The Onion Strike in Raymondville, Texas Lesson Plans

The Onion Strike in Raymondville, Texas Lesson Plans

Strikes

Strike for Fair Wages

Fair Wages

Fair Pay

Worker's Rights

The Raymondville Onion Strike took place in 1979 on the count of their wages being cut because of onion prices. Being known as the “Onion Capital of the World” the strike started off as a wage problem then other problems arose with working conditions and class confrontation. Tony Andrea, who organized the strike, caught the attention of the Civil Rights movement. The strike was did catch attention but not national. The strike lasted seven days and it was successful enough to where the onion harvest was shut down. The strike was crushed by anglo business men who purchased the field from the original owner and then recruited other workers and fired those who participated in the strike.

Janelle Salinas

Neressa Salazar

UTRGV College of Education

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Special Collections and University Archives

1979

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

UTRGV College of Education

Stephanie Anckle

Salazar, Neressa, & Salinas, Janelle. (2108). The Onion Strike in Raymondville, Texas Lesson Plans. Retrieved from
https://rgvprimarysourceguides.omeka.net/items/show/44

PDF

English

Raymondville, Texas

§113.15. Social Studies, Grade 4, Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.
(19) Culture. The student understands the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the similarities and differences among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Texas;
(21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
(A) differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print, and visual material; documents; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas;
(D) identify different points of view about an issue, topic, historical event, or current event; and

1) The students will learn the causes of The Raymondville Onion Strike.
2) The students will be able to explain what a strike is and reasons why it could be used.
3) The student will be able to critique the event and be able to see both views of the event of the farmworkers end as well as the owner of the land who they worked for.

● Valley Of Tears Video
● Newspaper from Archives
● Book on The Onion Strike “Class and National Division in South Texas: Farmworker Strike in Raymondville”

5 Days

Subject/Level: Fourth Grade Social Studies
Materials:
● Valley Of Tears Video
● Newspaper from Archives
● Book on The Onion Strike “Class and National Division in South Texas: Farmworker Strike in Raymondville”
TEKS Essential Standards and Clarifying Objects

§113.15. Social Studies, Grade 4, Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.
(19) Culture. The student understands the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to Texas. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the similarities and differences among various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Texas;
(21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
(A) differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print, and visual material; documents; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas;
(D) identify different points of view about an issue, topic, historical event, or current event; and
Lesson Objectives(s):
1) The students will learn the causes of The Raymondville Onion Strike.
2) The students will be able to explain what a strike is and reasons why it could be used.
3) The student will be able to critique the event and be able to see both views of the event of the farmworkers end as well as the owner of the land who they worked for.
Students with special needs will have access to pre-cut material if needed, sit close to instructor, repeated material and also have access to the visuals and other content if necessary. They will also have extra time on formal assessment if necessary.
ENGAGEMENT (Monday)
The teacher will ask students to activate prior knowledge: What is a strike?,
Have you ever been in a situation where you have been lefts out of because of your race/ethnicity? Why do you think people would get together for a strike?
EXPLORATION (Tuesday)
The teacher will give out certain topics/scenarios that the students would have to choose to either be comfortable with the topic/scenario or would want to get together with their peers

who do not agree with it to strike the people who are all for the certain topic/scenario.
The student here will be first discuss if they are against or for the scenario they will be playing. All the students who are for the scenario would have to fight for what they believe in as well as the students who are against it they will get together and strike to the students and say what they see or feel is not working for them and make a point.
This activity will have the student explore and be able to see what a strike really is all about and what a strike is.
EXPLANATION (Wednesday)
The Students will watch a documentary on the onion strike. While they are watching this movie the students can write notes down about they did not understand about the movie, what they liked about it, and found interesting. Once the movie is over the teacher will go over some terms the students may have a hard time understanding or may not know. The teacher will also have an open discussion with her students on any thoughts of the movie and have the students share something they wrote down while the movie was going on.
ELABORATION (Thusday)
The teacher will provide the students with a printed copy of a book called “Class and National Division in South Texas: Farmworker Strike in Raymondville” The teacher would have the students take turns reading aloud. Once they are done the teacher will give the students a couple of minutes to write in their journals their thoughts on the book they read as a class. Once they are done the students will pair up to the person next to them and discuss with them what they wrote on their journals. Finally the teacher will have an open discussion with the class about the book they just read and she would share her thoughts and ask the students to explain why they feel the way they feel about that they wrote towards the book.
EVALUATION (Friday)
A formal assessment will be given to the students which will contain 10 questions over what they have been covering on the Onion Strike that took place in Raymondville. The students will have 35 minutes to complete assessment.
1) In what year did the Onion Strike happened?
2) What was the name of the town where the Onion Strike occured?
3) What was the main idea of the Onion Strike?
4) Who is Charles Wetegrove? What was his role in this strike that took place at Raymondville?
5) What did the onion workers reject from Charles Wetegrove?
6) Do you agree that the onion workers rejected the offer given to them by Charles Wetegrove?
7) Name the 3 obstacles that blocked farmworkers and made them want to strike?
8) Compare and Contrast how the farmworkers were treated compared to the land owners.
9) What is a strike?
10) What did you think about this Strike? Was it fair in your eyes?