Students learn about the three elements a fire needs to burn and find out how this “fire triangle” can be used to prevent and manage wildland fires, particularly in the wildland–urban interface.
For the complete activity and more like this, purchase the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide or the Nature of Fire activity collection at Shop.PLT.org and/or attend a professional development training in your state.
Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:
Fire Triangle Investigation (PDF)
Wildlife Safety Checklist (PDF)
Spanish Student Page(s):
Investigación del triángulo del fuego (PDF)
Lista de verificación de seguridad contra incendios forestales (PDF)
Engage students in real-world applications of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education.
Try these STEM Connections for this PLT activity:
The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.
“Keys to Being Firewise®.” Trees Are Key, Episode 28. In this 12-minute podcast, a guest speaker from Firewise.org talks about how to maintain defensible space around homes in wildfire-prone areas, such as cleaning out gutters, putting screens on vents, removing vegetation close to structures, and reducing ladder fuels. Geared for adults, Trees Are Key is a series of over 300 podcasts by Texas A&M Forest Service. See https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/podcasts/treesarekey/ for the full list.
“Jack Pine—Ugly but Interesting!” This 6:00-minute video explains how the jack pine of Michigan is a fire-dependent species and also an important habitat for the Kirtland’s warbler, a small songbird recently removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List and on the road to recovery. This video is one of a series of BeLeaf It or Not! videos by Michigan State University Extension, which are geared for students.
This printable cutout of Smokey Bear, courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, can be colored, shared on social media, and sent through the mail to help teach kids about preventing wildfires. Created in 1944, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history. Learn the Story of Smokey, find more activity ideas for kids and resources for elementary and middle school educators at SmokeyBear.com, and review these fire safety tips.
A study 20 years ago found that British kids were better at identifying Pokemon than real wildlife. So a Canadian professor of teaching has crowdsourced ideas and created a competitive card game that teaches kids about ecosystems.
Learn more about this scientific Pokemon-type card game called Phylo: The Ecosystem Trading Card Game. Download rules and a starter deck for free and watch this video to learn how to play.
Simply print out and then fold this 3-Dimensional fire triangle model to help teach the 3 elements of the fire triangle, as well as to show the important connections between weather and how it influences fire behavior.
Learn about the Tree and Forest restoration process after a wildfire with this comprehensive resource from Montana State University (MSU) Extension Forestry. In addition, MSU Extension has compiled multiple other resources that help students understand implications of wildfires. Students can read a about a 13-Year Case Study of Fire in the Northern Rockies, use a photo guide to assess wildfire severity, or learn how to develop a fire hazard reduction plan.
WildFIRE PIRE is a project of the Montana State University, involving an international team of scientists putting the past, present, and future of wildfire into global perspective. The group will use thousands of years’ worth of historical data on landscape vegetation, fire, human behavior, and climate to build a computer simulation to understand how future changes in climate and human factors might affect vegetation patterns in global forests. To learn about their process and findings, you can read more here.
Fire safety resources are available at www.firefacts.org. Teacher resources include a Jeopardy-style game on basic fire safety practices, fact sheets, family take-home activities, and links to additional fire safety resources and organizations. Student resources consist of online games and puzzles that teach fire safety rules.
Review fire safety practices with information and resources from the U.S. Fire Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control. You’ll find information about smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, kitchen safety, fire safety plans, and visits to a fire station. In addition, teachers can access online activities such as word searches, puzzles, and interactive quizzes that reinforce important fire safety messages.
Blue Raster and Bear Trust International’s interactive world map shows students and educators in grades 9-12 where eight different species of wild bears live. The map includes photos and facts on American and Asiatic black bears, brown bears, giant pandas, polar bears, sloth bears, and sun bears.
While some fires naturally occur and help keep forest ecosystems healthy, 84% of wildfires are caused by human-related activities. Help children learn what causes wildfires and how to prevent them with these student activities.
Climate change is a complex topic that can be intimidating to teach. However, understanding climate, including the ways it is changing and how that impacts the environment, is crucial to making informed decisions and building resilience. Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD provide over 100 hands-on activities that are grounded in each of our environmental focuses.
Get learners excited about sustainability with Earth Science Week activities you can try with your classroom, complete with recommended grade levels and relevant science standards!
We’ve assembled a list of our top eight Project Learning Tree activities perfect for social distancing kids in Kindergarten through Grade 8.
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