8: Chapter 8

Exercise 1

One way to increase your vocabulary is to learn the different word forms of words you already know. For example, you might already know the noun education, but do you know how to form the verb, adjective, and adverb? Fill in the table with the missing word forms of the words provided. Write the word endings (suffixes) at the top of each column as seen in the examples.

Table 16 Word Forms

Exercise 2

Phrasal verbs are usually a combination of a verb and a preposition to form a meaning different from the meaning of the verb alone. For example, the verb drive is related to a vehicle; however, if you add the preposition “up” to form the phrasal verb “drive up”, the meaning is to increase. For example, “The policy is driving up the price of gas.” Look at the phrasal verbs found in the next reading. Match them to their meaning.

___ 1. take on (Paragraph 8)

___ 2. keep up (Paragraph 8)

___ 3. fall behind (Paragraph 8)

___ 4. stand up to (Paragraph 7)

a. make less progress

b. agree to do work

c. continue at the same rate as everyone around you

d. refuse to accept unfair treatment

Exercise 3 Prior Knowledge

Look at the words in bold in Exercise 4 without reading the example sentences. Rate your current knowledge of the word before doing the unit exercises. Use the numbered scale and write the number in front of the sentences in Exercise 4. With each exercise and by the end of the unit, your knowledge should work toward a "4", which means you will know the word, can explain it and give an example. It is expected that you will mark many words with a "1" or "2" now since they might be completely new words.

1. I do not know this word, and I have never heard of it before.

2. I have heard of this word before. It sounds familiar.

3. I can give an example of this word, but I cannot explain it.

4. I know this word. I can explain it and give an example.

Exercise 4 Definitions

Read the sentences below. Guess the meaning of the words in bold based on the example sentence(s). Circle the best definition of the word in bold.

_____ 1. The police had to collect evidence to prove Jose was the killer.

Your definition:

_____ 2. Sandra takes pride in the work she does. She is not embarrassed.

Your definition:

_____ 3. My goal/aim for this semester is to learn how to write a paragraph.

Your definition:

_____ 4. Restaurants segregated African-Americans by putting them in a different section.

Your definition:

_____ 5. The students felt more secure with the police walking with them.

Your definition:

_____ 6. In South Africa’s apartheid, Blacks were oppressed by the white minority. Blacks had no rights.

Your definition:

_____ 7. Parents need to promote healthy eating.

Your definition:

_____ 8. David is dedicated to his students. He does a lot to help them.

Your definition:

_____ 9. Brandi needs to lose 5 more pounds before she accomplishes/achieves her goal.

Your definition:

_____ 10. If animals are mistreated, they will be taken away from their owners.

Your definition:

_____ 11. Union workers demanded more rights.

Your definition:

_____ 12. Violence on television might influence children’s behavior.

Your definition:

_____ 13. Hadi struggles to climb stairs. He needs a lot of help.

Your definition:

Exercise 5 While You Read

Use the template below to write Cornell Notes for the reading The Chicano Movement. The subheadings and some main ideas have already been added to the first column. Add details to the second column. Write a summary, questions for your teacher or tutor, or new vocabulary words below the table.

The Chicano Movement (Title) Chapter 8

Table 18 Cornell Notes for The Chicano Movement

-Summary

-New Vocabulary

-Questions for your teacher or tutor

Roots of the Movement

³It is possible to trace the movement all the way back to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, which redrew the official line between Mexico and the United States. People who had considered themselves Mexican now lived on the American side, and the treaty promised they would be full U.S. citizens with full civil rights. However, for many Mexican Americans — especially those who worked in agriculture — that promise was not fulfilled. They were never treated fairly by white U.S. citizens and often, especially during times of economic hardship like the Great Depression, they were actively removed from jobs and sometimes sent “back” to Mexico — even though they had lived in the U.S. for generations. In the 1960s, inspired by the success of the African American Civil Rights Movement in the South, Chicanos began actively fighting for equality. The Chicano Movement expanded and covered many different issues, but it mostly focused on four: land ownership, workers’ rights, and educational and political equality.

Reclaiming Land and Identity

⁴In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the U.S. promised to let the people who owned land in the area keep their property, but in the end they did not keep their promise. Mexican Americans in the area had their land taken away.

⁵Chicano activists worked to reclaim their lands in Southwestern states. However, they were unsuccessful, so they began promoting the idea of sacred, ancestral lands. They popularized the notion of Aztlán, an area in northern Mexico and southern United States, thought to be the origin land of the Mexican people. Even if they could not officially own the land, Chicanos saw Aztlán as a symbol of their heritage and their identity as Mexican Americans.

Farmworkers’ Rights

⁶Many Mexican Americans worked as migrant farmworkers who traveled from farm to farm harvesting different crops according to the season. Migrant farmworkers were some of the worst-treated workers in the country, and their children rarely got to stay in school for more than a few years. In the 1960s, the Chicano Movement hoped to win more protections for these migrant families.

⁷They decided to organize groups of workers that were large enough to stand up to farm owners and demand more rights. Two of the most influential reformers were Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez; together they founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA). The NFWA organized boycotts against fruit-growers who refused to give rights to their workers, and they worked with the government to give migrant workers greater legal protections. The government agreed to some of the NFWA’s demands and instituted some new laws, including higher wages and more secure employment contracts. Unions like the NFWA still fight for Mexican American workers’ rights today.

Equality in Education

⁸A California court case in 1947 decided it was illegal to segregate schools between white children and Mexican American children, but there were still great inequalities within schools. Firstly, many Chicano children could only stay at the same school for a few months at a time because their parents were migrant farm workers. Secondly, even when they could stay, many had not grown up speaking English, and their parents still spoke little or no English, so it was hard for them to keep up in the classroom. Instead, they fell further behind; only about one quarter of Chicano students at this time graduated from high school. Thirdly, schools in poorer areas, which sometimes had a higher percentage of Chicano students, received less funding than schools in rich, whiter areas. Students began to realize how all these factors kept Mexican-American youths from achieving and left many of them having to eventually take on the same cheap labor jobs their parents had.

⁹High school and university students organized to form the group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA). They walked out of classes on school campuses and negotiated with school administrators and political leaders for education reform. They also called for more Mexican-American history to be taught in classrooms, and they wanted more Mexican-American teachers.

Political Involvement

¹⁰None of the changes they worked for were made overnight, but some change came eventually. More importantly, MEChA made many Chicanos see that they could get involved with politics and important social issues. It eventually led to the formation of the Raza Unida Party, a political party focused on the needs of Chicanos across the nation.

¹¹The Chicano Movement is less well known than the Civil Rights Movement, which happened in the South around the same time, but it was just as important in establishing civil rights for an oppressed group of people. Although the movement mainly focused on land ownership, workers' rights, and education reform, it promoted equality for Chicanos in many different ways. For example, in the early 1970s there was a whole group of women dedicated to making sure healthcare forms were available in Spanish as well as in English. The movement accomplished many of its goals over several decades, and it is still working today to promote fairer treatment of Mexican Americans in schools, jobs, and even in entertainment. Perhaps most importantly, the Chicano Movement proved to Mexican Americans that they could have just as much of a voice in society and politics as anyone else.

“The Chicano Movement” by Jessica McBirney is licensed by CommonLit under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Exercise 6

For the following questions, choose the best answer.

1. PART A: Which statement best expresses the central idea of the article?

A. The Chicano Movement was well-intentioned but failed to have any lasting impact.

B. The Chicano Movement negatively impacted the progress of the African American Civil Rights Movement.

C. The Chicano Movement successfully gained rights for Mexican Americans and paved the way for future progress.

D. While the Chicano Movement did help migrant workers, it failed to address the needs of students who were being treated unfairly.

2. PART B: Which quote best expresses the central idea in the answer to Part A?

A. “In the 1960s, inspired by the success of the African American Civil Rights Movement in the South, Chicanos began actively fighting for equality.” (Paragraph 3)

B. “The government agreed to some of the NFWA’s demands and instituted some new laws, including higher wages and more secure employment contracts.” (Paragraph 7)

C. “Students began to realize how all these factors kept Mexican-American youths from achieving and left many of them having to eventually take on the same cheap labor jobs their parents had.” (Paragraph 8)

D. “The movement accomplished many of its goals over several decades, and it is still working today to promote fairer treatment of Mexican Americans in schools, jobs, and even in entertainment.” (Paragraph 11)

3. PART A: Which statement best describes the experiences Mexican Americans had before the Chicano Movement?

A. Mexican Americans were encouraged to integrate in the United States.

B. Mexican Americans revolted against the U.S. government because they wanted to return to Mexico.

C. Mexican Americans were completely ignored by the United States government.

D. Mexican Americans were subject to unfair and harsh treatment by other Americans.

4. PART B: Which detail from the text provides evidence for the answer to Part A?

A. “They were never treated fairly by white U.S. citizens, and often, especially during times of economic hardship like the Great Depression, they were actively removed from jobs and sometimes sent ‘back’ to Mexico” (Paragraph 3)

B. “Chicano activists worked to reclaim their lands in Southwestern states.” (Paragraph 5)

C. “The NFWA organized boycotts against fruit-growers who refused to give rights to their workers, and they worked with the government to give migrant workers greater legal protections.” (Paragraph 7)

D. “They also called for more Mexican-American history to be taught in classrooms, and they wanted more Mexican-American teachers.” (Paragraph 9)

Exercise 7

This unit covers groups of people trying to make social change. For your next essay you will write about the most effective ways to make social change. As you did when writing paragraphs, you will follow the writing process by brainstorming, outlining, and drafting.

Social Change Essay Brainstorm

Exercise 8

Look at the list of ways to make social change. Circle the ones you think are effect. Cross out the ones you think are ineffective.

Exercise 9 Social Change Essay Outline

Transfer your strongest ideas into an outline. Give examples of these strategies, specific examples of these strategies being performed in history, and reasons why they are effective.

Thesis statement:

Body paragraph 1

Topic sentence:

Example strategies:

Historical examples:

Reasons why the strategies are effective:

Body paragraph 2

Topic sentence:

Example strategies:

Historical examples:

Reasons why the strategies are effective:

Body paragraph 3

Topic sentence:

Example strategies:

Historical examples:

Reasons why the strategies are effective:

Restatement of the thesis:

Exercise 10 Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences using the vocabulary in the box below.

Table 19 Chapter 8 Sentence Completion

1. Social media like Instagram and Facebook _______________ children.

2. Mariela is _______________ to her children. She cares for them.

3. Nobody should be _______________. We are all equal.

4. When I took the math class, I _______________ to understand the formulas. It was difficult.

5. The _______________ of this class is to improve your reading and vocabulary.

6. The exercises will help you _______________ these goals.

7. Children learn best when they are in a _______________ environment.

8. Politicians should _______________ peace in their country.

9. Cesar Chavez _______________ rights for farm workers.

10. Eva has a sense of _______________ in her hometown.

Exercise 11 Discussion Questions

Take notes answering the questions below. Then discuss your answers with a partner or group.

1. How can a student prove that he or she did not cheat on an exam?

2. Describe three things from your culture you are proud of.

3. How can parents promote a healthy lifestyle?

4. What is your educational goal? How do you plan to achieve this goal?

5. What are three factors that influence children’s behavior?