The Harvest/La Cosecha
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COMPANION CURRICULUM Grades 7-12 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 3 LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS 4 ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS LESSON PLANS 5 GRADE 7: THE POWER OF PERSONAL NARRATIVE 6 GRADE 8: THE ROLE OF DIALOUGE IN PRESENTING KEY THEMES 12 GRADES 9-10: USING LITERATURE AND FILM TO GAIN PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL EVENTS 19 GRADE 11-12: THE PARALLELS BETWEEN DOCUMENTARY AND PRINT SOURCES OF INFORMATION 25 SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLANS 32 GRADE 7: MIGRANT FARM LABOR AND CHILDREN: CONDITIONS 33 GRADE 8: MIGRANT FARM LABOR AND CHILDRE: INFLUENCES 38 GRADE 9: CHILD MIGRANT FARMWORKERS: INFLUENCES 43 GRADE 10: CHILD MIGRANT FARMWORKERS: INFLUENCES 49 GRADE 11: CHILD MIGRANT FARM WORKERS: GOVERNMENT 55 GRADE 12: MIGRANT FARM LABOR AND CHILDREN: GOVERNMENT 61 ECONOMICS LESSON PLANS 67 GRADES 11-12: THE ECONOMIC REALITIES OF LIFE AS A MIGRANT FARM WORKER IN THE UNITED STATES 68 HEALTH LESSON PLANS 96 GRADE 7: THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON HEALTH 97 GRADE 8: RISKY BEHAVIORS BASED ON “THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA” 103 GRADE 9: HOW THE FAMILY, PEERS AND COMMUNITY INFLUENCE PERSONAL HEALTH 107 GRADE 10: THE INFLUENCES OF VALUES AND BELIEFS ON HEALTH PRACTICES 112 GRADE 11: THE FACTORS THAT MIGHT INHIBIT HEALTHFUL DECISION-MAKING 117 GRADE 12: LONG-TERM HEALTH GOAL PLANNING 122 GEOGRAPHY LESSON PLANS 127 GRADE 9 BY JAMIE LEE 128 APPENDICES 145 APPENDIX A: RESOURCES AND REFERENCES 146 APPENDIX B: BIOGRAPHIES OF WRITERS 149 APPENDIX C: FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT CHILD LABOR REGULATIONS FOR AGRICULTRAL VS NON- AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT 151 APPENDIX D: WEBSITES FOR FURTHER RESOURCES AND INFORMATION 152 2 THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Shine Global would like to thank all those who contributed to this curriculum. We are particularly indebted to Kean University faculty and students fOr their effOrts. WRITER AND EDITOR Susan MacLaury WRITERS Dr. Thomas Banit Dr. Linda Cahir Dr. Francisco Jimenez Jamie Lee Shiloh Powers Daniel Ramirez Dr. Thomas Walsh CONTRIBUTORS Kevin Agho Marvin Menjivar Anthony Arimenta David MorenO Mike BrOwn Joe Olmo Ryan Burnett Gina Petrizzo Aja Carter Daria Reiker Annabelle Cunha Chrystal Rinehold Alyssa D'Elia Scott Schwaner Rebecca Dacchile Dan Shymanski Chris DiNucci Stephanie Soto Ricky Garcia Bobby Stalling Franny Gely Mike Stauber Bryan Herrera Chris Virag Leila Jabbar Kevin Weaver Jamie Kallinosis Paul Yunos Steve Loriot Nick Ramagli Michael McCrea Assistant Editors Alexandra Blaney Monica Wise THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM 3 LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, tells the stories of 3 of the estimated 400,000 American child migrant farm workers who are torn away from their friends, schools and homes to pick the food we all eat. They earn no overtime and no sick days and often do not even receive a minimum wage. They work from the age of 12 in all weather extremes exposed to pesticides in what is the most dangerous occupation for minors in the United States of America. This is legal in America because the Fair Labor Standards Act, enacted in 1938, excluded agriculture and thus left thOusands of children unprotected. It was a topic that was unknown to us, and we knew it was also unknown to most Americans. We wanted to give voice to these children. THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA has been screened at festivals and in theaters both domestically and internationally and has proven to have a powerful effect on audiences. We hOpe that audiences will be both inspired by the inherent strength of Perla, Zulema and Victor and their families and profoundly disturbed enough by their plight to take actiOn on their behalf. As the producers of THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA, we have always believed in the film’s potential classroom and service organization use in middle schools, high schools and universities. With many years experience both teaching personally as well as working with middle school teachers, however, we knew that the film had to be accompanied by excellent curricula. Collaborating with educators who volunteered their time and experience, Shine feels confident that educators at all three school levels will be able to create meaningful classroom and after-school experiences for their students. We wish to acknowledge the college instructors, middle school and high school teachers, pre-service teachers and students whO cOntributed to the development of these curricula. Without their help we would not have been able to offer these unit plans in social studies, English, economics, geography, and health education. We hOpe that THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA will make a vital contribution to both the cognitive and affective learning of students internationally for many years to come. We welcome your feedback and that of your students to these lessons. Please feel free to send these to [email protected]. Sincerely, Susan MacLaury and Albie Hecht 4 THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS LESSON PLANS GRADE 7 ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS UNIT PLAN: THE POWER OF PERSONAL NARRATIVE This 5-lesson unit is based on a book entitled THE CIRCUIT by Francisco Jimenez and on the feature documentary film, THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA. It is recommended that students read the book prior to seeing the film. The first lesson will be devoted to analyzing the book only. Two class periods will be devoted to screening the film, followed by two lessons that compare the stories told in both. ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS: RL.7.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. RL.7.7. Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film). UNIT GOAL: To explore the use of narrative in literature and film in educating students about the effects of immigration and being child migrant laborers on personal development. 6 THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM LESSON 1: ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF FIRST-PERSON STORYTELLING ON CONVEYING INFORMATION AND PROMOTING EMOTIONAL UNDERSTANDING Goal: To teach students about the impact of migrant work on children’s development through analysis of a personal memoir Objectives: At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to: 1. Identify three obstacles to completing education experienced by Francisco (cognitive); 2. Describe the aspect of living as a child migrant worker that would be hardest for them to accept and why (affective); 3. Formulate a 3-step plan they might have used to study while migrating (psychomotor). Learning Tasks: The teacher asks students their overall reactions to the stories told in THE CIRCUIT. -What story affected them most and why? -Was there any one family member to whom they could relate most? If so whO and why? - What did they learn about Francisco’s family’s experience that most surprised them? The teacher then asks for volunteers to summarize the key elements: The family’s illegal entry into the United States; the “circuit” they followed; Francisco’s entry into school; his father’s accident that required him to work full-time but also allowed him to study. - What are students’ reactiOns to each? - What would they have dOne in FranciscO’s place to obtain an educatiOn? - Of all the obstacles he faced, which would have been hardest for them to accept and why? Moving into triads, students will be asked to create a realistic 3-step plan that a young person in Francisco’s place might make to ensure that he/she could continue receiving an education despite being forced to migrate six months a year. Students will then share their reflections with the full class, which in turn is asked to comment on the plans’ effectiveness. THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM 7 Assessment/Homework: Do a journal entry in which they assess at least one obstacle they currently face as they try to succeed academically. - What resources (people, materials, circumstances) do they have that might help them succeed? - What’s an important first step they might take to improve their personal chances for success? 8 THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM LESSON 2: CONTRASTING DOCUMENTARY WITH LITERATURE AS A MEANS TO DEPICT CHARACTERS Goal: To introduce students to three contemporary young migrant farm workers through documentary and compare their reactions to them vs. their reactions to Francisco and his family. Objectives: At the conclusion of this session students will be able to: 1. Describe one characteristic displayed by Perla, Zulema, and Victor, depicted in the documentary, THE HARVEST/LA COSECHA (cognitive); 2. Explain which oF these characters they can most easily understand and why (affective); 3. Describe two ways in which their reactions to these characters compared to or contrasted with their reactions to the characters in THE CIRCUIT (psychomotor). Learning Tasks: Whether the students have seen the full film, half of it or the first third only, the teacher would begin by asking them their overall reactions to what they had seen. CLIP: ZULEMA DESCRIBING PICKING STRAWBERRIES: (02:58- 03:17) CLIP: VICTOR DISCUSSING FAMILY (11:12-11:30) THE HARVEST [LA COSECHA] COMPANION CURRICULUM 9 CLIP: PERLA DESCRIBING DISCRIMINATION (19:21-19:57) - What was their first impression of Zulema? Perla? Victor? - What was it that each character said/did that made them react the way they did? - Of the three, which one dO they feel they best understand and why? - What obstacles do they face that are similar to those Francisco encountered? - Francisco was very successful in completing his education and indeed, earned a doctorate and went on to become a university professor.