|
 |
|
|
| Overview |
| Grade Level: 6-8 |
| Background Information:
Wildfires have occurred since the earth began. Many ecosystems
are dependant on fires to maintain diversity, and a number of species
are dependant on fire to reproduce. Naturally occurring fires are
started by lightning storms and are part of the normal life cycle
for forests and prairies. Native Americans recognized the value
of fires on Prairies and would burn large areas to promote the growth
of grasses that would attract wildlife such as bison. However, in
many places, wildfires create a hazard for human populations in
terms of life, property and economic resources such as timber. During
the 20th century, the US forest service practiced a type of fire
management called fire suppression. In this practice, all forest
fires, whether natural or manmade, were extinguished as rapidly
as possible. The result has been a reduction of diversity as opportunistic
plants have had their opportunities limited and the density of vegetation
in the underbrush of forests. Because of this build-up, more recent
fires have burned with more intensity since there is more fuel.
High intensity fires can kill the entire local ecosystem, which
can take years to begin to recover. In more normal conditions, low
intensity fires generally burn out the underbrush, leaving most
trees standing and create more habitats for organisms. The forest
service has recognized this trend and is now turning toward a new
method of management called prescribed natural burns that allow
natural areas to burn if conditions are favorable.
In this lesson, students will examine their assumptions about forest
fires. They will learn about the conflicts involved with the forest
service's new strategy, and they will study one case where a prescribed
natural burn had a significant impact on a later, uncontrolled wildfire.
|
| Content Standards |
| Related National Standards:
This lesson addresses the following National Content Standards
found at: http://books.nap.edu/html/nses
Content Standard C: As a result of their activities in grades
5-8, all students should develop understanding of:
- Populations and ecosystems
- The number of organisms an
ecosystem can support depends on the resources available
and abiotic factors, such as quantity of light and water,
range of temperatures, and soil composition. Given adequate
biotic and abiotic resources and no disease or predators,
populations increase at rapid rates. Lack of resources
and other factors, such as predation and climate, limit
the growth of populations in specific niches in the
ecosystem.
- Diversity and adaptations
of organisms o Biological evolution accounts for the
diversity of species developed through gradual processes
over many generations. Species acquire many of their
unique characteristics through biological adaptation,
which involves the selection of naturally occurring
variations in populations. Biological adaptations include
changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that
enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular
environment.
|
Content Standard E: As a result of their activities in grades
5-8, all students should develop understanding of:
- Science and Technology
- Perfectly designed solutions
do not exist. All technological solutions have trade-offs,
such as safety, cost, efficiency, and appearance.
|
Content Standard F: As a result of their activities in grades
5-8, all students should develop understanding of:
- Natural Hazards
- Human activities also can
induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth,
land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities
can accelerate many natural changes.
|
|
| Extension Web Sites
from PBS: |
|
Kakadu
- Beware! Lightning
In this activity, students learn about lightning and its relationship
to forest fires.
Wild
Places - Growing Prairie
This is an activity that allows students to experiment with the
growth of plants under different levels of canopy.
PBS
TeacherSource - Science and Technology: Ecology
This site contains a variety of other activities related to ecology
for high school students
PBS
TeacherSource - Science and Technology: Ecology
This site contains a variety of other activities related to
ecology for middle school students
|
| Activity 1: Only You Can Stop
Forest Fires |
| Time Allotted:
20 minutes
Materials:
No special materials are necessary
| Objectives: |
- Students will examine basic assumptions of modern society
about forest fires.
- Students will be introduced to the concept of fire management
in ecosystems.
- Students will learn about fire's role in maintaining diversity
in an ecosystem.
|
| Teaching Instructions: |
- Have students take out a piece of paper and write a short
essay about the following question:
Smokey the Bear says 'Only you Can Stop Forest Fires'. Why
should people avoid forest fires and should we stop all
forest fires if possible?
- Discuss student's answers.
|
Watch the AFG Video Segment:
 |
Lake
Wales Ridge State Forest
Lake
Wales Ridge State Forest has started to introduce prescribed
fires in order to re-create the natural ecosystem and discourage
overgrowth. |
If you plan to go on to other activities in this lesson, go strait
to the following discussion questions. If you do not plan to do
other activities in this lesson, then have students re-write their
answer to the essay question above before discussing the following
questions.
| Discussion Questions for Video Segment: |
- Is it ever all right to allow fires to burn on their own?
- What role does fire play in the ecosystem described?
- What do you think would happen to an ecosystem that used
to depend on fire if fire was totally suppressed by humans?
|
|
| Activity 2: A Heated Debate |
| Time Allotted:
20-30 minutes
Materials:
No special materials are needed
| Objectives: |
- Students will learn how human management of an ecosystem
can create hazards for man and nature.
- Students will learn how different fire management strategies
can impact an ecosystem.
- Students will use role-playing to prepare and present
arguments.
- Students will attempt to weigh the different needs of
citizens in a community to reach an agreement.
|
| Teaching Strategies |
- Tell the class that they are going to imagine that they
are members of a community near a national forest. The national
forest is proposing using 'prescribed natural burning' as
a forest management strategy. Different factions of the
community have differing opinions about this. The students
are to represent the different factions and will present
the arguments.
- Each student should be given an identity. They will either
be 'rural homeowner in wooded lot near national forest',
'forest service manager', or 'taxpaying citizens in towns
or cities'. You will want the identities to be evenly divided.
- Watch the AFG Video Segment
|
Fighting
Fire with Fire
The
ways that forest fires have been depicted - and dealt
with - have changed since the days of Smokey the Bear. |
- Have students meet with other students who are playing
the same role. Remind them that they represent a community
near a national forest where the forest service wants to
conduct prescribed natural burns. They should discuss what
they learned from the video and they should brainstorm other
arguments that people in their position might have.
- Organize students for a jigsaw activity. Have one representative
from each faction meet in small groups of three (e.g. the
groups of three should contain a rural homeowner, a forest
service manager, and a taxpaying citizen). They should each
explain their position and they should debate what should
be done.
- Regroup with the whole class and ask groups to share points
that came up and ask if anyone came up with any good solutions.
|
|
| Activity 3: The
Hash Rock Fire-The Impact of Prescription Burns in an Ecosystem |
| Time Allotted:
One 45-minute class period
| Objectives: |
- Students will read and interpret a GIS map to determine
extent and intensity of fire damage.
- Students will brainstorm natural and man-made controls
on forest fires.
- Students will develop an understanding of how man's management
of the ecosystem has led to more dangerous conditions within
the ecosystem, for both man and nature.
|
Teaching Instructions
In this activity, students will examine
a map of a major forest fire that occurred in the Ochoco National
forest. Embedded within the burn area is a small area that had
been burned several years previously as a prescribed natural
fire. In this case, it appears that the prescribed natural burn
had a significant impact in lowering the intensity of the larger
'Hash Rock Fire' thus lending credence to the Forest Services
new management strategy. |
- Divide the class into groups of two or three.
- Give each group a map. 3. Students should answer the questions
in the student handout while looking at the map.
- Review student answers to the questions.
- Watch the AFG Video Segment
|
Prescribed
Natural Fires
After
fighting forest fires for nearly a century, the Forest
Service is now experimenting with reintroducing natural
fires into the ecosystem. |
- Discuss the questions in the student handout again in
light of information presented in the video.
- If you did the first activity in this lesson plan, have
students answer the essay question again: Smokey the Bear
says 'Only you Can Stop Forest Fires'. Why should people
avoid forest fires and should we stop all forest fires if
possible?
|
| Assessment Idea |
|
Ask students to assess their own answers to their map interpretation
while watching the video. Have them write notes and update
answers as they learn more during or after the video.
|
|
|
 |
 |
