Overview
The Aftermath of Cambodian Genocide: Fairness and Justice
Author: Phirin Keo Salinas
Grade: 4
Suggested Amount of Time: 60 minutes
Area of Study: Genocide in Cambodia
Compelling Question
- What were the conditions, development, and lasting effects of the genocide in Cambodia?
Lesson Question
How can Cambodian survivors restore a sense of justice and fairness?
Lesson Objective
Students will gain an understanding of the principles of justice and fairness. They will differentiate between these concepts and apply them using visual history testimonies.
Lesson Background
Lasting for four years (between 1975 and 1979), the Cambodian Genocide was an explosion of mass violence that saw between 1.5 and 3 million people killed at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, a communist political group. The Khmer Rouge had taken power in the country following the Cambodian Civil War. During their brutal four-year rule, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of nearly a quarter of Cambodians. In this lesson, students are encouraged to scrutinize the idea of justice, what it is, and how it can be achieved.
This lesson contains content that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether the resources are suitable for their class and provide a content warning to their students at the beginning of the lesson.
Skills
Historical Thinking Skill
The Activist Dimension. How can history help us work toward equity and justice? It is important to understand why a particular historical event is being studied, and how it relates to a modern-day problem that needs to be exposed.
Materials
Cambodian genocide photos
- 33 Haunting Photos From The Killing Fields Of The Cambodian Genocide.
- Photographs from S-21. The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Video
- A Survivor’s Story of the Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide.
Text
- Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials Are a Shocking Failure.
- Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975-1979. The History Place.
- Thul, P.C. (2013, March 10). Khmer Rouge Genocide: Justice Delayed May be Justice Denied.
- “Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975-1979.
- Facing History Socratic Seminar
Handouts
- Link to handout:
Procedures
- Opening
- Prompt students to think about the following questions:
- What is the meaning of fairness?
- What is the meaning of justice?
- How are they similar and/or different?
- Why are justice and fairness important?
- Have students discuss with a partner and come to a conclusion on a formal definition. Then, have a whole class discussion about each question.
- Teachers should provide formal definitions of justice and fairness to students. Optionally, teachers can keep the words and definitions on the board throughout the lesson.
- Teachers to review lesson objectives and lesson background.
- Anticipatory Set: Gallery Walk
- Print 10–12 images from the Cambodian Genocide https://allthatsinteresting.com/cambodian-genocide and http://www.tuolsleng.com/photographs.php?photographsPage=4 and display in different areas of the classroom prior to class.
- Invite students to silently visit each area of the classroom to observe and analyze the photos from the Cambodian Genocide that are placed.
- When students return to their seats, students will free-write in their journals in response to the following questions:
- What details from the images stood out most to you, and why?
- How does it make you feel?
- What does justice look like during this time period in Cambodia?
- Have a class discussion and ask students to share their responses to the questions.
- Interaction with video: A Survivor's Story of the Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide
- Inform students that they are about to watch a short clip of a testimony given by a Cambodian Genocide survivor.
- Play clip: Testimony - A Survivor’s Story of the Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9Ec-hdy64
- Distribute handout 2: Testimony - A Survivor’s Story of the Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide
- Guide students to focus on descriptions of examples regarding justice and fairness. Students should write these examples in the examples column.
- After the video, review student notes as a class.
- Socratic Seminar
- Students will engage in a Socratic seminar discussion.
- For more information on how to organize a Socratic seminar, teachers can use the following source: https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/socratic-seminar
- Alternatively, the discussion can be held on a text-based digital platform such as Padlet. Or, students can create a video reflection of their responses to the questions below, view other students' videos, and have a discussion via recordings.
- Front-load students with the questions they will be answering in the Socratic seminar discussion:
- Many people were killed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. In your opinion, who should take responsibility for what happened? How can justice be attained?
- What consequences should the people who have committed crimes over 40 years ago have?
- How can the victims and/or their families find peace and justice?
- When have you experienced injustice or unfair treatment? Explain.
- Encourage students to write one to two more open-ended questions to contribute to the discussion.
- Provide the following resources for students to use to analyze to prepare for the questions they will have to answer during the discussion activity. Their responses will have to be based on textual evidence.
- Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials Are a Shocking Failure. https://time.com/6997/cambodias-khmer-rouge-trials-are-a-shocking-failure/
- Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975-1979. The History Place. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm
- Thul, P.C. 2013, March 10. Khmer Rouge Genocide: Justice Delayed May be Justice Denied. https://www.reuters.com/article/cambodia-court/khmer-rouge-genocide-justice-delayed-may-be-justice-denied-idINDEE92A04F20130311
- “Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975-1979. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm
- Students are encouraged to take notes and jot down their ideas ahead of time. They are able to reference these notes during the discussion activity.
- Reflection and Closing
- Once the Socratic seminar/discussion activity is over, have students reflect on their participation, and new learnings.
- Students can complete an exit ticket to the following prompts:
- How did your thoughts about justice change from the beginning of class?
- What is something that you heard in the discussion today that was affirming or helpful for you in your understanding of genocide and/or justice?
- Write one question or wondering you still have about justice or the Cambodian genocide.
Assessments
Students will engage in a Socratic seminar discussion surrounding the topics of: justice, Cambodian genocide, and fairness. Following the discussion, students will reflect on their learning with an exit ticket
Scaffolds
Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:
- Provide prompts, reminders, guides, rubrics, checklists that focus on:
- Self-regulatory goals like reducing the frequency of aggressive outbursts in response to frustration
- Increasing the length of on-task orientation in the face of distractions
- Elevating the frequency of self-reflection and self-reinforcements
Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:
- Embed visual, non-linguistic supports for vocabulary clarification (pictures, videos, etc)
Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:
- Prompt learners to identify the type of feedback or advice that they are seeking
- Provide alternatives in the requirements for rate, timing, speed, and range of motor action required to interact with instructional materials, physical manipulatives, and technologies
For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST (2018) http://udlguidelines.cast.org.
Multilingual Learner Supports
Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:
- Writing: Teach note-taking on a graphic organizer
- Students use a Frayer graphic organizer to support understanding of a keyword or concept. Place the target word in the center amid four surrounding quadrants to support different facets of word meaning.
Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:
- Writing: Provide writing frames
- When posing a question for discussion and writing, the teacher offers a coordinated response frame to support the use of particular grammatical structures and vocabulary.
Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:
- Writing: Hold frequent writing conferences with teacher and peers
- The teacher works collaboratively with students to scaffold writing before they write independently. The teacher uses students’ understanding of narrative stages, specific vocabulary, and grammatical structures while questioning for precision.
For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:
English Learner Toolkit of Strategies https://ucdavis.box.com/s/ujkdc2xp1dqjzrlq55czph50c3sq1ngu
Providing Appropriate Scaffolding https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding
Strategies for ELD https://ucdavis.box.com/s/dcp15ymah51uwizpmmt2vys5zr2r5reu
ELA / ELD Framework https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework
California ELD Standards https://ucdavis.box.com/s/vqn43cd632z22p8mfzn2h7pntc71kb02
Enrichment
- Sing About Justice and Fairness
(Sing to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine”)
Justice and Fairness, Justice and Fairness,
Treat others kindly, respect the rules.
Stand up for people who are mistreated,
Make a difference in the world.
- Fair Treatment
Bring a sack of candy containing five less than the total number of students in the class. Pass the sack around and tell everyone they can take one. When the students discover the unfair situation and that there is not enough candy for everyone, discuss the following questions:
- How did those students who did not get the candy feel? How about those that did?
- What would be the fair solution to the problem?
- Can you think of another situation when people might feel left out or rejected?
- Fair Cents
Stack the pennies on top of one another, stack the nickels next to them and place the dime beside the nickels. Begin by discussing the fact that although each set of coins looks different, they all have the same value. This is the same with people, we may look different on the outside – short, tall, skin color, etc., but we are all of equal value and deserve to be treated fairly. When you share, take turns, and treat others equally and with respect, you are showing fairness.
- Who Made It?
Ask the students where they think their clothes are made and by whom. Students may check tags on their own clothing or on the collar of a classmate’s shirt. If available, you may want to bring a piece of clothing made in a country with questionable child labor laws (e.g.: Cambodia, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, China, and Indonesia).
- Have a discussion or a simple learning circle with discussion around:
- Instead of attending school and playing with friends, young children had to work in factories.
- There are still countries in this world that do not have laws that protect children. The children that live in these countries may not have schools or the right to an education.
- Encourage the students to:
- Think about ways they can help children in Cambodia.
- How might their experience(s) connect to Cambodian children?
- Brainstorm situations where they have witnessed unfairness; then develop solutions with classmates.
- Write or create their own bumper sticker about justice and fairness.
Works Cited
Britt, K. 2020c, May 11. English learner toolkit of strategies. California County Superintendents. https://cacountysupts.org/english-learner-toolkit-of-strategies/
California Department of Education & English Learner Support Division. 2012. California English Language Development standards (Electronic Edition) kindergarten through grade 12 (F. Ong & J. McLean, Eds.). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/eldstndspublication14.pdf
California Educators Together. (n.d.). ELA / ELD framework. https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework
CAST. 2018 The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Oliver, M. 2021, November 3. 33 Haunting Photos From The Killing Fields Of The Cambodian Genocide. all that’s interesting (ati). https://allthatsinteresting.com/cambodian-genocide?utm_campaign=fbpdtyc&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
Sexias, P. & Morton, T. 2013. The big six: Historical thinking concepts. Nelson Education.
Sleng, T. (n.d.). Photographs from S-21 [Photographs]. The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. http://www.tuolsleng.com/photographs.php?photographsPage=4
ABC News. 2000, July 4. A Survivor’s Story of the Khmer Rouge Cambodian Genocide. In ABC News Nightline. ABC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB9Ec-hdy64
Campbell, C. 2014, February 23. Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Trials Are a Shocking Failure. Time. https://time.com/6997/cambodias-khmer-rouge-trials-are-a-shocking-failure/
San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Providing appropriate scaffolding. https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding
The History Place. 1999. Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975-1979. The History Place. 1999. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm
Thul, P.C. 2013, March 10. Khmer Rouge Genocide: Justice Delayed May be Justice Denied. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/cambodia-court/khmer-rouge-genocide-justice-delayed-may-be-justice-denied-idINDEE92A04F20130311
Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf
“Pol Pot in Cambodia, 1975–1979.” The History Place. 1999. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/pol-pot.htm