Lesson Plan - 5 Big Questions About Wildfires

Watch a Video: Wildfires Up Close

After watching, discuss: What are the three ingredients wildfires need to start?

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• drought 
• aerial

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them identify reasons that wildfires have been in the news.

1. What is “dry brush”? What clue in the text helps you know? Dry brush is plant material that has dried out. The article says, “During a drought, grass, trees, and other plants get dry. It doesn’t take much to turn this dry brush into a fire.”

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2. What can you learn from the map on page 4? The map shows that seven Western states declared wildfire emergencies in 2021. They were Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Arizona, and Colorado.

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3. Why are planes and helicopters important in fighting wildfires? Firefighters use planes and helicopters to gather information about a fire, drop chemicals on a fire, get smokejumpers and other fire crews to fire scenes, and drop water to create escape paths.

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FEATURED SKILL: Word Study

Use the Skill Builder “Compound Word Workout” to have students explore compound words from the article. 
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