Cesar Chavez: Champion for Farmworkers
Every time you eat fresh fruits or vegetables, you are enjoying the results of hard labor. For much of the twentieth century, however, the people who planted and harvested these crops in the United States worked under terrible conditions. Migrant farmworkers traveled from field to field, laboring under the scorching sun for long hours and very little pay. They often lacked clean drinking water, access to bathrooms, and safe housing. Cesar Chavez became one of the most important civil rights leaders in American history by dedicating his life to fighting for these neglected workers.
Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona, in 1927. His family owned a small farm and a grocery store, but they lost everything during the Great Depression. Seeking a way to survive, the family packed their belongings and moved to California to become migrant farmworkers. Chavez and his siblings worked alongside their parents in the fields, picking crops such as grapes, lettuce, and cotton. Because his family moved frequently to follow the harvests, Chavez attended more than thirty different schools before finishing eighth grade. He then left school permanently to work full-time in the fields to support his family after his father was injured in an accident.
- migrant:
- A person who moves regularly from place to place to find work, especially harvesting seasonal crops.
- activism:
- The practice of taking direct action to bring about social or political change.
- strike:
- A collective refusal by employees to work until their employer agrees to better conditions or pay.
- boycott:
- A planned refusal to buy or use goods from a business as a way to protest its actions.
- solidarity:
- Unity and mutual support among a group of people who share common goals or interests.
- pesticides:
- Chemical substances used to destroy insects and other organisms harmful to growing crops.
- perseverance:
- Continuing to try to achieve something despite difficulty, delay, or discouragement.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts â all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Fact & Opinion
Distinguish verifiable statements from judgments, beliefs, and preferences in context.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What caused Cesar Chavez and his family to leave Arizona and move to California?
- 2Why was it difficult for Cesar Chavez to attend school consistently during his childhood?
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About this informational passage for 5th Grade
âCesar Chavez: Champion for Farmworkersâ is a informational reading passage about Cesar Chavez, written for 5th Grade. It takes about 3 minutes to read (522 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.