Environmental hazards—such as wildfire, flood, and drought—are increasingly affecting communities in Colorado. With this rise in hazardous events, there is a pressing need for communities to become more resilient through education, preparation, and planning.
This unit is for Middle School students to learn about wildfire.
Context for Use
We suggest teaching the following sequence of lessons for a middle school wildfire unit.
- Lesson 1 - The Vocabulary of Hazards
- Lesson 2 - Envisioning a Resilient Future
- Lesson 3 - A Changing Climate: Understanding Wildfire in Colorado
- Lesson 4 - HEART Force Wildfire Response Game OR HEART Force Wildfire Resilience Game
- Lesson 5 - Exploring Local Hazard Mitigation Plans
- Lesson 6 - Communicate Existing Plans
- Lesson 7 - Design a Resilient Future
Colorado Forest Fire by Nikolay Kondev
Program
Resource Type
Unit
Topics
Middle School
NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s)
Published Date
Goals Header
What Student Will Do
Goals Header
What Student Will Do
- Students will understand the science behind the risks and vulnerabilities their community has to wildfire and be empowered to take action to increase their community's resilience to these hazards.
- Students build an understanding of wildfire in Colorado using multiple data sources in a jigsaw format.
- Analyze wildfire data to identify patterns of wildfire history and risk in Colorado.
- Communicate information about the causes and effects of wildfires in your community. Explain what community members should do to be safe in the event of a wildfire
Teaching Materials
User note: To make an editable copy of the teaching materials in Google Drive, select File > “Make a copy”. This will make a copy for you to save to your own drive and edit as you see fit.
HEART Force Curriculum Materials (Google Drive folder)
