Web Smarts

http://chavez.scientech.com

What: A website that teaches about César Chávez, the Latino civil rights leader whose birthday, March 31, is commemorated in several western states.

best parts: California's Board of Education set up this site to profile the famous migrant-labor organizer. Teachers can click on "Model Curriculum" for a helpful standards-based curriculum for Grades K through 12. Topics include the history of migrant workers in the United States, resolving conflicts peaceably, and the economic principles that guide the agriculture industry.

Click on "Resources for the Public" to learn how Mr. Chávez organized a nationwide grape boycott to improve the working conditions for farm laborers during the 1960s and led 70 workers on a 340-mile march from rural Delano, Calif., to the steps of the State Capitol in 1966.

Or go to "Additional Resources" for photos, videos, and audio clips that depict Chávez and the period in which he lived.

what you should know: California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado commemorate the birthday of Chávez, who died in 1993.