John Halverson

Arizona Geographic Alliance

Grade 7

2 class periods

StandardsNational Geography

ELEMENT ONE: THE WORLD IN SPATIAL TERMS

1. How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

ELEMENT TWO: PLACES AND REGION

6. How culture and experience influence people’s perception of places and regions.

Arizona GeographyConcept 1: The World in Spatial TermsPO 3. Interpret maps, charts, and geographic databases using geographic information.Concept 2: Places and RegionsPO 4. Identify how the role of the media, images, and advertising influences the perception of a place.

StandardsSocial Studies

Arizona History Standards

Strand 1: American History

Concept 8: Great Depression and World War II

PO 5. Describe Arizona’s contributions to the war effort:

e. POW and internment camps

Standards

Production and Distribution of Writing6-8.WHST.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Research to Build and PresentKnowledge6-8.WHST.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

StandardsWriting Standards for 6-8 for Litera6-8.WHST.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify therelationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.d. Establish and maintain a formal style.e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

StandardsELA Common Core StandardsReading Standards for 6-8 for Literacyin History/Social StudiesKey Ideas and Details6-8.RH.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas6-8.RH.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print anddigital texts.

Overview

Maps skills are essential to our understanding of the world around us. Maps also influence our perception of place. During World War II German prisoners of war (POWs) were housed at Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona. How did maps influence the escape attempt by these prisoners?

Materials Group Activity: Directions and Devices—How Do We

Escape?  Arizona’s Landforms and Rivers Map  Various transportation and regional maps of Arizona  Physical and Cultural Map Route Analysis Sheet  Transportation Map Route Analysis Sheet  1940 Highway Map  Writing Prompt: We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Escape

from Papago Park Essay Grading Criteria   Background Information  The Actual Escape from Papago Park 

Objectives

The student will be able to:   Examine maps and solve a problem. Examine historical documents about one of

Arizona’s roles in World War II. Discuss how maps form our perception of a place.

Procedures

SESSION ONE

Before presenting the

lesson share the

background of prisoner of

war camps in the United

States during World War

II. Answer any pertinent questions.

Procedures

Group Activity. Pass out Directions and Devices, How do we escape?As groups have the students brainstorm what means oftransportation they might use to escape from a POW campand what types of things they may want for their escape.Discuss some of the ideasbrainstormed

Procedures

Individual or Group Work: Hand out the ArizonaLandforms and Rivers Map and explain to thestudents that they are being held captive in 1940in Phoenix and they need to plan an escape routeto enable them to return to Germany. Each student should have a Physical and Cultural Map Route Analysis Sheet.

Procedures

Students will use this map toanalyze possible routes that theyMight follow if they only had access to a physical map of Arizona. The will fill in their findings on the Physical and Cultural Map Route Analysis Sheet.

Procedures

Allow the students

sufficient time to complete

the previous worksheet and

then hand out Major

Arizona Railroads and Roads

(circa 1940). Each student

should have a Transportation

Map Route Analysis Sheet.

The students will then analyze

a route based on the

transportation routes at the

time.

Procedures

The students will use this map to analyze possible escape routes.

ProceduresSESSION TWOHandout the writing prompt: We Gotta get Out of This Place, Escape from Papago Park. Read the instructions as a group and have the students proceed to use their analysis sheets to determine a route of escape, advantages to their route, what they will take with them and a prediction for success. This may be done in small groups or as individuals. This may be done as a completion project for a second session or as a homework assignment dependent upon the individual classroom

Procedures

Closure for this activity will be the sharing of The Actual Escape from Papago Park. Show the PowerPoint of the images. Seek student feedback as to their reactions to what really happened. Discuss how maps can form our perception of places

Immediately After the Escape

The news hit the papers immediately after the escape. Note the reward for the return of the prisoners. How would this change your plans if you escaped?

- The exit to the tunnel.

Escapees from Papago Park

Heinrich Palmer made it to within 10 miles of the Mexican Border

Jurgen Wattenberg, ranking officer and a “ring leader” of the escape.

Remnants of World War II Very little remains from Papago’s role in

WW II

A few foundations remain from the camp. The entry at the Arizona Military Museum was a workshop at the POW camp.

Overlay Map of Papago Park

AssessmentStudents can be graded for geography and history concepts by completing the Physical and Cultural Map Route Analysis Sheet and the Transportation Map Route Analysis Sheet with 80% or higher accuracy.

The resulting essay can be graded with the rubric provided. A score of 3 or higher will be considered mastery in each category.

 

Assessment

You can utilize this grading rubric

for the writing assignment.

Extension

• Have the students do a comparison of their potential escape route to the historical route along the Cross Cut Canal.

 • Have the students research other POW

camps located in the United States. Compare them to POW camps in Europe.

 

Sources

○ http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/pams/road.html

○ Papago Park POW camp site http://home.arcor.de/kriegsgefangene/usa/camps_usa/papago_park.html