Cambodian-Vietnamese War

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Cambodian-Vietnamese War?

Cambodian children at the Ban Mai Rut refugee camp near Klong Yai, Thailand. There are about 5,200 refugees in this camp which has a permanent wooden structure and several new ones made of Bamboo poles thatched roofs and walls.

Author:  Laura Ouk
Grade: 10

Suggested Amount of Time: 90 minutes
Area of Study: Introduction to Cambodian History

Compelling Question

How does learning about Cambodian history promote a greater understanding of Cambodian American experiences?

Lesson Questions
  • How did the Cambodian–Vietnamese War change after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979?
  • How did the United States, China, and the Soviet Union play a role in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War?
  • How did the genocide in Cambodia and the Cambodian–Vietnamese War lead to widespread refugee displacement?
Lesson Background

The Cambodian-Vietnamese War took place between 1978 and 1989.  Vietnam invaded Cambodia in late 1978 and removed the government of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in January of 1979. The conflict then became a guerilla war tied to larger Cold War influences including military aid from the Soviet Union supporting the Vietnamese backed government, and aid from China and the United States backing the rebels. This war and the past genocide caused many Cambodians to flee their country as refugees.

Image Citation: United Nations Photo. (n.d.-a). Coping with Disasters:  Refugees and Displaced Persons in South-East Asia. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/3836440631

Historical Thinking Skill

The Ethical Dimension. This lesson will facilitate student proficiency in the ethical dimension, one of Seixas’ historical thinking skills (Seixas & Morton, 2013). To consolidate thinking about how we should remember and respond to the past. To recognize the ethical stance in a museum exhibit.

A fair assessment of the ethical implications of history can inform us of our responsibilities to remember and respond to contributions, sacrifices, and injustices of the past. Students will consider how the Cambodian Vietnamese War ended the genocide but brought in a new period of imperialism.

Supplies 
  • A computer with internet access
  • Poster paper and markers
Readings
  • Back to Square One 
  • Rescue and Rebuilding Lives 
Handouts 
  1. Warm-up: Ask students to think about their family or communities, and if they know of their origin/migration stories. For students who feel comfortable, ask them to share with the class.
  2. Introduce students to lesson questions, objective, and background.
  3. Interaction with first source: Rescue and Rebuilding Lives https://www.hmd.org.uk/learn-about-the-holocaust-and-genocides/cambodia/rescue-and-rebuilding-lives/
    1. First Read: Have students preview the text and identify any unfamiliar terms. Then, work as a class to define those terms.
    2. Second Read: Summarize the text into two main ideas.
    3. Third Read: Work as a class to answer these questions utilizing the text: 
      1. How did the Cambodian–Vietnamese War change after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979?
      2. How did the United States, China, and the Soviet Union play a role in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War?
      3. How did the genocide in Cambodia and the Cambodian–Vietnamese War lead to widespread refugee displacement?
  4. Interaction with second source: Back to Square One https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl04.html 
    1. First Read: Have students preview the text and identify any unfamiliar terms. Then, work as a class to define those terms.
    2. Second Read: Students will work with a partner to summarize the text into two main ideas.
    3. Third Read: Either independently or with a partner, have students answer these questions utilizing the text: 
      1. How did the Cambodian–Vietnamese War change after the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979?
      2. How did the United States, China, and the Soviet Union play a role in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War?
      3. How did the genocide in Cambodia and the Cambodian–Vietnamese War lead to widespread refugee displacement?
    4. Additional support to help students in completing this task:
      1. The teachers can provide a word wall and sentence frames to support diverse learners at all levels when writing down their responses and ideas. 
      2. Students who need more vocabulary support should also be given access to online dictionaries or paired with other students for open dialogue on harder concepts. 
  5. After the students have finished the reading and answered their questions, have them have a brief discussion about their answers in the group.
    1. Here’s are some group strategies to support group work:
      1. Students are provided independent thinking time before small group discussions. This helps students brainstorm their responses to the prompted questions to be asked. 
      2. Students should be encouraged to participate in smaller group discussions when appropriate to talk through harder topics.
      3. They should also be encouraged to share their findings with one another through dialogue. 
  6. Cultural Production: Have students (independently, in groups, or in pairs) create a visual artifact on a piece of poster paper, or they can complete it digitally. The teacher should share the Rubric handout with the students and explain how they will be assessed. Their artifact should include the following:
    1. A timeline of the Cambodian–Vietnamese War
    2. A mind map or combination of text and images.
  7. Have groups showcase their artifacts around the classroom and complete a gallery walk.
  8. Closure: As an exit ticket, have each student complete a post-it note to place on a different group’s artifact. The student should write an example of how the artifact they chose helped them better understand the Cambodian–Vietnamese War

Students will be assessed on their understanding of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War and its impact on the citizens of Cambodia through a Gallery Walk of artifacts students create to show their learning. The artifacts will be assessed using the included rubric.

Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:

  • Provide feedback that is frequent, timely, and specific
  • Elevating the frequency of self-reflection and self-reinforcements

 

Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:

  • Highlight how complex terms, expressions, or equations are composed of simpler words or symbols
  • Make connections to previously learned structures

 

Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:

  • Provide scaffolds that can be gradually released with increasing independence and skills (e.g., embedded into digital reading and writing software)
  • Provide guides and checklists for scaffolding goal-setting

 

For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST (2018)  http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:

  • Reading: Preview the text content with pictures, videos, demos, charts, or experiences
    • Teacher deliberately partners specific students for conversations.

 

Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:

  • Reading: Use guided reading 
    • In a shared or interactive writing format, chart out characters, setting, problem, and events (including orientation, complication, and resolution). Add theme, as appropriate.

 

Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:

  • Reading: Use focused questions to guide reading
    • Students use inquiry posing their own questions and wonderings to guide shared research experiences.

 

For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

 

  1. Students can research the Paris Peace Agreements and the aftermath of it: https://www.voacambodia.com/a/voa-interview-on-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-paris-peace-accords-gareth-evans-reflects-on-how-things-went-wrong/6282683.h 
  2. Students can research other issues in Cambodia today using the following sources
    • https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/asia/cambodia-khmer-rouge-anniversary/index.html 
    • https://time.com/5486460/pol-pot-cambodia-1979/ 
    • https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_cambodia-expects-be-landmine-free-within-5-years/6197569.html 
    • https://water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/cambodia/

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

FRONTLINE/WORLD . Cambodia - Pol Pot’s Shadow . Chronicle of Survival . 1980-1991: Back to square one | PBS. (n.d.). https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl04.html

Holocaust Memorial Day Trust | Rescue and rebuilding lives. (n.d.). Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. https://www.hmd.org.uk/learn-about-the-holocaust-and-genocides/cambodia/rescue-and-rebuilding-lives/

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

Sexias, P. & Morton, T. 2013. The big six: Historical thinking concepts. Nelson Education.

Supplementary Sources

Cambodia’s water crisis - Cambodia’s water problems | Water.org. (n.d.). Water.org. https://water.org/our-impact/where-we-work/cambodia/

Hunt, L. 2020, October 25. Cambodia Expects to be Landmine-Free Within 5 Years. Voice of America.  https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_cambodia-expects-be-landmine-free-within-5-years/6197569.html

Hume, T. 2015, April 16. Scars of the Khmer Rouge: How Cambodia is healing from a genocide. CNN.  https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/asia/cambodia-khmer-rouge-anniversary/index.html

Kimseng, M., & Khmer, V. 2021, October 23. VOA Interview: On the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, Gareth Evans reflects on how things went wrong. Voice of America. https://www.voacambodia.com/a/voa-interview-on-the-30th-anniversary-of-the-paris-peace-accords-gareth-evans-reflects-on-how-things-went-wrong/6282683.html

Quackenbush, C. 2019, January 7. 40 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia still grapples with Pol Pot’s brutal legacy. TIME. https://time.com/5486460/pol-pot-cambodia-1979/

Model Curriculum

Cambodian American Studies

Standard(s)

HSS 10.9.2 RI.9-10.7 W.9-10.4

Grade(s)

Grade 10