Cause and Effect of US Bombings in Cambodia (1969-1973)

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Cause and Effect of US Bombings in Cambodia (1969-1973)

Bom Craters in Cambodia

Author: Sandra Kipstuhl 
Grade: 10

Suggested Amount of Time: 240 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 did American bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War lead to Pol Pot’s Killing Fields in Cambodia?

Lesson Background

The United States began a covert bombing campaign of Cambodia in 1965 as part of the Vietnam War. The bombing initially targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which went through Cambodia and was used to supply the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army fighting in South Vietnam. The bombing campaign grew significantly under President Nixon with wide-ranging impacts. The bombing led to a high number of civilian deaths and injuries and environmental damage throughout Cambodia. Additionally, the bombing caused political instability in the country. which allowed Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge to gain followers eventually leading to the Cambodian Genocide.

Image Citation: Wikipedia contributors. (2014, November 14). File:Bomb craters in Cambodia.jpg - Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bomb_craters_in_Cambodia.jpg

Ethnic Studies Theme 

Power and Oppression. This lesson connects to the ethnic studies theme of power and oppression from the Asian American Studies Curriculum Framework (Asian American Research Initiative, 2022). Students will consider war, migration and imperialism as contexts shaping citizenship and racialization.

Students will explore how the American bombing of Cambodia impacted the populace and led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge and how U.S. imperialism, wars, and military interventions in Asia induced Asian migration to the United States.

For additional guidance around ethnic studies implementation, refer to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (2022) https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp.

 

Historical Thinking Skill

This lesson will facilitate student proficiency in cause and consequence one of Seixas’ historical thinking skills (Seixas & Morton, 2013). To help students to understand that there are short-term and long-term consequences of events. To help students understand and assess the varying importance of causes.

Students will consider how US policies during the Vietnam War had major short term and long term consequences including the rise of the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian refugee resettlement in the United States.

Readings
  • Chronicle of Survival 
  • Khmer Rouge 
  • Who’s Who Cambodia 
Handouts
  1. Warm-Up: Display the photo of the bombing on the screen: https://cdn.thewire.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/30153809/52259586497_c299f167c9_o-1200x600.jpg
    • Photo captioned “Smoke rises from the processing plant at the Chup rubber plantation in Cambodia on June 1, 1970.”
    • Ask students to complete a See-Think-Wonder thinking activity with a partner. Then, have a class discussion. 

 

  1. Teacher will introduce the lesson objective and provide the lesson background to the class. Additional background information can be found below:
    • Historical Context:
      1. 1863-1953 French colonial rule - Colonialism
      2. 1953-1970 Prince Sihanouk rules
      3. 1970-1975 Neo-Khmerian (Lou Nol) Republic
      4. 1975-1979 Pol Pot leader of Cambodian Communist Party
    • Teachers should guide students to refer to this map https://heifer12x12.com/map-of-cambodia/my-cambodia/ for clarification and questions.

 

  1. Teacher modeling: Teachers will read the article “Cambodia Walks a Fine Line” https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl01.html with the class. During this read, students should have a graphic organizer to follow along with notes. 
    • Suggested notes template: https://imgs.edhelper.com/clipart/teachers/org-1cause1effect.pdf
      1. Inform students that they can add more boxes for cause and effect if needed.
    • During this initial read, teachers will model how to identify cause and effect” details to add to the notetaker. Students will follow along with their own notes.

 

  1. Have students pair up with a partner to read “Caught in the Crossfire” https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl02.html. In pairs, students will complete the cause and effect graphic organizer. Then, have a class discussion with identified causes and effects.  https://ucdavis.box.com/s/kgtnw5ca4twtlgok6r25h6yminho4jrd 

 

  1. Students will then independently read: “Terror and Genocide, Back to Square One, Moving Ahead, Looking Back.” https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl04.html  Students will then independently complete the cause and effects note taker. 

 

  1. As a formative assessment/check-in, students will walk around class and check in with three other students. In their meeting with each student, they will each share one cause and one effect of the American bombing of Cambodia. Students will write down any items they had not listed earlier. These notes will build on students’ understanding of the situation in Cambodia and how American bombing damaged the country.

 

  1. Have students personally rate each effect from most impactful (#1) to least impactful (#5). Once students have completed their personal ratings, have them walk around the classroom again and share with three new students their ratings and justifications for each rating. Students are welcome to change their rating scale based on discussions. 

 

  1. Summative Assessment - Write or record a persuasive letter or informational visual to US government officials regarding the historical events in Cambodia, including the bombings and the rise of the Khmer Rouge, as well as the resettlement of Cambodian refugees in the United States. In the letter, students should propose a specific action that the US government could take today to address the historical impact on Cambodian society. Additionally, students may advocate for greater support and resources for Cambodian communities, both in Cambodia and in the United States, to help address the long-term effects of these events.
    • The letter can be handwritten or typed.
    • If time permits, students can read their letter to small groups or to the whole class.  

Write a persuasive letter to the U.S. government officials regarding the bombings in Cambodia that contributed to the rise of the Khmer Rouge and the resettlement of Cambodian refugees in the United States. In the letter, students must argue for a formal acknowledgment of the US government's role in the bombings and its impact on Cambodian society. Additionally, students should advocate for greater support and resources for Cambodian communities, both in Cambodia and in the United States, to address the long-term effects of these events.

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.

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

  • Support activities that encourage self-reflection and identification of personal goals

 

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

  • Progressively release information (e.g., sequential highlighting)

 

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

  • Use story webs, outlining tools, or concept mapping tools

 

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: Pair students to read one text together 
    • Teacher deliberately partners specific students for conversations.
    • Students listen to a content rich text read aloud, take notes, collaborate with a partner and rebuild (as precisely as possible) the original text.

 

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: Ask students to analyze text structure and select an appropriate graphic organizer for summarizing
    • In a shared or interactive writing format, chart out characters, setting, problem, and events (including orientation, complication, and resolution). Add theme, as appropriate.

 

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

  1. Students can participate in Socratic quick-write that in one statement answers the Essential Question. Teachers can remind students that sometimes, there are no definitive answers; instead, respecting and appreciating dissenting viewpoints is the ultimate goal. 
  2. Students can research the long term effects of the US bombings on the environment in Cambodia.

Amanpour, C. 2008. Scream Bloody Murder. CNN. Retrieved from  http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/scream.bloody.murder/ 

Asian American Initiative. 2022. Asian American studies K-12 framework.  https://asianamericanresearchinitiative.org/asian-american-studies-curriculum-framework/ 

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. 2022. Ethnic studies model curriculum. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmc.asp 

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

Cambodia Tribunal Monitor. (n.d.). Khmer Rouge History. Cambodia Tribunal Monitor.  https://cambodiatribunal.org/history/cambodian-history/khmer-rouge-history/ 

Coloroso, B. 2007. Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide. Viking Canada.

CAST. 2018 The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Frontline World. 2002. Chronicle of Survival, 1969-1974: Caught in the Crossfire. Frontline World. https://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/tl02.html

Hinton, A.L. 2005. Why Did They Kill? Cambodia in the Shadow of Genocide. University of California Press.

Joffe, R. (Director). 1984. The Killing Fields [Film].Warner Bros.

Jones, A. 2006. Genocide: A Comprehensive Introduction. Routledge. 

Locard, H. 2004. Pol Pot's Little Red Book: The Sayings of Angkar. Silkworm Books. 

Ngor, H., et al. 2003. Survival in the Killing Fields. Carroll & Graf.

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.

Springer, J. 2006. Genocide. Groundwood.

Tan, R., & Cabato, R. 2023, December 1. Henry Kissinger’s central role in the U.S. carpet bombing of Cambodia. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/30/henry-kissinger-cambodia-bombing-war/ 

Totten, S., et al.. 2008. Dictionary of Genocide. Greenwood.

Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf 

Supplementary Sources

American Experience, PBS. 2019, October 2. Who's Who: Cambodia. American Experience | PBS.  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/vietnam-whos-who-cambodia/ 

Khmer Rouge History | Cambodia Tribunal Monitor. (n.d.). https://cambodiatribunal.org/history/cambodian-history/khmer-rouge-history/ 

Onion, A. 2018a, August 21. Khmer Rouge - Genocide, Regime & Definition | HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/the-khmer-rouge 

Model Curriculum

Cambodian American Studies

Standard(s)

HSS 10.10.1 HSS 10.9.3 RI.9-10.2 W.9-10.6

Grade(s)

Grade 10