The Battle Against Wildfires

1. Set Focus 
Pose this essential question: How does human activity affect the environment?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence:

• How has climate change resulted in an increase in wildfires? What else has contributed to the problem? (Climate change has led to historic drought, making vegetation more flammable—so wildfires start more easily and spread more quickly. Climate change has also lengthened the wildfire season. In addition, misguided fire-suppression policies have led to increasingly dense forests full of flammable brush.)

• What is the federal government doing to address the wildfire problem? How might Prisha Shroff’s solution help address the problem? (The Forest Service is using prescribed burns to help reduce the severity of future wildfires. In addition, the U.S. government has set aside $234 million to fund wildfire prevention and recovery efforts. President Biden has also created a commission to address the problem. Prisha’s computer program analyzes satellite data to predict wildfires and then alert authorities of risks. It may also be able to send in drones to spray the fire to slow it.)

• How do prescribed burns help reduce the severity of future wildfires? (A prescribed burn is intentionally set, with the goal of helping to clear out dead leaves and limbs that fuel wildfires. When there is less flammable brush, wildfires do not spread as quickly or as severely and, therefore, are easier to put out.)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity Sum It Up. Have students use the tips and the model summary to write objective summaries of the article.

4. Writing Prompt
Write a one-page proposal for a computer program that would help solve an environmental problem that is important to you.

5. Classroom Debate
Should the government set aside more than its current allocation of $234 million for wildfire prevention and recovery efforts?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and Be the Editor to review grammar skills.