Name _______________________
Global 10
Period _______________________
Topic: Human Rights Violations
Cambodian Genocide Video Sheet: “The Killing Fields”
**DUE AT THE END OF THE MOVIE IN CLASS**
*URL Link to access for makeup work (if needed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97BJ37dd24 (or type into Youtube “Killing Fields 1984”)
Directions: Answer the questions that follow based on your analysis of the movie shown in
class and your outside knowledge of social studies. USE COMPLETE SENTENCES (except for
the one-word answers).
People/Terms to Know:
Syndey Schanberg= American journalist in Cambodia who was present and trapped there
during the Genocide
Dith Pran= Cambodian journalist and friend, colleague of Syndey Schanberg
Khmer Rouge= the military branch of the Communist Party of Cambodia, active during the
1970s and responsible for the genocide
Pol Pot= leader of the Khmer Rouge, Communist leader of Cambodia
Video Questions:
1. What other Asian conflict was happening right next to Cambodia in the
1960s and 1970s?
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2. Why does Sydney Schanberg (the American man) go to Cambodia in the
first place?
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3. What happens as the two journalists are sitting down at the café to eat?
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4. What does Sydney Schanberg learn the United States air force did in
Cambodia?
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5. What happens to the teenagers who the Khmer Rouge men bring in on a
jeep? _______________________________________
6. What does the man from the Khmer Rouge say when Sydney says he needs
to use the restroom? WHY do you think the man said this?
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7. Describe what happens when Sydney and the Americans are taking shelter
with all the Coca-Cola?
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8. What choice does Sydney offer to his Cambodian friend and colleague, Dith
Pran?
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9. Describe some of the things Sydney sees as he enters the hospital. (How are
the victims suffering?)
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10. Describe some of the atrocities (war crimes) that Sydney and Dith witness
once they are captured by the Khmer Rouge.
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11. Why do you think the Khmer Rouge tried so hard to get Sydney and Dith to
stop photographing the Genocide?
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12. What decision did U. S. President Richard Nixon make with respect to
Cambodia? (Hint: it’s mentioned on the TV screen in the scene where
Sydney is watching the news.)
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13. Do you think President Nixon’s decision (see Question #12) was right or
wrong? Explain your reasoning.
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14. Toward the end of the movie, Dith gets sent to a forced labor camp.
Describe the conditions at this camp.
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15. Why do the Khmer Rouge make Dith attend classes during his
imprisonment? What are they trying to promote?
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16.What is Dith’s punishment for trying to escape from the Khmer Rouge?
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17.What does Dith stumble upon as he walks through the swamps of Cambodia
while trying to escape?
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18.What happens to the Khmer Rouge leader when he tries to convince his
fellow communists to stop the killings?
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19. What happens to Dith at the very end of the movie?
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20. What is one enduring issue that you can connect to this movie? Identify the
enduring issue and explain it:
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21.What is one higher-order thinking question about the Cambodian Genocide?
Write the question here:
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22. What is one other historical event that the Cambodian Genocide could be
compared to? Please explain.
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23. Make an Argument: Based on this movie and your knowledge of social
studies, explain how the Cambodian Genocide is an example of human
rights violations. Support your argument with ample evidence from the
movie and/or from class discussions.
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