Fire curriculum
The Fire & Ice Diversity, Education and Workforce Development (DEW) component has developed a set of five fire lessons in collaboration with the and the . The curriculum is designed for 3rd-5th grade learners but content can be adapted
for lower or higher grade levels.
The curriculum engages students in observation and science sense-making through fun, interactive activities such as storytelling and gameplay. The lessons explore wildfire as a naturally occurring cycle that can be influenced by human activities.
Individual lessons are available below, and the curriculum is also available as a two-download set (part 1 and part 2.) You can find links to curriculum videos on .
Background Information on Wildfires in Alaska (6 pages) gives science background about fires and describes the alignment of lessons with NGSS and 91Ö±²¥State standards, including an emphasis on systems thinking.
Lesson 1: The Fire Cycle (9 pages) tells a story about the fire cycle and asks students to describe and theorize about the stages of the fire cycle by rearranging story cards.
Lesson 2: The Fire Triangle (8 pages) asks students to engage in observation and sense-making around the three parts of the fire triangle — fuel, oxygen, and heat.
Introduction to Lessons 3-5 (3 pages) describes the Forest Fire Scenario Game, an interactive activity that is a central element of the final three lessons.
Lesson 3: Fire Behavior - Basics (10 pages) has small groups work through a fire scenario and make a stop-motion animation to share with the class.
Lesson 4: Fire Behavior - Firefighters, Fuel Loads, Prescribed Burns (5 pages) has small groups work through different fire scenarios and discuss the outcomes with peers.
Lesson 5: Fire Behavior - Chance and Occurrence (6 pages) has small groups make a forest model and experiment with different conditions, observing what happens when factors such as climate, wind, and topography change.