The Khmer Empire: City of Angkor Temples (AD 802-1431)

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The Khmer Empire: City of Angkor Temples (AD 802-1431)

This magnificent temple is surrounded by a moat. It contains four well preserved shrines with elaborate carvings and designs. These intricate carvings are a wonder to behold and are especially stunning in the pink hue. The best time to visit this monastery is during the dry season between October and December. Since it is located at an altitude of over ten thousand feet, getting to the monastery requires a hike. The hike is 10 kilometers long and takes between five and six hours to complete. The trail consi

Authors: Tiffany Chandra Keo and Matt O'Donnell
Grade: 6

Suggested Amount of Time: 2 day lesson (55 minutes each)
Area of Study: Introduction to Cambodian History

Compelling Question
  • How does learning about Cambodian history promote a greater understanding of Cambodian American experiences?
Lesson Question

  • Where was the city of Angkor and what did it symbolize?

Lesson Objective

Through studying the City of Angkor, students will gain an understanding of the rich culture and achievements of the Khmer Empire. They will gain knowledge of the religious practices and the architecture of temples including Angkor Wat.

Lesson Background

The city of Angkor was the heart of the Khmer Empire from the ninth to the fifteenth century. The city is known for its architecture and iconic temples including Angkor Wat. Temples in the city include intricate designs and relief carvings highlighting the Khmer culture and religious practices.

Image Citation: Mennerich, D. (n.d.). Siem Reap K - Angkor wat 03. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielmennerich/30075561974 

Websites
  • Map of Khmer Empire 
  • Google Maps Angkor 
  • Visualizing Angkor Website 
  • Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Banteay Srei and Lesser Known Angkor Sites 
  • Beng Mealea: Exploring Cambodia’s Lesser-Known Temple Marve
Videos
  • Angkor Temple Mountains Video 
Handouts
  1. Cultural Energizer
    • Teachers should ask students for examples of cultural monuments in a place of their choosing (Ex: Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, etc.)
    • Prompt students to consider: What is shown in the monuments and why is it there? What can it tell us about the history or culture of an area?
    • Students should be given time to pair-share their answers, then participate in a whole class discussion on the questions. 
  2. Providing Context
    • Map of Khmer Empire: Teacher should show students a map of the Khmer Empire and have them locate the city of Angkor. If necessary, the teacher should point it out on the map for accuracy.
    • Students will watch an overview video about the city of Angkor. Teacher should have students take notes about the following questions:
      • Describe some architectural features in the City of Angkor
      • What are some of the topics of the reliefs in Angkor Wat?
  3. Shared Learning
    • Students will complete an Angkor virtual walkthrough. Invite students to visit the Google Street View “Temples of Angkor” on their personal devices and spend time exploring the different temples.  https://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/angkor/#banteay-srei 
    • While doing the virtual walkthrough, students should make a list of “Noticings and Wonderings.” These should include noticings and wonderings about the architecture and art.
    • Give students time to share with their peers their overall takeaways and details that stood out to them.
    • Additionally, have students identify which temple was most intriguing to them 
  4. Research
  5. Final Product
    • Students can choose from one of the following assessment options to showcase their temple:
      • Brochure
      • Infographic
      • Photo Collage
      • Poem: “Ode to (name of temple)”  For support in teaching about odes please visit: https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-make-poetry-writing-fun/ 
      • Final products should include historically accurate information and evidence from their research. (Optional: Students can compile a works cited list). 
  6. Presentation
    • After completion, students should share their products/presentations with other students.

Students can choose from one of the following assessment options to showcase their temple: 

  • Brochure 
  • Infographic 
  • Photo Collage 
  • Poem: “Ode to (name of temple)”

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

  • Differentiate the degree of difficulty or complexity within which core activities can be completed

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

  • Use advanced organizers (e.g., KWL methods, concept maps)
  • Give explicit prompts for each step in a sequential process

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

  • Provide differentiated feedback (e.g., feedback that is accessible because it can be customized to individual learners)
  • Provide guides for breaking long-term goals into reachable short-term objectives

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:

  • Speaking: Assign roles in group work 
    • Ground rules or guidelines for conversations are used as the basis for constructive academic talk. Teacher provides judicious corrective feedback during student talk. 
    • Teacher deliberately partners specific students for conversations.  

 

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

  • Speaking: Repeat and expand student responses in a collaborative dialogue 
  • In partner and group discussions, students use conversation moves to extend academic talk. Conversation moves help students add to or challenge what a partner says, question, clarify, paraphrase, support thinking with examples, synthesize conversation points, etc.

 

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

  • Speaking: Include oral presentations in the content classroom

 

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

  1. Teachers can include a lesson on architectural vocabulary such as columns, rooflines, etc. particular to the Temples of Angkor to help students build their presentations. 

 

  1. Students can create a virtual model of the City of Angkor using design software such as Google Blocks or Adobe Aero or a tangible model.

Asian Art Museum. 2009b, May 20. Angkor Temple Mountains [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPc20_vtlaM 

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 

Friday, M. J. 2022, April 20. How to make poetry writing fun. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-make-poetry-writing-fun/

Google Maps. (n.d.-b). About - Google Maps. Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/angkor/#map

Hays, J. (n.d.). TA PROHM , BANTEAY KDEI , BANTEAY SREI AND LESSER KNOWN ANGKOR SITES | Facts and Details. Factsanddetails.com. Retrieved April 17, 2024. https://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Cambodia/sub5_2f/entry-3510.html

Rong, V. K. 2023, September 20. Beng Mealea: Exploring Cambodia’s Lesser-Known Temple Marvel. Visit Koh Rong. https://www.visitkohrong.com/beng-mealea-temple/ 

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

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

United States Central Intelligence Agency. 1970. Cambodia, Khmer Empire. 2–70. [Washington] [Map] Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71001173/.

Visualizing Angkor: Part 1 - Envisaging a Living City - Google Arts & Culture. (n.d.). Google Arts & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/ugWBaZFzDpVCKw

Model Curriculum

Cambodian American Studies

Standard(s)

HSS 6.1.2 RI.6.1 W.6.2

Grade(s)

Grade 6