Format
1. Program begins with an introduction to Rocky Mountain National Park.
2. Students explore what can change a landscape, introducing the concept of wildfires.
3. Ranger describes the ecosystems of Rocky and how they are adapted to fires.
4. Students explore why wildfires in the Western US have become larger and more severe.
5. Students draw on their pre-program lesson to understand how advertisements influenced wildfire management in the US.
6. Students explore what influences wildfire behavior by playing a game called "Fizzle or Sizzle".
7. As students create their own fire story, ranger explains a fire that happened in Rocky in 2020: the East Troublesome Fire
8. 5 to 10 minutes is left at the end for questions and answers.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Identify and explain how three factors determine wildfire behavior: topography, weather, and fuel
2. Discuss how climate and wildfire management and public perception affect wildfires
3. Identify at least 2 benefits of wildfires
4. Understand current wildfire management that helps prevent large and sever wildfires.
Standards Alignment
State Standards
Colorado Academic Standards:
Sciences:
SC.MS.2.7: Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all of its populations.
SC.M.S.2.6: Ecosystems are sustained by the continuous flow of energy, originating primarily from the sun, and the recycling of matter and nutrients within the system.
SC.MS.3.7: Complex interactions determine local weather patterns and influence climate, including the role of the ocean
SC.MS.3.9: Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region and understanding related geological forces.
SC.MS. 3.10: Human activities have altered the biosphere, sometimes damaging it, although changes to environments can have different impacts for different living things
SC.MS.3.11: Human activities affect global warming. Decisions to reduce the impact of global warming depend on understanding climate science, engineering capabilities, and social dynamics.
SC.HS.2.3: Organisms use matter and energy to live and grow
SC.HS.2.4: Organisms interact with the living and nonliving components of the environment to obtain matter and energy
SC.HS.2.5: Matter and energy necessary for life are conserved as they move through ecosystems
SC.HS.2.6: A complex set of interactions determine how ecosystems respond to disturbances
SC.HS.2.13: Humans have complex interactions with ecosystems and have the ability to influence biodiversity on the planet
SC.HS.3.8: The biosphere and Earth’s other systems have many interconnections that cause a continual co-evolution of Earth’s surface and life on it.
SC.HS.3.9: Resource availability has guided the development of human society and use of natural resources has associated costs, risks, and benefits
SC.HS.3.10: Natural hazards and other geological events have shaped the course of human history at local, regional, and global scales
SC.HS.3.11: Sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources, including the development of technologies.
Reading, Writing, and Communicating:
RW.6.1.1: Employ appropriate presentation and collaboration strategies to meet the needs of a given task and purpose
RW.6.1.2: Develop, organize, and present ideas and opinions effectively
RW.6.1.3: Analyze literary elements within different types of literature to make meaning
RW.7.1.1: Incorporate language, tools, and techniques appropriate for task and audience during formal presentations
RW.7.1.2: Prepare for formal presentations and use appropriate delivery techniques
RW.7.2.2: Summarize and evaluate to show understanding of informational texts
RW.8.1.1: Engage in effective collaborative discussions and analyze information presented
RW.8.1.2: Design organized presentations incorporating key details and claims while tailored for purpose and audience
RW.8.2.2: Analyze and evaluate an author’s choices to understand informational text
RW.H1.1.1: Respond to others’ ideas, and evaluate perspective and rhetoric
RW.H1.1.2: Organize and develop credible presentations tailored to purpose and audience
RW.H1.2.3: Utilize context, parts of speech, grammar, and word choice to understand narrative, argumentative, and informational texts.
RW.H2.1.1: Follow collaborative guidelines to ensure a hearing of a full range of positions on a topic or issue, and evaluate responses
RW.H2.2.2: Interpret and evaluate complex informational texts using various critical reading strategies.
RW.H2.2.3: Understand how language influences the comprehension of narrative, argumentative, and informational texts