U.S. Forest Service firefighters attack a fire at San Diego National Wildlife Refuge.
David Cegelski, National Interagency Fire Center, CC 0
Pathway Summary
Anchor phenomenon lesson
This lesson introduces students to the increasing risk of wildfires and their impacts in the San Diego region. Students begin by exploring graphs and maps of wildfires in their area and revisit the effects of a recent fire. They then develop an initial model to explain the factors that make wildfires likely to occur, and then identify questions they have that will drive their investigations.
Family survey
At the end of the anchor phenomenon lesson, students are introduced to a family connection activity, where they survey family and community members about their experiences with the impacts of wildfires.
Phenomenon
Wildfires in San Diego are increasing.
Community
San Diego is a coastal city known for its warm, sunny weather and beaches. To the east of the city are several mountain ranges including the Cuyamaca, Laguna, San Ysidro, and Palomar mountains. The mountains are characterized by chaparral, riparian, and grassland habitats.
Materials Available
Anchoring phenomenon lesson
Family survey
Key Features
Coastal
Mountainous
Family connection
Educator Insight
Teacher: Jessica Elliot and Kevin Myron
Why I chose this phenomenon
We chose to focus on wildfires because we live in East County San Diego, about 45 minutes from the local mountains. Fires in the mountains and rural communities are a regular occurrence and many people in our community have personal experience or know someone who has been impacted by fires. Due to climate change, wildfires are on the rise and impacting more people.
How my students responded
One of our students said, "It was interesting to figure out the connections between climate change and wildfires in real time as we saw fires occur across Southern California. It made it real."
