Wildfire Simulation
Provided by: The Concord Consortium|Published on: May 12, 2023
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Activity - Classroom
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: The Concord Consortium
Region: Global
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive simulation resource allows students to adjust several variables and watch a digital wildfire spread.
- Students will gain beneficial understandings about the factors that impact wildfires and potential strategies for stopping their spread.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This simulation is an immersive experience for students learning about wildfires.
- Students will enjoy playing with the different components of the resource in order to change the outcome of the wildfire simulations.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers should spend time working with the simulation to get comfortable with all the aspects before presenting to students.
- Clicking "Terrain Setup" at the bottom of the simulation is how students will adjust vegetation type and drought index across all three zones. Students will also adjust wind speed and direction this way.
- Younger students may require more context before using the simulation.
- To access the resource itself from the CLEAN website, click "Jump to this Simulation/Interactive."
- The "Teaching Tips" section on the CLEAN website provides several strong ideas for implementing this resource in your class.
Differentiation
- Cross-curricular connections can be made in social studies classes discussing the terrain in various regions or in health classes discussing the impacts and implications of wildfires on humans.
- It may be best for students to begin the simulation using only one of the three Sparks—the points at which the fire begins. After initial play with one Spark, students can add a second and third Spark to see what happens.
- Consider using this simulation as a whole-class activity with younger students. On the other hand, older students may enjoy the competition of working independently toward a goal (e.g., a contest to see which student can design the fire with the shortest duration or smallest burn area).
This resource is an interactive wildfire simulator where students can set the vegetation type and drought level of three different terrain zones. Students can also set the wind speed and direction. While this is obviously a very simplistic simulator, it powerfully visualizes just how rapidly fires can spread across the terrain. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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