Lesson Plan - Surviving My Country’s Nightmare

Build Background Knowledge

Have students use the interactive atlas and almanac to research information about Cambodia. Go to junior.scholastic.com/atlas, zoom in on Cambodia, and click its name. Have students write three sentences with facts about Cambodia. Use Think-Pair-Share to discuss responses.

Preview Vocabulary

Use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms authoritarian, civil war, Communist, dissent, economic, infrastructure, and rebel. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud, have students read it independently, or have pairs read it together, alternating paragraphs for the introduction and sidebars and each taking a part for the interview. As students read, ask them to jot down ideas in response to the “As You Read, Think About” question.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Summarize what happened during the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. (Summarizing)
On April 17, 1975, Pol Pot and other members of the radical Communist movement known as the Khmer Rouge took control of Cambodia’s government. A civil war had been going on for five years. The new leaders rejected many parts of past life, including private property, banks, money, religion, schools, and individual rights. They forced people to move to the countryside, where everyone would work together. Many people were imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Those who survived had to work 10 or more hours a day, were separated from their families, and had to dress the same. By the time soldiers from Vietnam drove Pol Pot from power in January 1979, the Khmer Rouge had killed nearly 2 million people.

• How did the dictatorship affect Meng Lim? (Cause and Effect)
When the Khmer Rouge seized control, Lim was a 14-year-old living in a rural village in Cambodia. By the time he was 15, he had been put in a slave labor group. Lim had to wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning and dig roads seven days a week. He had to take care of an injury from a shovel by himself and survived by eating rats and snakes. The Khmer Rouge killed Lim’s mother, grandmother, uncles, and aunts. In 1979, Lim was released. He lived with an aunt in Cambodia for two years before going to France and then the U.S.

• How does Lim say he feels about events in his life? (Text Evidence)
Lim says he still feels sad about the “heartbreaking” loss of most of his family. He followed his aunt’s advice to stop thinking about revenge and focused on staying strong. Now, Lim says he is “very happy” to have a family again, including his wife, two daughters, and his nieces.

• What are two other questions you would’ve asked Lim? Why? (Asking Questions)
Responses will vary.

• What happened after Pol Pot was forced from power? (Analyzing Events)
Although Vietnamese soldiers forced Pol Pot from power in January 1979, he and many of his followers hid in the jungles near Thailand and continued to fight against the new government. A peace agreement to end the violence wasn’t signed until 1991. The new government and the United Nations set up a special court to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge, but only three people have been found guilty. Pol Pot and many others died of old age before they could be tried. Mike Lim and more than 200,000 other people left Cambodia as refugees and started new lives.

• How does the sidebar “Cambodia Today” support the article? (Text Features)
The sidebar explains that Cambodia has had a freely elected government since 1993. Its population has more than doubled since Pol Pot was driven from power in 1979, to 15.5 million people. Nearly all young children go to school, and the country has improved its infrastructure and health-care system. However, poverty is still a huge challenge, and Cambodia’s leadership has become more authoritarian and restricted individual rights.

• Choose one image in the article to analyze. What do you notice about it? What do you wonder? (Visual Literacy)
Sample response: In the photo of the Khmer Rouge fighters arriving in Phnom Penh in 1975, I notice that some of the men are holding up guns. They seem to be working in groups and aren’t wearing helmets or other protective gear. I wonder what made the fighters want to join the Khmer Rouge and take up arms.

Analyze a Primary Source

Guide students to complete the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. Help them cite specific details from the interview in their responses.

Read a Map

Assign the Skill Builder Map Reading: Cambodia to have students answer 10 questions about a map of the country and its neighbors. You might challenge fast finishers to write two additional questions and swap with a classmate. Review responses and correct any misconceptions. For more map reading practice, check out our Map Skills Boot Camp with 13 lessons at junior.scholastic.com/mapskills.

Assess Comprehension

Use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.