chavez_Huerta_Grades 3-5 R.pptxGRADES 3-5
Chavez_Huerta_Grades 3-5 Spanish.pptxGRADES 3-5 (Spanish)
SiSePuede_Grades6_12 Final.pptxGRADES 6-12
SiSePuede_Grades6_12 Spanish_Final.pptxGRADES 6-12 (Spanish)
Objectives
Students will:
1. Learn unique facts and anecdotes about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta
2. Apply the provisions of the Constitution to the actions of these civil rights leaders
3. Better understand the First Amendment, the state court system, the three branches of government, and the role of a judicial officer.
Teachers her may share any of the following resources with students to deepen their understanding of movement:
--Article discussing the time Cesar Chavez spent in jail
--Article on 2018 commemoration of Monterey County Jail building where Cesar Chavez was incarcerated
(16:20)
Explore the early days of the United Farmworkers under the guidance of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. See the conditions that led to the organization of a farm labor union and the initial challenges to its work.
(55:16)
PBS education series details the creation of the proud “Chicano” identity, as labor leaders organize farm workers in California, and as activists push for better education opportunities for Latinos, the inclusion of Latino studies, and empowerment in the political process.
(1:46)
Dolores Huerta has fought tirelessly for those who didn’t have a voice to fight for themselves. Huerta led the farmworkers movement with activist Cesar Chavez and co-founded what is known as the “United Farm Workers of America”. She created the movement’s famous slogan, “Si Se Puede”
(3:51)
Migrant farm workers in the United States were exploited routinely by the agricultural industry, which forced them to work in unsafe conditions for little pay. They had no political representation or advocates until Cesar Chavez established the United Farm Workers, the first successful union for farm laborers.
(1:46)
Dolores Huerta has fought tirelessly for those who didn’t have a voice to fight for themselves. Huerta led the farmworkers movement with activist Cesar Chavez and co-founded what is known as the “United Farm Workers of America”. She created the movement’s famous slogan, “Si Se Puede”
Lesson Source:
This lesson was created in English and Spanish by the Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative with support from:
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Alex Ricciardulli, with help from members of the Los Angeles Latino Judicial Officers Association (Judges Annabelle Cortez, Roberto Longoria, Serena Murillo, Patricia Nieto & Maria Puente-Porras).
Spanish translation by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Ana De Alba; Los Angeles County Superior Court Judges Annabelle Cortez, Roberto Longoria, Maria Puente-Porras, Serena Murillo & Alex Ricciardulli; Orange County Superior Court Judges Andre De La Cruz, Elizabeth Macias & Maurice Sanchez; and Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Ricardo Cordova.