THE GREAT ESCAPE

4th ESO: Maths – History - English Interdisciplinary Project

2016- 2017

DATE and TIME OF ACTIVITIES

1) PART I: WATCHING THE FILM - DEBATE
FILM - DATE: 20th April

8:00 – 9:00 Presentation of the project

9:00 – 12:30 Watching the film

11.00 -11.30 Break

12:30 – 13:30 Preparing the debate in groups

13:30 – 14:30 Debate

2) PART II: PLANNING YOUR GREAT ESCAPE

DATE: From 21st April to 26th April

3) PART III: PRESENTATION

DATE: 27TH April
TOPIC
● The Great Escape from a high security Nazi prison.

ORGANIZATION OF YOUR WORK

● WORKING GROUPS

You will work in groups of four/five pupils (see groups in the English virtual
classroom)

● TIMING

You will be working on this project from 20th to 26th April in class and at
home.

● WORKING METHOD

1. You must use DRIVE to work online and share it with the members of your
group and your teachers.

E-mail addresses:

Maths

Maria Antònia Morató: mmorato1@xtec.cat

Susana Parra: sparra5@xtec.cat

Ferran Vila: fvila228@xtec.cat

History

Concha Jurado: cjurado2@xtec.cat

 English

Mireia García: mgarcia7@xtec.cat

Cristina Barranco: cristinallenguaanglesa@gmail.com

2. Your work will be checked by your teachers, who will follow the
progression of your work and help you when required.

IMPORTANT: Pictures should only be added to the shared document after

you have finished the written part.

● MATERIAL

You will need your laptops, headphones and mobile phones or cameras
for working in class.

ASSESSMENT
● ASSESSMENT

This project will be assessed by your Maths, History and English teachers,
your classmates and yourself according to the following items:

1. Individual and group work in class: distribution of tasks, organization of

the work, team work, homework, deadlines, etc.

2. Creativity: your escape plan and presentation should have original

ideas.

3. Research process: searching for information online (webography). You

must always mention the sources of the information you use. Each
member of the group will be in charge of one of the four history sections.

4. Accurate use of English: grammar, vocabulary and spelling. Use of

specific historical and mathematical vocabulary.

5. Accuracy of your mathematical calculations

6. Veracity of historical references.

Important:
You will get an individual mark (from 1 to 4 points) for your work every
class.
 ACTIVITIES
PART I: WATCHING THE FILM
1) Listening activity: (3 hours)
Watch the film The Great Escape. Focus on the following aspects of the film that
can be useful for your project. Take brief notes individually.

1. The historical context and type of prisoner of war camp.

2. The artefacts (found or made) used by the prisoners to escape.

3. The conversations between the prisoners calculating distances and making

measurements.

4. The importance of accurate calculations and the consequences of making errors.

5. The different attitude shown by the American and British prisoners.

6. The value of team work.

2) Speaking activity: Discussion in groups (1 hour) and whole class debate (half
an hour)
1. Discuss in groups the main issues of the film.

2. Every member of the group must participate in the class debate

PART II: PLANNING YOUR GREAT ESCAPE

● OBJECTIVES:
 o You are a prisoner of war in a Nazi prison located in the building of
Institut El Sui .You are living at the time of the Second World War. You
must escape because it is your duty to do so in war time.

o You must design a plausible escape plan from this prison.

Unfortunately, you can’t expect everyone in the prison to escape. But
you must involve as many people as you can in your plan because
this is a collective effort. Everyone must know exactly what the plan
is.

o You must persuade the rest of the prisoners that your escape plan is
the best and that it will be successful.

● TASKS:

1. Learn about the historical context of the real escape.

2. Design an escape plan from a high security prison using mathematical

calculations.

3. Make a presentation and dramatization in class in English.

Section 1: RESEARCH ABOUT THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Research

In this first section you should look for information about the real historical event the
film is based on and find out the following:

1. When and where the real escape took place. Contextualize the historical event
during the Second World War including maps, graphics, statistical charts,
diagrams and outlines.

2. What were the real facts, the people involved, etc. Present genuine historical
documents such as lists and photographs to support your research.

3. What type of camp it was. The differences between this type of camp and the
concentration camps of the SS. You must find information about concentration
camps (women, Jews, etc) during the Second World War and choose one to
present.
4. What parallels with other historical events since the Second World War can you
make? You need to present one example related to genocide or concentration
camps from the following list: Argentina, Guantánamo, Bosnia, Cambodia,
Rwanda, the Kurds or the Armenians.
IMPORTANT: Tell your teacher about your choice before you start your
research.

Each member of the group should be responsible for the research on one of the 4
topics above.

Task: written work

You must write a piece of work explaining the results of your historical research. It
must include real documents and must not exceed 5 pages.

Internet sources

The following websites could help you in your research:

1.Documents:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/

http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_Luft_III

http://www.elsham.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gt_esc/index.html

http://www.b24.net/pow/greatescape.htm

http://www.stalagluftiii.net/

http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/great_escape.htm

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/rollofhonour/pow/StalagLuftIII.html

http://www.fotosmilitares.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2004

http://www.historyinfilm.com/escape/real1.htm

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/veterans-of-the-great-escape-
visit-old-stalag-1653313.html
2. Interesting documentaries:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bgiqKbnuyM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5I3nGpQBA4

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A9E702B9E8D88AB

Bibliography

Carroll, Tim , La gran evasión, Ed. Inédita, 2008. (There are two copies of this
book in the library of our school if you want to borrow it)

Brickhill, Paul, The Great Escape, London, Faber & Faber, 1951.

Burgess, Allan, The Longest Tunnel, London, Bloomsbury, 1990.

Section 2: MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS

Calculations

From a mathematical point of view, the importance of the activity is in the

plausibility of the escape. Therefore, the exercise should be mathematically realistic
and feasible.
● We can create and invent the decorations of the cell (beds, tables, cell bars,
kitchen cutlery…). We can’t invent things like: walls, number of floors, shape
and length of the playground, nearby buildings… because we will use the
ones of the school.

● Having imagination planning the escape will be a positive consideration as

long as it’s feasible. Things such as flying out of the cell or making tunnels
with coffee spoons, are not possible, and consequently will not be accepted
as an escape plan.

● For the escape to succeed you need to make a calculation of the distances
that are not physically accessible (for example: in the film they calculate the
distance of a tunnel that has to emerge just beyond the fence on the edge of
the forest). We have to imagine that we are in a prison, so we can’t go to the
playground and do the necessary measurements to plan our escape; we will
make discreet measurements, and then, measure any important angles that
can help us in our calculation. We can do this with a protractor or other
instruments for measuring angles. After this, we will have to do the
necessary trigonometrical calculations to discover the missing
measurements.

● We have to try and make an angle measuring instrument that is as accurate

as possible. When we have made it we have to calculate its margin of error
and make allowance for it using the average of different measurements.

● In the presentation you have to include an explanation of the angle

measuring tool construction, as well as it’s margin of error explaining how
you have found it and what you have done do minimize it.

● The calculated distances have to correspond with the real ones of the
school. If the calculations are shorter or longer than the real distances the
escape fails and the prisoners die (equivalent to a fail in the evaluation mark)

● It is necessary to explain clearly how the escape is going to take place.

● It is very important to explain what measurements have been done

physically (with a tape measure) and which ones have been achieved by
trigonometric calculations.

● It is very important to explain clearly which calculations have been done to

determine the missing distances, mentioning the whole process.

● You have to calculate the margin of error range that your calculated
distances have. This includes the error that the angle measurement may
have and the error that may be made in making calculations. For example, if
there is an error range in an x angle (x=estimated error of the measuring
device), the distance will be affected by this error.
 ● You have to try and convince you prison mates that your plan is the best one
explaining the mathematical arguments that will determine the margin of
error range in the distance calculations. Also, you will have to explain the
simplicity of your escape plan.

Task: written work

● You must write a piece of work explaining your escape plan and the
mathematical calculations that support it.

IMPORTANT! You must show your calculations to be checked by your Maths

teacher before you present them.

Documents:

Mathematics Appendix in the English virtual classroom.

Section 3: DRAMATIZATION

Dramatization
Your presentation must include a brief dramatization that you will prepare in your
English class and perform, or have recorded, on the day of your presentation.
Remember you will need a camera (you are allowed to use your mobile phones in
class!) if you want to record your dramatization.

You can choose to:

2.1. Perform a short sketch or make a short film. For example:

you can be discussing your escape plan; having a conversation at the
moment you are escaping or enjoying freedom after your escape

2.2. Hold an interview as if you were reporters/prisoners after your escape.

 2.3. Make a documentary about a prisoner of war/concentration camp (the
place, the German officers, the prisoners). The documentary can be done
from the point of view of the Germans – as if it were a documentary done at
the time of the war- or from the point of view of the Allies – after the war.

2.4. Make a historical reconstruction: imagine that the teachers at school

are the real jailers and the students are the real prisoners.

Task 1: writing a dialogue

IMPORTANT! You must write in Drive the script of your dramatization to be

checked by your English teacher before you record it.

LANGUAGE: Useful tenses, vocabulary and structures

Verb Tenses: Simple Present , eg: Our cell is on the 2nd floor.
Simple Future, eg: We will use a rope to climb the tower.
Past Tenses for narrative: Past Perfect, Past Simple, Past
Continuous. When we were digging the hole, one of the German
officers came into the barracks.

Structures: There is/are/was/were….. eg: There is a window facing south.

Comparatives and superlatives. eg: After our calculations, we
discovered that the southern fence was higher than the northern
fence.

Conditional sentences, eg: If we find a spade, we will dig a tunnel.

When we get the rope, we will be able to
climb the tower.

Vocabulary: You can use some of the vocabulary from the film. You can read the
script of the film on-line to help you:

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/g/great-escape-script-transcript-
mcqueen.html

Task 2: practising the dialogue

Practise the dialogue in class focussing on pronunciation and intonation.

Task 3: recording the dialogue

Make sure the sound quality is good so the dialogue can be heard clearly.
IMPORTANT: If you need help from other groups to record your video, you
must ask your English teacher, who will help you organize it.

PART III: PRESENTATION

DATE: 27th April

PARTS OF YOUR PRESENTATION

1. Historical context
2. Escape plan
3. Dramatization

FEATURES

● Your presentation must be done in English.

● You can use a power – point (make sure it is compatible with Open Office),
PDF or prezi.

● Your power-point presentation must be concise (it shouldn’t include a long

text) and include images and diagrams.

● All the members of the group must participate in the presentation. It is

advised that each section be presented by more than one student. Each
member of the group may be requested to answer questions on any of the
topics of their presentation.

● You must prepare your presentation at home. You can’t read it but you can
have an outline.
.
● The whole presentation should not exceed 20 minutes.

● The video of your dramatization can be uploaded in Youtube.

● You are advised to have a safety copy of your work on a memory stick in
case we have technical problems such as no Internet connection, etc.

● Save the video on the classroom computer in the Folder The Great Escape.
Projecte de recerca 2016-2017.
ASSESSMENT

1)Your group work will be self-evaluated (from 1 to 4 points).

2) Your presentation will be assessed by your Maths, History and English teachers
as well as co-evaluated by your classmates (from 1 to 4 points) according to the
following items:

● the viability and originality of the escape plan

● the accuracy of the mathematical calculations
● the historical research
● the dramatization
● the use of audiovisual aids
● the fluency and accuracy in the use of English

PROJECT ASSESSMENT

You must evaluate the project by answering the questionnaire on-line in the English
virtual classroom. It is anonymous and helps improve the project!