On-Demand Virtual Training
Very well done–great history lesson with excellent ideas for presenting and useful materials”
– Maryalice Guilford, Boston, MA
How has immigration influenced United States history? This training, originally held on September 24, 2025, focused on the United Farm Workers movement of the 1960s, highlighting the leadership of César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong and the immigrant communities that built a national labor movement.
Discover classroom-ready lessons featuring primary sources from the Library of Congress, strategies for connecting past and present, and resources to help students understand immigration as a central theme in U.S. history.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the historical significance of the United Farm Workers Union and the roles of Cesar Chávez, Dolores Huerta and Larry Itliong in the 1960s labor movement.
- Make connections between historical labor movements and current issues facing immigrant workers today.
- Use The Immigrant Learning Center’s (ILC) free Teaching U.S. Immigration lesson bundle series.
This webinar is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University.
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, © Jos Sances, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-DIG-ppmsca-12345]
Recordings & Resources
Presented by:
Erin Connors, Social Studies Teacher, Fordson High School, Dearborn, Michigan
Ariana Moir, Education Program Manager, The ILC Public Education Institute
Read this list of resources crowdsourced from the webinar presenters and participants.
Modules
Land, Legacy and the 1960s Labor Movement
Erin Connors, Social Studies Teacher, Fordson High School, Dearborn, Michigan
Erin Connors gives an overview of the history of the 1960s and 1970s labor movement and demonstrates activities from the lesson bundle she created for The ILC. She describes ways to scaffold the activities for multilingual learners and highlights extension ideas.
Key Concepts:
- Farmworker struggles and justice: The Delano Grape Strike and the formation of the United Farm Workers union highlighted unsafe conditions, discrimination and the fight for dignity and collective bargaining.
- Teaching with primary sources: Photographs, oral histories and union documents give students direct access to farmworker perspectives and lived experiences.
- Empathy and inquiry in the classroom: Strategies like “See, Feel, Think, Wonder” foster critical thinking, empathy and deeper engagement with labor history.
- Connections to today: The farmworker movement links to today’s labor and social justice struggles, making history relevant for students.
Check out these resources:
- Film Clips from the Farm Labor Movement – 1960s-1970s (Center for Sacramento History)
- Huelga! (American Archive of Public Broadcasting)
- Delano Manongs documentary (PBS)
- Viva La Causa (Teaching Tolerance/Learning for Justice, hosted on Zinn Education Project)
- SIOP 99 Ideas & Activities (SCH Bilingual Education Program)
- What are the 8 components of SIOP? (Schiller J. Ambroise)
- PZ’s Thinking Routines Toolbox (Project Zero)
Teaching U.S. Immigration with The Immigrant Learning Center Resources
Ariana Moir, Education Program Manager, The ILC Public Education Institute
Interested in learning about The ILC’s Teaching U.S. Immigration series? Ariana Moir shares why the series was developed, the scope and topics, components of the lesson bundles and where to find them.
Check out this resource:
Key Concepts:
- Immigration as a core narrative in U.S. history: The Teaching U.S. Immigration series emphasizes that immigrant stories are vital to understanding America’s past and present, helping foster belonging, empathy and understanding among students
- Classroom-ready, flexible resources: The series provides free, adaptable lesson plans and activities for middle and high school students, designed to fit into existing curricula or stand alone.
- Chronological organization and scholarly grounding: Lesson bundles are structured chronologically, and many include essays written by PhD candidates to reflect current scholarship.
- Primary source integration: Materials draw heavily on Library of Congress primary sources, making lessons engaging and rooted in authentic documents.
- All resources are freely available online.
Please note: The views expressed by guest presenters are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Immigrant Learning Center.