Khmer Language: The Origin of the Word “Khmer” and “Cambodia”

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Khmer Language: The Origin of the Word “Khmer” and “Cambodia”

Statute of Preah Thong Neang Neak

Author: Daveth Cheth 
Grades: 9-12
Suggested Amount of Time: 50 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 Question
  • What is a story/mythology that helps explain the significance of the words 'Khmer' and 'Cambodia'?
Lesson Objective

Students will discover how mythology and language contributed to the development of the names Khmer and Cambodia by engaging in a character evaluation.

Lesson Background

‘Khmer’ is more than just a name; it embodies the cultural identity of the Cambodian people including language, customs, and traditions. Understanding the history behind the word ‘Khmer’ provides insights into the social, historical and geographical context of Cambodia and its people.

Image Citation: Wikipedia contributors. (2022b, August 6). File:Statue of Preah Thong Neang Neak.jpg. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Readings
  • The Origin of the word Khmer and Cambodia Reading (located at the end of the lesson)
Photos
  • Statue of Preah Thong and Neang Neak 
Handouts
  1. Hook Introduction
    1. Prompt students with the question: What is mythology? What are some common mythologies you have heard of? 
    2. Students can be guided to share their answers aloud while the teacher writes some responses on the board.
    3. Outline the purposes of mythologies: provide moral lessons, preserve culture, explore human experiences,  and provide frameworks for understanding the world.
    4. Go over the lesson objective. 
  2. Vocabulary Frontloading 
    1. Teachers will distribute copies of the Vocabulary handout with the students and have them review it for a few minutes.
    2. If time permits, allow for opportunities to engage with the vocabulary terms by looking up image examples of each, or creating a simplified and paraphrased definition. 
  3. Interaction with the first source
    1. Teachers will pass out the handout “Origin of the Word Khmer and Cambodia Reading” 
    2. First Read: The students should underline any of the vocabulary words and unfamiliar terms they come across in the reading.
    3. Second Read: With a partner, students will utilize the handout “Guided Notes” to answer text-dependent questions. 
    4. As a class, discuss the responses to the questions on the Guided Notes. 
      1. Optional question: Have students identify the myth that was highlighted in the reading. 
  4. Interaction with the second source
    1. Show the students a photo of the Statue of Preah Thong and Neang Neak 
      1. Provide the following context: “Here you can see the depiction of Preah Tuong holding onto Neang Neak’s sash, symbolizing him holding her tail as they descend down into the underwater world together to ask her parents for permission to marry. This image is significant in Khmer culture and it signifies the founding of the kingdom and origin of the people.”
    2. Have students discuss with a partner: Based on the statue, what do you think is valued in the Khmer culture?
      1. Have a whole class discussion.
  5. Cultural Production
    1. The teacher will give half of the class the Character Map for Preah Tuong (Prince Tuong) handout  and give the other students the Character Map for Neang Neak (The dragon maiden) handout.  
      1. Each student will be responsible for completing their assigned character map.
      2. If students prefer to create a digital character map, that is acceptable too.
    2. Have each student share and discuss their character maps with someone who did the opposite person. 
      1. The teacher should circle the room to check for understanding.
  6. Reflection and Closure
    1. As an exit ticket, have students write or record a short reflection (150-200 words) answering the lesson question: What is the significance of the words ‘Khmer’ and ‘Cambodia?’

Students will complete a character map (see handout) and a short reflection of 150- 200 words on the origin of Cambodia’s name.

  • Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:
    • Prompt or require learners to explicitly formulate or restate goal
    • Provide prompts that guide learners in when and how to ask peers and/or teachers for help
  • Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:
    • Make relationships between elements explicit (e.g., highlighting the transition words in an essay, links between ideas in a concept map, etc.)
    • Offer clarification of notation through lists of key terms
  • 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)
    • Embed prompts to stop and think before acting as well as adequate space

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:
    • Writing: Provide sentence frames with word and picture banks 
      • In response to a prompt, the teacher offers a sentence frame orally and/or in writing to support expression of student thinking. Frames are adjusted based upon specific grammatical structure, key vocabulary, content learning, and language proficiency level descriptors, etc. Frames are a temporary scaffold that require modification. 
  • Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:
    • Writing: Teach and utilize the writing process 
      • Students are taught that the verbs we use serve different purposes.
      • Students are taught that when we ask questions, the order of the subject and the verb are reversed. 
  • Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:
    • Writing: Require academic writing and the use of target academic vocabulary 
      • Apply domain­-specific vocabulary and general academic vocabulary in open sentence frames to perform functions, like describing or explaining, that target specific grammatical structures.

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

  1. If time allows, have students research further into the topic. 
  2. Extension assignment: Students create an interpretive artwork that reflects their understanding of Cambodia’s art and culture. 

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 

Hin, T. (n.d.). វេយ្យាករណ៍ខ្មែរ (Khmer Grammar). 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Khmer. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 27, 2022. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Khmer  

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 

Model Curriculum

Cambodian American Studies

Standard(s)

RI.9-10.3 W.9-10.2

Grade(s)

Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12