Lesson Hook:

1. Students will choose one of the three questions to answer:
   1. What is the human condition? 
   2. What does it mean to be human? 
   3. What are some universal ideas to humanity?
2. In a whole class discussion, the teacher should write a list of students' answers/attributes on the board, so that it is visible to all students. The teacher can choose to do this on an online board platform or typing on a shared online document so students can have access later. 
3. Introduce students to lesson objectives and lesson questions.

Vocabulary Building: 

1. Introduce students to the following terms. The terms can be on a digital/paper word bank. If time permits, allow students to engage with the vocabulary terms by looking up visual representations, examples of each term, and the definitions.
   1. Trauma (https://dictionary.apa.org/trauma) 
   2. Survivor Guilt (https://dictionary.apa.org/survivor-guilt) 
   3. Intergenerational Trauma (https://dictionary.apa.org/intergenerational-trauma) 
   4. Resilience (https://dictionary.apa.org/resilience) 
   5. Refugee (https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/what-is-a-refugee.html) 
   6. Atrocity (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atrocity) 
   7. Diaspora (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diaspora) 

 Preparing to Read:

1. The teacher should then lead students to discuss what, of their list of universal human conditions, do they think that Cambodian diaspora and their descendants would experience, based on past lessons of Cambodian history. How does their list compare to the Cambodian extraordinary experiences? The teacher should highlight these on the list already created and add any additional ones if necessary. 
2. The teacher will guide students in the following annotation strategies when analyzing poetry. It would be helpful if these annotation strategies were made accessible to students via a handout, bookmark, or digital document.
   1. Research and jot down biographical information of the author of the poem at the top (or bottom) of the paper. 
   2. Read the poem title and make predictions about it prior to reading the poem. Jot down thoughts above the poem title.
   3. Read and reread a poem just for understanding before even annotating!
   4. Jot down questions, thoughts, while reading and rereading in the margins.
   5. Summarize main ideas in the margins.
   6. Circle/Underline/Highlight key words/symbols with arrows to explanations of their importance in the margins.
   7. Revisit any prior predictions and comment on what you missed and/or what you were right about.

 Teacher Modeling:

1. The teacher will read a poem with the class and model annotation strategies.
   1. Poem: Cruel Radiance, Monica Sok: https://www.rosalienebacchus.com/poetry-corner-april-2021.html
   2. Poem annotations can be done on the projector, and students can follow along with their own copies. 
   3. The teacher should guide students to research biographical information on the author of the poem, including where they were relocated from and where they live now. 
   4. Then, the teacher can begin the reading and annotations. Once the teacher is done modeling, use the information from the poem to answer the lesson question together as a class: What universal thematic lessons on human experience are shared through poetry by Cambodian Americans?

Shared Learning:

1. Students will choose one poem from the following list to read and annotate on their own. They should print out the poem for written analysis or put the poem on a document to complete an online analysis:
   1. We Stay Tight and Close at Sea, Waiting for the Morning Breakfast, Where Fat Matters, Peou Tuy: https://richardhowe.com/2022/03/02/three-poems-by-peuo-tuy/
   2. Pheap Thon: Stories From The Khmer Diaspora, Christine Su, ed. Cambodian American Literary Arts Association: https://www.calaalowell.org/pheap-thon-1
   3. Jungle Crossing, 1980, Dear Grandmother, When Motherhood is Suffering, Daughter-in-Waiting, Sokunthary Svay, Apogee Journal: https://apogeejournal.org/2017/08/21/four-poems-sokunthary-svay/
   4. I am Apsara’s Daughter, Sokunthary Svay, Poets.org: https://poets.org/poem/i-am-apsaras-daughter
   5. ABC for Refugees, Monica Sok: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/144805/abc-for-refugees
2. The teacher should guide students to present the poem that they have chosen to annotate in small groups of three to four. Students should group up with students that chose different poems. 
   1. In the small groups, each student will share the following:
      • Main ideas presented in the poem
      • Human Condition(s) that each poem presents
      • One or two symbols important in evaluating that Human Condition(s).
   2. Once each student has shared, the group will discuss the following: 
      • Commonalities and differences they see between the poems and experiences. Why are there commonalities and differences (using the author biographies)?
      • How does intergenerational trauma inform the identity of these Cambodian American poets?
      • What did you learn? How is the Cambodian experience as well as universal human experience/condition revealed through the poetry we read and shared? What is the significance?

Assessment and Reflection:

• The teacher should guide students to reflect on their learning after analysis of the poems through one of the following projects. Students can choose from one of the following options for their assessment. 
• Letter to the Author: Students can write a letter to the author of the poem in gratitude, as well as questions that they may still have about the poem after analysis. The teacher should teach students letter writing or email writing etiquette and have them submit a draft before sending off these emails and letters. 
• Written Poetry: Students can write their own poetry based on a human experience/human condition. The teacher should remind students that they should write a poem on their own personal experiences, rather than someone else’s culture/experiences. 
• Students can create a visual representation of the poem they annotated, with a mind map or collage of symbols from the poem along with a written reflection.
• Once all students have completed their assessment, provide opportunities for sharing. This can take the form of a Gallery Walk, Give One/Get One, small group/whole class presentations.