Sara+Carroll


 * **Migrancy in America**
 * sara.carroll@wmich.edu

__Overview__: Migrant farm labor has long been a crucial part of the American economy and an essential part of our food system, but many Americans know little about the conditions in which migrant laborers work. In fact, we have generally long been guilty of ignoring our food's origins. As that begins to change with local food movements, there is another long-overlooked component of agriculture that has been gaining national attention in the past few years - farm laborers. There is often little recognition that many migrant workers are children, families, citizens, and legal immigrants. Certainly there are illegal migrant laborers as well, and their lives too are rife with turmoil, danger, and complex political and humanitarian questions that we have long attempted to solve at the federal level, but to little avail. As the Supreme Court takes on harsh laws like SB1070 in Arizona and a similar law passed in Alabama that have deterred both legal and illegal immigrants and have left farmers in need of laborers to pick their crops, it is important that students have a well-rounded perspective on this issue.

This unit aims to help students develop a comprehensive picture of migrant labor in the U.S., its history, and its importance to the economy. As they consider this big picture, they will also learn about the lives of migrant laborers and undertake an action/awareness project. They will use literature to gain historical perspective and empathy, research current events to get a sense of the topic and use writing to affect change.

This topic is highly politicized and you will need to discuss, to some extent, immigration and immigration laws. As such, you may need to prepare your students for having conversations that may be emotional and/or political. It is important that your students know that this is a safe space to have their questions answered. It is equally important that your students who may have personal experience know that they can participate in this unit without feeling attacked. For these reasons this might be a good time to work on some discussion-building tools, if you have not already done so. You can find activities that may support your students in this respect in the PeaceJam Ambassadors curriculum for high school students. One activity is included in the lesson.

This unit runs for 5-6 weeks, depending on whether or not you choose to include team-building activities and whether or not you show the entirety of the film. It is designed for 50minute class periods.

__Goals and Methods__: By engaging students in reading literature that includes voices of migrant laborers, students will gain historical perspective about the important of migrant labor to the U.S. agriculture industry, and will gain a more comprehensive picture of what this lifestyle is like, its hazards and injustices. Students will work in literature circles while reading their first selection and will collaborate in their groups to create a book-centered wikispaces page that will include student-led discussions as well as multigenre writing examples from each group member. Students will then engage in researching current events online, and by reaching out to local resources that work with and serve migrant families. This is a writing-intensive unit as students will move on from creating their wiki pages to dabbling in more creative reflection after watching a documentary about child migrant laborers. This research and connection component of the lesson is then extended into an action piece where students will be asked to write letters to powerful people who have an impact on supporting unfair labor practices. They will then work collaboratively to plan a service project. I have included instructions for organizing a screening of //The Harvest//, as well as instructions for guiding students through the project planning process so that you will have the resources to organize a project that is impactful and accessible to you and your students. Your role will be largely to be informed and to help students make connections between the literature, current events, and their own lives. By the end of this unit, students will have read two books, and written a substantial body of work analyzing the issue of migrancy in America. They will also gain a sense of empowerment from enacting (with your support) a service project, be it to raise awareness of the problems or through direct service to organizations or individuals in need.

__Learning Objectives__:
 * Students will learn how to create a wikispaces page.
 * Students will use literature to understand the life and work of migrant laborers and to develop empathy.
 * Students will analyze literature, paying particular attention to marginalized voices.
 * Students will be able to write polished, persuasive pieces and will use this writing to try to influence change in their communities.
 * Students will make connections between literature and current events through research, collaboration, and writing.
 * Students will evaluate problems and resources in their own community, and will collaborate with one another, school officials, PTO, and/or community members to enact a service project.

__Common Core Standards__: > a. Self-select text to respond and develop innovative perspectives. > b. Establish and use criteria to classify, select, and evaluate texts to make informed judgments about the quality of the pieces.
 * Respond to literature by employing knowledge of literary language, textual features, and forms to read and comprehend, reflect upon, and interpret literary texts from a variety of genres and a wide spectrum of American and world cultures.
 * Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
 * Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
 * Interpret, analyze, and evaluate narratives, poetry, and drama, aesthetically and ethically by making connections to: other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events and situations.
 * Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
 * Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
 * Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

__Writing Assignments__:
 * Students will create wikispaces pages in small groups dedicated to the discussion of, and writing inspired by, the book they read from the selection below.
 * Wiki discussion posts
 * Wiki multigenre writing - two different types of writing, as selected by the student
 * Students will write one creative reflection piece in response to the documentary, //The Harvest//, taking on the perspective of one of the young people in the film, and one analysis of the writing of the young people in the film.
 * Students will write one persuasive formal letter for submission to the audience of their choosing. (Suggestions: School board, Parent-Teacher Organization, local grocery store or restaurant owner, city council)
 * Students will create a final multigenre writing project related to their service project.

__Literature__: //Grapes of Wrath// &/or //Of Mice and Men//, John Steinbeck //The Circuit// &/or //Breaking Through//, Francisco Jimenez //Return to Sender//, Julia Alvarez //Esperanza Rising//, Pam Munoz Ryan //And the Earth did not Devour Him//, Tomas Rivera

__Non-fiction Options__: //Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders with America’s Illegal Aliens//, Ted Conover //Tomatoland//, Barry Estabrook (Pages 73-138 are particularly relevant to migrant labor. You could easily supplant the internet research days with reading this book, or the selection above to expose students to different types of writing and reading analysis.) //The Flight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement//, Susan Ferriss

These books represent a range of reading levels to suit classrooms with students of varied ability, and all but //Tomatoland//, //Flight//, and //Coyotes// should be easy to find in Spanish if needed. The unit could also easily be adapted so that all students read the same book if, for example, //The Grapes of Wrath//, is required reading in your district.

The primary homework for the first week of the unit is reading. I recommending using an excel spreadsheet or printed table to record the number of pages students are reading to verify that they are doing homework. This lesson also assumes that your students have at least a working knowledge of a number of different writing genres. If they do not, and you would like to use it, you could supplant the mini-lessons with lessons about different types of writing.

__The Harvest__: //The Harvest// is a recent film about children and teens who do migrant labor. It is particularly well-suited to use for this unit because it brings a powerful message home. The students interviewed are primarily bilingual, issues of citizenship and school attendance are addressed, and most importantly, the film focuses on teens in the U.S. which makes the problem easier for students to relate to than more distant labor issues. (Available on Netflix. Suggested donations to the film-makers based on audience, financial standing of the school. One suggestion might be to have students bring $0.50 or $1.00 and send the collection to the organization that made the film) media type="youtube" key="BYEmolAeBmU" height="123" width="224"
 * //The Harvest//, long trailer**

If you are unable to show //The Harvest//, there is a great series of TED talks devoted to the topic of migrant labor. You could show any combination of these videos to save money and time, but still communicate a similar message. The video linked below uses some of the same footage used in //The Harvest//. media type="youtube" key="hFGLqkDnSVI" height="123" width="224"
 * TEDxFruitvale - U. Roberto Romano**


 * Day 1: Introduce the Unit.**
 * Quick explanation of the unit and migrancy. It is helpful to prep the students by letting them know that, while there are many immigrant populations in the U.S. with a rich labor and cultural histories, this lesson focuses on agriculture and Latino-Americans and immigrants.
 * Mini-Lesson (see link for lesson): Brainstorm/Dialogue/Debate
 * KWL Chart (Remember, anything goes because this is brainstorming; inaccuracies will be addressed when the chart is revisited.)
 * Give students some time to make book selections and begin reading. Try to organize them into groups of 5.
 * Exit slip: One thing they learned/One question they have.
 * Have students take out a small piece of scrap paper (it may be wise to have some available to discourage them from submitting entire pieces of paper with one sentence written down) and write down one thing they learned during class and one question that came up. Go over these quickly at the beginning of the next class period. This is an effective, quick tool for encouraging students to reflect -if briefly- before leaving and to connect one day's learning to the previous day throughout the unit.


 * Day 2: Mapping Migration, Reading time**
 * Go over exit slips.
 * Using available technology and blank U.S. maps, have students work in small groups to create maps of U.S. growing zones.
 * Use this site ([]) or any number of others like it to create a colored map of U.S. growing seasons.
 * Identify major border crossing sites (Rio Grande City, Laredo, El Paso, Tuscon, Yuma, San Diego, El Centro).
 * Check for completion before students move on to reading.
 * Students should use this throughout their reading to plot the approximate path of the characters in their reading and may read for the remainder of the class period.
 * Exit slip: One thing they learned/One question they have.

Homework: 30min reading, page tally following day.

> questions; each group member can take a different day to post 3 questions to the group's wiki or blog.
 * Day 3: Reading Workshop, Writing Assignment**
 * Go over exit slips.
 * Explain to the students that as they read, they will be responsible for maintaining a wikispaces site about their book with the other class members who are reading it.
 * Mini-lesson: Show them around the websites to familiarize them with its basic functions.
 * The site should include a minimum of one discussion question from each student. They will need to establish a rotation for writing [[image:http://www.sidneycsd.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/142521/Image/Administration/Students%20Reading.JPG width="200" height="150" align="right"]]
 * Once the questions have been posted, they will be used for the literature circle discussion in the following class period. The group will then post their collective responses to the site.
 * Very mini-lesson: Writing good discussion questions (avoid yes/no answers, open-ended, interpretive, use examples)
 * Reading workshop.
 * Exit slips. *Exit slip hiatus optional for the next few days as it gets trickier to do as a full class activity with the students working so much in their lit circles. You could have them submit the exit slips, go over those that ask questions relevant to the full-class, and visit individual groups with specialized questions.

Homework: 30min reading, page tally following day. One group member's lit circle discussion questions.


 * Day 4: Reading Workshop, Writing Assignment**
 * Begin by giving students time to set up their sites, walk around and help as needed.
 * Lit circles: Use group member's questions to guide discussion. Post the questions and group responses to the wiki page.

Homework: 30min reading, page tally following day. One group member's lit circle discussion questions.

> Examples: Letter from the perspective of a character in the novel, Letter to a character, Character's "To Do" list, poem, newspaper article, "Qwiki" video, xtranormal animation, advertisement, worker performance review, etc.
 * Day 5: Reading Workshop, Writing Assignment**
 * Introduce the mid-point writing project, a multigenre writing assignment. Students will be responsible for posting no less than three different types of writing to their group's page related to migrant work and their particular book. Each group member should create a sub-page on the main wiki for their individual pieces.
 * Brainstorm a list of writing options with the full class. Students should select a minimum of two different writing options for their project.[[image:http://www.successfulreader.com/community/resized-image.ashx/__size/550x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Components.WeblogFiles/9d227a68-7172-42dc-bd11-47ec709a8e18/group-of-students-writing.-pencil-drawing.jpg width="175" height="125" align="right"]]
 * Lit circles: Use group member's questions to guide discussion. Post the questions and group responses to the wiki page.

Homework: 30min reading, page tally following day. One group member's lit circle discussion questions.


 * Day 6: Reading Workshop, Writing Assignment**
 * Lit circles: Use group member's questions to guide discussion. Post the questions and group responses to the wiki page.
 * Mini-lesson: Concept maps to get the writing process started. Demonstrate concept mapping as a tool to brainstorm content for a piece of writing. This will help visual learners, ELLs, and students who struggle to organize their thoughts.
 * Circulate and check with students about their plans and ideas for writing projects. Ask students to create cursory outlines/webs of their writing submissions for the multi-genre project and submit them before leaving.

Homework: 30min reading, page tally following day. One group member's lit circle discussion questions.


 * Day 7: Reading Workshop, Writing Assignment**
 * Lit circles: Use group member's questions to guide discussion. Post the questions and group responses to the wiki page.
 * Mini-lesson: Workshop rules and expectations, where to conference with another student, tips and tricks to the get the writing going.
 * Writing workshop time. Conference with students to get an idea of how they are progressing on their pieces for the multigenre component of their group wikis. It is likely that you will need to plan on conferencing with half the class one day and the other half on another day, unless you have a co-teacher or classroom assistant.

Homework: 30min reading (finish books!), page tally following day. One group member's lit circle discussion questions.


 * Day 8: Final Literature Circle, Multigenre writing for wiki**
 * Allow students time to hold their final literature circles and make their final posts to the wiki.
 * Mini-lesson: Peer reviews. Make sure your students understand what good peer reviews look like. Model with another student, or using a piece of your own writing what helpful and unhelpful comments look like. E.g. "Good!," vs. "The purpose is clear, and the description of __ is really powerful and persuasive."
 * Peer editing form included in Literature Wikispaces Pack, Grammatical review sheet sample
 * Use the remaining time for writing workshops. Conference with those students you did not meet with yesterday.

Homework: 30min writing time, minimum.


 * Day 9: Writing Workshop**
 * Have the students spend half of the class period writing and conferencing with one another. Circulate and conference with students. Be sure to sign off on everyone's plans for their writing submissions.
 * The second half of the period should be spent developing a collaborative group summary of their reading to present along with their wiki to the full-class.

Homework: Multigenre pieces due tomorrow.Complete self-review sheets at home.


 * Day 10: Wiki presentations**
 * Allow students 10-15min. at the beginning of the period to peer-review using the review guides in their packets.
 * Each group will then present their wiki to the class, including their literature summary statement, what they found most interesting or compelling about the work, how the voices of migrant laborers factored in to the work, and what the work says about the position and work of migrant laborers.
 * Students choose another book from the list to read for the remainder of the unit.

Homework: 30min reading.


 * Day 11: Full-Class Literature Circle**
 * As a class, discuss the multiple works that students read using students' own discussion questions pulled from their wiki pages.
 * After a few minutes of this type of discussion, move out of the circle and to either a white board or an elmo, whichever is available to you.
 * Ask connecting questions and as the students answer and discuss these questions, make a chart or map that visually connects the characters from the different works. For example, you could create a series of venn diagrams, T-charts, or flowcharts showing similarities and differences between characters.
 * Use the last few minutes to revisit the KWL chart created on the first day of the unit and discuss what students have learned.

Homework: 30min reading.

> @http://www.farmworkerlaw.org/
 * Day 12: Research Skills**
 * If you do not show all of the film, be sure you include this lesson a few days before the webquest activity to give the email recipients the opportunity to respond. You may also want to call local agencies ahead of time and let them know that you are doing this activity so they can offer their input about whether or not they will be able to reply, how you and the students can help them, and to whom to direct email inquiries.
 * Mini-lesson: Professional email and letter-writing format and content.
 * As students finish their webquest, they should begin looking for local resources with whom they could collaborate, volunteer, and from whom they can gather information. Students will use much of their time this class period for researching the organizations, deciding which one they're interested in contacting, and who specifically at the organization they would like to contact. They will then create a list of questions they would like to ask, and some information they would like to share.
 * Kalamazoo:@http://www.hispanicamericancouncil.org, @http://www.michbar.org/public_resources/MI_immigration.pdf,


 * Day 13: //The Harvest//**
 * Begin with a prompted writing. Ask students to imagine what it would be like to be a migrant worker, immigrant, or both and to spend ten minutes writing as much as they can without stopping or reading what they've written.
 * Ask students to participate in a read-around. It would be helpful if you also participated in the writing and reading.[[image:http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTkwNjcwODQyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjMyOTExNg@@._V1._SY317_.jpg width="143" height="264" align="right" caption="The Harvest/La Cosecha Poster"]]
 * Begin //The Harvest//. Instruct students to keep notes as they watch of the young people featured in the film, where they live, what crops they pick, and anything sensory (textures, light, heat, sounds, likely smells) they notice.
 * Use the last few minutes of class to explain the homework.

Homework: Students will write a "Write that I" poem from the perspective of one of the people featured in the movie.


 * Day 14: //The Harvest//**
 * Begin by having students share their poems and briefly discussing their feelings and questions about the film.
 * Introduce //The Harvest//, companion lesson from shineglobal.org (See page 25, Lesson 1, of PDF attached.)
 * Continue watching //The Harvest.//
 * NOTE: The classroom edition available from @http://theharvestfilm.com/ is 70min. long. If you use the feature film version, you may need to select excerpts to show.

Homework: 30min reading.


 * Day 15: //The Harvest,// Persuasive, Formal Writing**
 * Finish //The Harvest// companion lesson #1.
 * Mini-lesson: Formal letter and email writing **-** format, headings, appropriate language, salutation/closing. Write a sample as the main instructional mode for the lesson.
 * Let students decide on topics and audiences for their letter-writing. Examples: Petition the school board, administration, or PTO to advocate for locally-grown food to be served in the school, Petition a local grocer or restauranteur to stock produce that was picked with fairly-treated labor, Inquire as to how a farm owner finds, pays, and houses their laborers, Ask City Council to describe the local ordinances regarding farm labor and how they monitor for farm worker safety.

Homework: Draft of letter


 * Day 16: Letter, Webquest**
 * Mini-lesson: Persuasive writing, how to balance information and influence.
 * Give students some time to revise their letter drafts.
 * Begin webquest. Students will need access to laptops &/or the school library to conduct their research for the rest of the unit.[[file:WebQuest Migrant Labor.doc]]

Homework: 30min reading, Letter revisions


 * Day 16: Webquest**
 * Check in with students by calling roll and having each respond with one thing they've learned during their web research.
 * Continue work on webquest. Students will need access to laptops &/or the school library to conduct their research for the rest of the unit. Complete as homework if not done in class.
 * Students will need to find the contact information of a legislator, executive, business-owner, head of PTO, etc. to whom they plan on writing a formal letter/email.

Homework: 30min reading, Letter revisions


 * Day 17: Final Letter**
 * Share a sample formal letter with students; one that you have written relevant to the current lesson would be ideal. If you feel so inclined, share an inappropriate example with them as well, like this one
 * Using copies of the peer and self-editing forms from the Lit Pack, have students check their own, and each other's letters.
 * Allow some time for revisions if necessary. Conference with students before they send their letters or emails. You may need to do this over the course of two days. Collect print copies of the letters today to avoid students feeling that the time allowance was unfair.

Homework: Finish Book #2


 * Day 18: Sending Letters, Action Brainstorm**
 * Finish conferencing with students you did not meet with yesterday. While you are doing so, students may finish reading their second books. If they are already finished, they may reflect on the book in their reading journals.
 * Introduce the action component of the project by reading the students this speech by Cesar Chavez. Lead them in a discussion afterwards. What has and what has not changed since he delivered this speech? Why have those changes been made, or why have they not been made? How can we influence this predicament?
 * Begin project brainstorm. (See lesson linked below.)

Homework: Book #2 reflection in reading journal


 * Day 19-24: Project Implementation and Writing**
 * The freedom you wish to offer your students in planning a project is up to you. Attached is an instructional plan for guiding students through the process of planning a project. It does so quickly, scaffolding each step.
 * You may find that students are more drawn to creating awareness than to direct service. Do not feel the need to discourage from doing so - awareness is an important first step to taking action, and they are themselves in the midst of an awareness-building unit. It is natural to want to share their new knowledge.
 * If possible, it would be great if each committee could maintain contact with a local specialist be it a non-profit employee, attorney or legal assistant, volunteer, program coordinator, public health official, etc. who could give the students input on their project.
 * One suggested project is to arrange for a screening of //The Harvest// at the school, a local church, neighborhood association, or community center. It would be wise to make phone calls, send emails, or visit possible venues in advance to scaffold the students' project-planning experience and set them up for success by helping to guarantee a venue will be available.
 * [[file:Writing for Change Lesson.doc]]

>
 * Day 25 (or nearest available date per venue): The screening**
 * Students should help with set-up. They will need to prominently display their brochures and reading guides.
 * The emcee group will introduce the film and explain the unit the students have just completed. [[image:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zqa3de-DqD4/Ty2ShJGs4_I/AAAAAAAAACI/-VVEUzfCrao/s320/USD-Film-Event-Flyer-Final.jpg width="285" height="276" align="right"]]
 * Students may wish to lead a Q & A after the movie.


 * Day 26: Debrief**
 * After such a long and intense unit, it will be important for students to debrief their learning verbally as a class, and also through personal reflection. Allow time in a conclusion class period to discuss the successes and short-comings of the event, what the students learned from the experience, how the whole process connects to the literature and their writing, and allow some time for a written free-write reflection as well.