Fire Ecology Learning Lab
Place-based K-12 Southwestern fire ecology lessons that are designed to be used by land management agency staff and informal educators.
About the Fire Ecology Learning Lab Lessons
The K-12 Fire Ecology Learning Lab lessons and kits are grab-and-go resources. They were developed for agency staff and informal educators. These kits make it easy to visit grades kindergarten through high school, bringing hands-on, standards-aligned engaging activities to classrooms and schoolyards. The place-based activities are designed to help students learn about fire ecology, and careers in fire and land management.
The K-12 kits were an outgrowth of the middle school Fire Ecology Learning Lab curriculum for formal educators. That curriculum supports classroom teachers in Arizona and New Mexico help middle school students explore the complexities of fire ecology in their region.
Collaborative Effort
The Fire Ecology Learning Lab is a collaborative effort of the Joint Fire Science Program, Southwest Fire Science Consortium, Cerise Consulting, Northern Arizona University AZ Wildfire Initiative, Bureau of Land Management, and USDA Forest Service.
K-12 Lesson Plans and Materials
Lesson OverviewStudents learn about wildland firefighters and other land management careers. Students explore different biotic communities and how they can help care for the land. |
Downloadable Materials
All printable materials are listed in this section and the hard copies are provided in the kit binder. Any printed materials that need to be frequently restocked (like student handouts) are marked with an asterisk*. Other materials not listed in this section that are included in the kit are noted in the lesson plan.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Downloadable Materials and Descriptions
| Item | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Plan | PDF, 7 pages | Lesson plan provides the following: lesson overview, materials list, guiding questions and assessment, vocabulary, agenda and timing, teaching notes, pre and post-visit activities, common questions, tips for working with k-2 students and state standards. |
| Teacher Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft teacher letter. You can adapt it for your school visit. |
| Parent Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft parent letter. You can share it with the teacher to adapt for your school visit. |
| Schoolyard Exploration Worksheet* | PDF, 2 pages | Optional pre-visit activity sheet to guide a schoolyard exploration. Students are guided to draw their observations. |
| My Magical Backpack Flipbook | PDF, 30 pages | PDF with pages to build a flipbook story, pages can be print and placed in sheet protectors and assembled within a 3-ring binder. The story follows a child who is going on a backpacking trip with their grandfather. The child’s red backpack has special items to be prepared for the trip. You can laminate the items from the backpack to bring the story to life. |
| Paper Doll Handout* | PDF, 1 page | Optional post-visit activity sheet of a paper doll that can be colored in and cut out. The paper doll depicts a uniformed employee with shoulder length hair. There are two additional outfits, one is a fire uniform, the other is a fisheries biologist uniform. There are additional accessories associated with both additional uniforms. |
| Letter to Smokey Bear Handout* | WORD, 1 page | Optional post-visit activity sheet. Students are prompted to write a letter to Smokey Bear. |
Lesson OverviewStudents learn the basics of the fire triangle and how plants and animals adapt to their environment. Classes use cards, art supplies, and experiments to explore these topics. |
Downloadable Materials
All printable materials are listed in this section and the hard copies are provided in the kit binder. Any printed materials that need to be frequently restocked (like student handouts) are marked with an asterisk*. Other materials not listed in this section that are included in the kit are noted in the lesson plan.
3rd - 5th Grade Downloadable Materials and Descriptions
| Educational Item | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Plan | PDF, 7 pages | Lesson plan provides the following: lesson overview, materials list, guiding questions and assessment, vocabulary, agenda and timing, teaching notes, pre and post-visit activities, common questions, tips for working with 3-5 students and state standards. |
| Teacher Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft teacher letter. You can adapt it for your school visit. |
| Parent Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft parent letter. You can share it with the teacher to adapt for your school visit. |
| Home Safety Inventory Worksheet | PDF, 1 page | Optional pre-visit activity sheet to do a safety inventory of a classroom/school or home. |
| Fire Triangle | PDF, 1 page | Sheet designed to be printed, cut and laminated. Velcro can be applied to attach the three components of fire: fuel, oxygen, heat. |
| Fuel type Cards | PDF, 5 pages | Sheets designed to be printed and laminated. Each card illustrates a different fuel type: grasses, leaves, small branches and twigs, large branches, logs and tree trunks. |
| Fuels in Ecosystems | POWERPOINT, 8 pages | What is Fire |
| Fuels in Ecosystems | PDF, 8 pages | Photos show fuels in different Southwestern ecosystems. Ecosystems include grassland, desert grassland, ponderosa forest with dense undergrowth, ponderosa forest without dense undergrowth, oak woodland, interior chaparral, desert, invasive grasses in Sonoran Desert, Sonoran Desert without invasive grasses, sagebrush with grasses, sagebrush without grasses, mixed conifer forest, and piñon juniper woodland. |
| Fire Adaptation Rotation Student Worksheet* | PDF, 4 pages | Student worksheet that follows three activities about fire adaptations. The first activity is an animals and fire matching game, following the matching game students report their favorite animal adaptation to fire. In the second activity, students illustrate a fire-adapted plant or animal. In the third activity, students explore bark as an insulator, make a model using craft supplies, students make comparisons between aspen and ponderosa and record their observations in the activity sheet. |
| Adaptation Habitat Cards | PDF, 2 pages | Optional. Sheets designed be printed, cut and laminated to create eight “Adaptation Habitat Cards” to help guide the “My Fire Adapted Discovery” activity. Habitats include desert, grassland, ponderosa forest, riparian, piñon juniper woodland, Arctic tundra, mixed conifer forest, tropical island. |
| Animal Adaptation Cards (Higher Reading Level) | PDF, 4 pages | Sheets designed to be printed, cut and laminated to create 16 “Animal Adaptation Cards.” Students match eight photos of animals with their adaptation to fire. Animals depicted are the gopher tortoise, pronghorn, Australian black kite, prairie dog, elk, fire chaser beetle, Karner blue butterfly and Western lizard fence. |
| Animal Adaptation Cards (Easy Reading Level) | PDF, 4 pages | Sheets designed to be printed, cut and laminated to create 16 “Animal Adaptation Cards.” Students match eight photos of animals with their adaptation to fire. Animals depicted are the gopher tortoise, pronghorn, Australian black kite, prairie dog, elk, fire chaser beetle, Karner blue butterfly and Western lizard fence. |
| Animal Adaptations Cards Answer Key | PDF, 1 page | Answer key for the “Animal Adaptation Cards,” the animal is matched with its adaptation. Note: the answer key is aligned with the higher reading level text, but can be used by a facilitator for both sets of cards. |
| Fire Recovery Cards | PDF, 3 pages | Sheets designed to be printed and cut and laminated to illustrate fire recovery in different ecosystems. The ecosystems depicted are mixed conifer forests, ponderosa forests, piñon juniper woodland, oak woodland, interior chaparral, grasslands, desert grassland, desert scrub, and sagebrush shrubland. |
| Fire Recovery PowerPoint | POWERPOINT, 27 pages | PowerPoint that is designed to illustrate fire recovery in different ecosystems. The ecosystems depicted are mixed conifer forests, ponderosa forests, piñon juniper woodland, oak woodland, interior chaparral, grasslands, desert grassland, desert scrub, and sagebrush shrubland. |
| Adaptation Hunt Worksheet* | PDF, 1 page | Optional post-visit activity worksheet that is designed to support a schoolyard “adaptation hunt.” Students look for plants and animals and identify things about their shape, structure or behavior that help them survive in their habitat. |
Lesson OverviewThis lab experiment is designed to demonstrate properties of different wildfire fuels. Students explore a variety of fuels and learn the terminology used by professionals. |
Downloadable Materials
All printable materials are listed in this section and the hard copies are provided in the kit binder. Any printed materials that need to be frequently restocked (like student handouts) are marked with an asterisk*. Other materials not listed in this section that are included in the kit are noted in the lesson plan.
Middle School Downloadable Materials and Descriptions
| Educational Item | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Plan | PDF, 12 pages | Lesson plan provides the following: lesson overview, materials list, guiding questions and assessment, vocabulary, agenda and timing, teaching notes, pre and post-visit activities, common questions, tips for working with middle school students and state standards. |
| Teacher Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft teacher letter. You can adapt it for your school visit. |
| Parent Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft parent letter. You can share it with the teacher to adapt for your school visit. |
| Fire Ecology Learning Lab videos | VIDEOS | Optional. If you are unable to burn, you will need to project pre-recorded videos from YouTube |
| Student Data Collection Worksheet* | PDF, 4 pages | Student worksheet to guide the predictions and observations during the fuel experiment. Optional homework extension is included in the worksheet. |
| Wildland Fuel Property Cards | PDF, 4 pages | Sheets designed to be printed, cut and laminated to be double-sided cards describing different fuel properties: fuel moisture, fuel arrangement, fire type, chemical, fuel load, fuel size and shape, compactness, and continuity. |
| Fuels in Ecosystem Cards | PDF, 8 pages | Sheets designed to be printed, cut and laminated to make cards that show fuels in different Southwestern ecosystems. Ecosystems include grassland, desert grassland, ponderosa forest with dense undergrowth, ponderosa forest without dense undergrowth, oak woodland, interior chaparral, desert, invasive grasses in Sonoran Desert, Sonoran Desert without invasive grasses, sagebrush with grasses, sagebrush without grasses, mixed conifer forest, and piñon juniper woodland. |
Lesson OverviewAs students prepare for their future, this lesson is designed to explore fire behavior and career paths in fire and natural resources, ranging from fire ecologist to wildland firefighter and beyond. |
Downloadable Materials
All printable materials are listed in this section and the hard copies are provided in the kit binder. Any printed materials that need to be frequently restocked (like student handouts) are marked with an asterisk*. Other materials not listed in this section that are included in the kit are noted in the lesson plan.
High School Downloadable Materials and Descriptions
| Educational Item | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Plan | PDF, 8 pages | Lesson plan provides the following: lesson overview, materials list, guiding questions and assessment, vocabulary, agenda and timing, teaching notes, pre and post-visit activities, common questions, tips for working with high school students and state standards. |
| Teacher Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft teacher letter. You can adapt it for your school visit. |
| Parent Letter | WORD, 1 page | Draft parent letter. You can share it with the teacher to adapt for your school visit. |
| Fire Triangle | PDF, 1 page | Sheet designed to be printed, cut and laminated to depict the fire triangle. Velcro can be applied to attach the three components of fire: fuel, oxygen, heat. |
| Fire Behavior Triangle | PDF, 1 page | Sheet designed to be printed, cut and laminated to depict the fire behavior triangle. Velcro can be applied to attach three components that shape fire behavior: fuel, topography and weather. |
| Matchstick Forest Experiment Cards | PDF, 2 pages | Sheet designed to be printed, cut, and laminated to help guide the matchstick forest experiment. |
| Forest Over the Years Pictures | POWERPOINT, 12 pages | PowerPoint presentation that shows the impact of forest management on a ponderosa forest over 110 years. |
| Experiment Design Worksheet* | PDF, 2 pages | Student worksheet that records student observations from the matchstick forest. |
| Career Presentation Template | POWERPOINT, 12 pages | PowerPoint template to facilitate a presentation about fire careers. |
| Career Personality Quiz Handout* | PDF, 2 pages | Personality quiz that explores different “green jobs.” Students circle attributes that apply to them, and score their results to find the type of outdoor or environmental careers that uses those skillsets. |
For More Information
Please note, these documents are designed for print use, not digital, and the web is just being used to distribute materials to print. Please contact us for additional information about the K-12 Fire Ecology Learning Lab Lessons and Kits!