Data Puzzle: Megafire - Rare Occurrences or the New Normal?

Notes from our reviewers

The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials.

• Teaching Tips
  The total time for the activity is 180 minutes, with content divided into four parts with ranging times. Consider posting each model in the classroom in a gallery format and ask the students if they noticed any similarities or differences between models. Encourage them to share why they decided to depict information in their chosen style. The optional podcast (17 minutes) is a valuable tool to relate lesson content to real-world mathematical and visual models to understand where and when megafire vulnerability is greatest. This podcast also highlights important concepts for students to contextualize the occurrence of megafires such as inter-agency cooperation (including Traditional Ecological Knowledge), funding, and resources in fire management. In many regions in the United States, especially the Western United States, students will have personal experience with wildfires. These experiences often involve trauma and/or loss. Take time to allow students to express their feelings and experiences before jumping into the lesson content. Consider pathways to action available for the school and/or classroom. What could be done to make the school and community safer? What lessons can be learned from past events and Indigenous people? Help students feel empowered on this issue.
• About the Science
  Students will learn concepts like evapotranspiration, megadroughts, and mathematical models. They will create visual models to represent how climate and land management practices impact megafire occurrence. Students will practice skills like reading and interpreting a graph and using evidence to support a scientific claim. This resource uses data from the University of Colorado Boulder, and cites trusted sources like The Nature Conservancy. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
• About the Pedagogy
  This resource uses a wide variety of materials (videos, text, discussion drawing activity, optional podcast) to engage users with different learning styles. An answer key is linked in the materials section of the teacher guide. This unit provides an excellent overview of wildfires in the United States, highlighting current and future risks. It offers data and analysis that shows massive fires are likely to become more frequent. However, the lesson may leave students feeling overwhelmed and/or hopeless. It presents a massive problem without offering ways for students to take action. Consider guiding students through pathways to action after this lesson. The accompanying videos also offer Indigenous perspectives on wildfire. The lesson itself does explore traditional solutions. Students may need help connecting the dots. A focus on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous expertise may help students to better understand and connect with the videos offered.
• Technical Details/Ease of Use
  Teacher guide, student worksheet, and slide deck are accessible on Google Docs format. Embedded videos link to YouTube and off-topic advertisements may pop up in longer videos. This lesson is easy to use and technically sound.