Students begin by observing that there are more fires now than in previous decades, prompting students to wonder about the best ways to prevent wildfires. They investigate the natural and human causes of wildfires and the solutions humans have to contain wildfires, from hand crews to helicopters. Students investigate how factors like temperature, dry fuels like shrubs and grass, and wind can cause fires to spread quickly, while factors like rain can lower the spread of fire.
Students explore how forests in California have been managed over time, including the cultural practices of Indigenous Californians and prescribed burns. This sparks wondering about California’s ability to use prescribed and cultural burns. Students explore solutions to mitigate wildfires, culminating in an action plan. Resources and guidance are provided for teachers to help students manage emotions around wildfires, as well as how to engage indigenous experts about fire in California.
Want to talk through the lesson plans? Need support customizing a unit for your classroom?
Drop into office hours on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month from 4:00-5:00pm PT for free support from Holly or another Seeds to Solutions team member.
“This did a great job of piquing students’ interest and sparking opposing points of view, which created lively discussions on the topic.”
“The message that there are solutions to help us combat climate change and that people are working together to solve problems helped students stay in a place of curiosity; they didn’t show anxiety over the content.”
“My kids have said, ‘Oh good, I like doing this,’ when we were starting the lesson each day. It’s a great topic. I also think it has made them more curious and do their own research.”
“I truly enjoyed teaching this. It has been heartwarming to see them care about other living things and the environment.”
“I heard comments like, ‘I didn’t realize how much climate change affects my community,’ and, ‘This project made me think about what I can do to help.'”
“Students really wanted to share their food traditions and look into how climate change might affect their food traditions.”
“I have learned ways to improve my teaching, and I have been at this for 38 years. The students are gaining a deeper understanding of what climate change is: what causes climate change, and the impact of climate change on crop yield.”
“This is engaging because it uses real data about the state students live in and shows changes within their lifetime, like the rise of warehouses and trucking during the pandemic.”
“When you’re out in the workforce, you’re trying to solve problems that don’t have a clear, immediate answer. So doing stuff like this helps give students practice.”
“Every lesson was so thoroughly designed, the case study design book was beautifully organized, and it helped to give my class a real-life understanding of how college/graduate-level academic research works. Being able to connect their research back to environmental issues they actually experience was simply icing on the cake. Well done!”
“They’ve never thought about stuff like this before, and now they’re sharing it. One girl said this was the only class that she went home and talked to her parents about.”
“Using the maps and seeing things like schools and how close they are to hazards is really cool. They may not be super connected personally, but they can put themselves in the shoes of other kids and try to relate. I know it’s working because I have a kid that just watches Netflix all day, every day and he pulled out his earbud and participated!”
Melissa Campanella, University of Colorado Boulder
DeAnna Lee Rivers, STEMSoul TEACH
Kerri Wingert, Good Question Research
Wayne Wright, Science Educator
Dina Gilio-Whitaker, California State University, San Marcos
Aja Conrad, Karuk Department of Natural Resources
Clarissa Deverel-Rico, BSCS
Matt Ellinger, Designer
Stacey Lane, Illustrator
Darin Newton, Curriculum Developer
Ron Reed, Cultural Biologist at Karuk Tribe
Grant Coffin, Indian Diggings ESD
Kathy Ham, Los Angeles USD
Denise Hardoy, San Lucas School District
Maggen Haverland, Laguna Beach USD
Jasmine Heffner, New Heights Charter School
Bethany Lourie, Berkeley USD
Maria Nunez, West Contra Costa USD
Abby Paske, Berkeley USD
Mita Ponce, Los Angeles USD
Kerry Santia, Petaluma City Schools
Marco Serrano, Los Angeles USD
Kelly Vallianos, Los Angeles USD
Miguel Yaptinchay, New Heights Charter School
