2ND-3RD GRADE LESSON Smokeytoons: a Look at Fire and Human Behavior
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2ND-3RD GRADE LESSON SmokeyToons: A Look at Fire and Human Behavior NUTSHELL In this lesson, students examine ashes from paper to describe the changes that fire can cause. They also learn the elements necessary for fire to exist by studying a burning candle. Students then distinguish the difference between good and bad fire situations and learn what they can do to prevent bad fire situations. In conclusion, students create a cartoon that conveys a fire prevention message. BIG IDEAS OBJECTIVES • In Wisconsin, there are two main types of Upon completion of this lesson, students will wildland fire – wildfire and prescribed be able to: fire. Wildfires start without the intent of • Describe the physical changes fire can cause. the landowner or land manager and are • List the three elements fire needs to exist. uncontrolled and unwanted. Prescribed • Distinguish the difference between a good fires are contained and are planned to fire and a bad fire. meet the goals of a landowner or land • Identify activities that can cause destructive manager. (Subconcept 1) wildfire. • The ignition of wildland fire can be caused • Identify actions they can take to reduce the by human activity (e.g., debris burning and risk of destructive wildfire. other outdoor burning, machine sparks, SUBJECT AREAS children playing with matches, power lines, fireworks) or natural sources (e.g., lightning, English Language Arts, Health, Science, spontaneous combustion). Human activity Visual Arts is responsible for most wildland fires in LESSON/ACTIVITY TIME Wisconsin. (Subconcept 2) • Total Lesson Time: 105 minutes • Fire requires oxygen, heat, and fuel to exist. • Time Breakdown: Collectively these elements are known as the fire triangle. Under most conditions, Introduction...........10 minutes the three elements can be manipulated to Activity 1 ...............15 minutes slow or stop the spread of fire. (Subconcept 3) Activity 2 ...............10 minutes • Individuals have the responsibility to start Activity 3 ...............20 minutes and stop fires in safe and effective ways. Conclusion............50 minutes Citizens who illegally start a fire or carelessly TEACHING SITE allow a fire to escape may be penalized with Classroom fines and even imprisonment. (Subconcept 26) BACKGROUND INFORMATION A fire can have positive effects or potentially every precaution to monitor and prevent fires dangerous effects. Positive fires are those from becoming dangerous. For a fire to start that are safe and do not cause the loss of and continue to burn, three elements must be life, property, or natural resources. Potentially present – heat, fuel, and oxygen. dangerous fires exist when humans don’t take (Continued on page 24.) 2nd-3rd Grade Lesson - SmokeyToons: A Look at Fire and Human Behavior 22 LEAF Wildland Fire Lesson Guide N O I T C U D O R T N I 1 MATERIALS LIST - K FOR EACH STUDENT FOR THE CLASS • Copy of Student Page 1, The Fire Triangle • Overhead projector (optional) 3 ! - • Copy of Student Page !2, Make It Safe! FOR THE TEACHER 2 • Copy of Student Page !3, How Do I Draw • Candle a Cartoon? • Lighter 4 • Pencil and paper • Jar that fits tightly over the candle • Red colored pencil or marker • Cartoon from a newspaper FOR EVERY 2 TO 3 STUDENTS • Overhead transparency of Teacher Page 6 - • Bowl of paper ashes Ak1, Make It Safe! Answer Key (optional) 5 8 - TEACHER PREPARATION 7 2 • Burn five to 10 pages of white paper in a • Find a stout, stable candle and a clear glass 1 clean, fireproof receptacle such as a grill, jar that fits over it. Be sure that the candle - 9 barrel, or metal bowl. Be sure to use paper and jar fit together snugly. Test the candle’s free of paint, glue, and other forms of stability, light it, and place the jar over the decoration, coloring, or plastic. Let the ashes candle to make sure that the seal is tight D sit for at least two hours and transfer them enough to cause the candle to extinguish in N to a sealed container. Bring the container to a short period of time. U O class with enough bowls or similar receptacles • Make an overhead transparency of Teacher R G to provide an ash sample to each group of Page Ak1, Make It Safe! Answer Key K two to three students. C (optional). A B X SAFETY PRECAUTIONS I D N E • When examining the ashes in the • When using the candle in Activity 1, be sure P introductory activity, students should not that the candle is visible but out of reach of P place the ashes in their mouths or rub their all students. It should be in a stable location A eyes with their hands. Be sure that students away from flammable materials. Be sure that E D understand that all of the ashes must stay in students to not touch or play with the candle. I the bowl. You may wish to allow students to U G wash their hands after the exercise. L A U T P E C N O C 2nd-3rd Grade Lesson - SmokeyToons: A Look at Fire and Human Behavior LEAF Wildland Fire Lesson Guide 23 I N T R O D U C T I O N K There must be heat to start and continue a fire, - 1 fuel to burn, and oxygen to facilitate combustion. VOCABULARY These three elements are referred to as the fire 2 triangle. The removal of any one of these three Burn Barrel: A metal receptacle, most often - elements will extinguish a fire. When working 3 a barrel, used for burning waste outdoors. with any fire, an adult needs to keep watch on Waste includes materials legal to burn such the fire, have a shovel and water available, as wood and paper and materials illegal to and know how they can extinguish the fire. 4 burn such as plastic and metal. A shovel can be used to remove fuel from the area, remove oxygen by smothering the fire Fire Triangle: The three elements (i.e., fuel, with dirt, and smothering flames by patting them oxygen, heat) necessary for combustion 5 to occur. - with the blade. Water on a fire not only removes 6 heat, but also blocks the flow of oxygen to Fuel: Any material that can burn. the fuel and decreases the flammability of Wildfire: A wildland fire that ignites and 7 surrounding fuels. - spreads without the intent of the landowner. 8 For more information on wildland fire, see the Wildland Fire Background starting on page 152. 9 3. Once all groups have finished, have some - 1 PROCEDURE students share their answers to the questions. 2 INTRODUCTION – FIRE CAN CAUSE Add the following discussion questions to help BIG CHANGES students build on their answers: B A 1. Seat students in groups of two or three. Tell • What is it? (Ash.) C • What was it before? (Paper.) K the class that they are going to learn about G a very powerful and dangerous, yet very • What happened to it? (It burned.) R O important part of nature – fire. Tell students • What is the difference between the paper U that you are about to pass around an object at the beginning and the ashes at the end? N (Paper is whole, white, strong, and doesn’t D inside a bowl, and they will need to work with the other students in their group to answer smell. The ashes are small, black, fragile, three questions about it. Write the following and have an odor.) A questions on the board: • Are the differences easy to see? (Yes. P P The ashes are very different from paper.) E • What is it? N • Do the ashes serve the same purpose as D • What was it before? the paper? (No. You cannot write or draw I X • What happened to it? pictures on the ashes. Fire has not only changed the way the paper looks and C 2. Give each group a bowl that contains ashes O smells, but also what it can be used for.) from paper. Tell students that they can touch N • What other things do you think fire can the contents, but all the contents must stay C change? (Fire can cause big changes in E in the bowl. As students look at the ashes, P objects such as chairs and desks, buildings T encourage them to discuss and answer U such as houses and schools, living things A the questions. such as trees and animals, and even large L G areas such as cities and forests.) U I D E 2nd-3rd Grade Lesson - SmokeyToons: A Look at Fire and Human Behavior 24 LEAF Wildland Fire Lesson Guide N O I T C U D O R T N I 4. Collect the bowls from the groups and have Place the jar over the candle making sure 1 - students return to a class seating arrangement. that it fits tightly against the surface it is K sitting on. When the flame extinguishes, have Tell the class that fires are both powerful and students explain what happened. (The flame dangerous because they have the ability to needs oxygen. It used all of the oxygen in the 3 cause very big changes in many of the things - jar. When the oxygen ran out, the flame went 2 that we need to live. Fires can burn cities out.) Write “oxygen” on the third side of the and forests, leaving both people and wildlife triangle on the board. without homes. 4 5. Relight the candle. Ask the students to focus Tell the students that they are going to learn on the candle and ask them the following about what fire needs in order to burn and questions: 6 what type of situations lead to bad fires.