Teaching Curriculum

Empowering Your Students to be Civically Engage

“A good organizer is a social arsonist who goes around setting people on fire.” - Fred Ross

This documentary chronicles the life and legacy of Fred Ross Sr. and Fred Ross Jr. , labor and community organizers. Through their life and legacy, the film shines a light on the power of organizing to combat racism, bigotry, greed and injustice. The film highlights powerful social movements and provides insight into other organizer’s experiences, such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and so many others who followed in their footsteps.  The curriculum is written in accordance with Common Core standards and are connected with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Help your students understand the inspirational life and legacy of Fred Ross with these zero-prep, ready-to-go activities, choosing the option that best fits your classroom situation and needs. Please note that any resources are in Microsoft Word to allow you that flexibility.

For Starters: Where to begin

Pedagogically, it is first important to consider where American Agitators fits in your Social Studies, American History, U.S. Government, Civics, Human Rights, or English course. Here are some connections that might be a great starting point: A unit on…

  • The Great Depression and Dustbowl

  • World War II and Japanese Internment

  • The Progressive Era, Muckrakers, and/or the history of the Labor Movement

  • Citizenship and the importance of Civic Engagement

  • Contemporary Social Justice and Human Rights

If you only have one day: Show the Movie

Spending a class watching a shortened version of American Agitators provides a satisfying, engaging, and efficient way of inspiring your students to be civically engaged. Have your students read the short bio, 5-slide PowerPoint, one-sided movie guide, and homework that will allow them to make the connections you want them to make. The shortened video of the film is available here.

For AP or higher-level learners:  

We recommend using this one-class Inquiry assignment that uses the life of Fred Ross to answer the question: “Can one person make a difference?

If you have a second day: Connect the material to the present

Help your students be civically engaged by connecting the sayings of Fred Ross to the issues of our time. Using Axioms for Organizers, the class will write down five sayings of Fred that they found inspirational. They will then apply those sayings to a list of contemporary issues of their choice that needs to be changed. You can make a good thing even better by having the students use Canva or a similar online creator to connect that saying of Fred to expose that issue. 

As a next step, you might consider using Canva or another online flyer creator to have students connect a saying by Fred to an issue of their choice, citing an action that needs to happen to improve/rectify that problem.  Please see the brief directions for this assignment here.

If you have more time: Try these activities for additional enrichment…

Students can use American Agitators as a launching pad to connect with a local group in their area that is already doing some “Fred Ross” work on the issue. Modelled after a classic “Science Fair” model, you can have your classes have a “Kids Making a Difference Night” where they will create a trifold board that describes an issue that they have researched, a connection to a local organization that is tackling the problem, and what they have learned from volunteering 1-3 hours with that organization. Parents will love their enthusiasm, and that their child is civically engaged in an issue of their choice.

Other Important Questions and Answers:

How American Agitators meets the national Social Studies standards

What Enduring Understandings does the film address?

What Essential Questions does the film address?

What primary sources exist in teaching about this film?

What other resources will help you teach