In this lesson, students will examine the many kinds of work that people do, and discuss why certain jobs are better paid and often more respected than others. The class will then discuss and decide if such assessments are valid.

Christine Sleeter and Carl Grant wrote this lesson to encourage students to explore policies and attitudes about Mexican and Mexican American laborers in the U.S. and develop informed personal perspectives of the United States-Mexico border and undocumented Mexican immigrants.

Students will understand the organizational and agenda issues common among labor unions.

In these activities, students will imagine themselves in the role of these women and weigh the risks and potential benefits of their actions. In the process, they will develop an understanding of undocumented workers that goes far deeper than the caricatures that are often part of the debate over policy.

Unwilling or unable to complain about working conditions, immigrants routinely suffer chronic problems brought about by pesticide use, harsh weather and the lack of proper equipment. Using primary sources, students will learn more about these conditions—from the past and the present.

Using the common literary strategy of prediction, students will write descriptive compositions based on visual prompts and will connect symbolically with one of the farmworkers or allies.