Children of the River: Background Material

For the Novel by Linda Crew

A Webquest for 10th Grand English

Designed by

Linda Sasser

Lindasasser@hotmail.com

 

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American often complain about life in the United States, but for citizen of many other countries the United States offers escape from a life of pain. Cambodia is a country that has been dealing with war, poverty, and political upheaval for a very long time. As you begin to read CHILDREN OF THE RIVER by Linda Crew, references will be made to events in Cambodian history. Understanding these events will give the novel a deeper, more complete meaning. This activity is designed to help you answer the following questions: What happened to create the problems in Cambodia? What are the "killing fields"? Why would people want to stay there? And why would they want to leave.

The Task

You will work in groups of four and each member of the group will be responsible for various environments of information. These roles are described in the following chart:

Role

Task

Name of Student

Discussion Director

Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group can discuss about your reading. Your questions should be ones that require thought and get everyone talking and sharing their opinions and reactions. (The best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feeling, and concerns as you read. Do not write questions that call for a simple "yes" or "no" response.)

  

Customs Officer

Your job is to highlight and note information related to the customs of the Cambodian culture. What are their various customs such as marriage, death, birth etc. The other members of your group will be counting on you to give a brief summary that conveys the main customs that they would need to know if they were to visit Cambodia.

  

Historian

Your job is to become familiar with the major events in Cambodian history. You will want to keep a list of important dates, battles, and rulers. You should be able to summarize what has happened in the political arena and what how the government tends to treat the people. The other members of the groups will be counting on you to give a brief summary of this history.

  

Investigative Reporter

Your job is to summary at least two survivor stories. As you read real life accounts look for the emotions and struggles that will best convey to your group what it would have been like to have been living in Cambodia in 1975? What happen to the survivors? How has their life changed? When you summarize their stories for your group you will want to include a direct quote from the survivor.

  

Connector

Your job is to find connections between the text and the outside world. This means connecting the reading to your own life, to events at school or in the community, to similar events at other times and places, to other people, or to other problems. You might also see connections between your reading and other books or films you know.

  

Roles are adapted from Daniels, Literature Circles: Voices and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom.

When everyone has had the chance to investigate their environments, the group will discuss the material and then as a group write a paragraph response for each of the following questions:

The Process
  1. First you will be assigned to a group and to your role within the group by selecting a color-coded slip of paper from Ms. Sasser’s Group Box. The slips have the roles and the responsibilities printed on them. When you have been assigned to a group move to the coordinating part of the classroom.
  2. Meet with the members of your group and review your responsibilities. If you are really unhappy with your selected role and another member of your group is willing to swap, you may do so.
  3. Everyone in the group should read all of the suggested material. You may do an additional web search if you wish but you must explore each of the following sites. As you do so, remember your role and take any notes that you feel are necessary.

     

    Sites to Explore:

    Cambodia’s Troubled History (http://archive.abcnews.go.com)

    Cambodian Information Center (www.cambodia.org)

    Cambodian Auto-Genocide Page (www.cybercambodia.com)

    The Killing Fields (www.zdnet.com)

    The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project (www.dithpran.org)

  4. Discuss the material that you found based on your role within the group. Your discussion should include the following topics:
  1. As a group write a paragraph on each of the following topics. (A worksheet for your group with these questions is in the Daily Handout Box if you need paper.)

Evaluation

The following rubric will be used to evaluate your group discussion:

Criterion/Attribute

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Listening

Recognizes and responds to others speaking.

Recognizes others speaking but fails to respond.

Will listen to others but often interrupts the speaker.

Shows little interest in the speaker and may have conversations with others when someone is speaking

Participation

Talk inspires others. Supports and leads others in discussions. Works toward group goals.

Shares freely and explains with details. Makes connections to what others say and spend high time on task.

Rarely talks during the discussion and makes few connections. Is occasionally off-task and may not have a clear understanding of group goals.

Talk is off task and unrelated to the conversation. Offers insensitive responses and does not respect others.

Demonstration of Knowledge

Responses show evidence of reflective thinking and understanding of text environment.

Responses demonstrate clear understanding of the text environment, but lack reflection.

Responses demonstrate some understanding of text environment, but lack reflection.

Responses do not show any evidence of understanding text environment or reflection.

Rubric adapted from Rubric page at www.mashell.com

Conclusion

CHILDREN OF THE RIVER is actually set in the United States, but the protagonist has many flashbacks about her life in Cambodia. This activity will help you better understand the pressure that she and her family faced in Cambodia and why her father so desperately wanted her out of the country. You will also have a better understanding of the culture that has shaped her family traditions. Touching a child’s head is a show of affection in the United States but now you know why it is not acceptable for Sundara’s family. As the world becomes a smaller place, the internet can help you better understand the people you will encounter.

Credits and References

"Caring for Cambodia: Children of the River." ED’s Oasis Teacher’s Guild Library (www.edsoasis.org)

Harvey Daniels, Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom (www.literaturecircles.com)

Rubrics for the Classroom (www.mashell.com)