Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?” by Kendra Pierre-Louis and John Schwartz
So far in 2020, more than two million acres have burned across the state of California. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency in five counties. But why have the fires been so horrific? And why do they keep happening?
In this lesson, you will learn from a bioclimatologist, a climate research scientist and a geoscientist about why California continues to have so many wildfires. Then, you will find a visual way to communicate what you have learned in the article or to study how the climate has changed in your community.
Warm Up
First, spend a few minutes reflecting in your journal or notebook. You do not need to write in complete sentences, but spend some time considering your own knowledge and position:
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What do you know about the wildfires in California?
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Do you have any personal or emotional connection to what is happening?
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What more do you want to know about the California wildfires?
Now, watch this one-minute video about the fires:
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What do you notice as you watch the video?
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What do you feel as you hear the interviews with Brett Myers, a sheriff, and Shannon Thornton, a woman whose home was destroyed by the fire?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, then answer the following questions:
1. What is significant about what happened with the California wildfires over Labor Day weekend? Why is it harder during the pandemic for evacuating residents to decide where to go?
2. Describe California’s climate. How does California’s naturally fire-prone climate intersect with climate change?
3. Nina S. Oakley, a research scientist, says that people are part of what makes a “perfectly primed scenario” for wildfires. In your own words, how do people contribute to the growing number of wildfires in large and small ways?
4. What is your understanding of “fire suppression” as a way to control future big fires? How do you think the method of “controlled” burns could be useful in preventing additional fires? Do you have any concerns about this approach?
5. What are the potential implications of the Santa Ana winds on the current wildfires? How do those winds connect to the role of climate change in the wildfires?
Going Further
Tell a Story Through Photographs and Maps
After reading the article, what do you think people need to know and understand about the California wildfires? How could you communicate the issue, and perhaps a necessary action, to someone who doesn’t like reading or learns better by studying images?
We’ll give you the ingredients to create a one-pager, or visual representation of what you’ve learned that will rely on photographs, maps and just a few words.
1. Look through this article, “The California Wildfire in Pictures,” and choose one to three photographs that you think illustrate what is happening and communicate the urgency for action.
2. Then, look at the maps from the article, “California Fires Map Tracker,” and choose one map to accompany your photographs.
3. Next, choose one or two quotations from the featured article.
4. Finally, create a question that you still have about the fires, or that you would like for others to consider.
You can lay out these four ingredients visually using this one-pager organizer, or create you own layout online using a design website like Canva. Once you have created your visual, write an artist’s statement that answers the following questions:
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Why did you choose the photographs and map for your visual exhibition?
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Why do you care about what is happening?
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What else do people need to know about the fires?
Climate Change In Your Hometown
The featured article discusses the connection between climate change and California wildfires. Another Times article, from 2018, lets you track how the number of days when temperatures hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or higher changes in your hometown over your lifetime.
As you look at the graph created based on your hometown and the year you were born, what do you notice? (If you want, try entering the birth year of your parents or grandparents as well.) Then, scroll to see the climate predictions for your hometown when you are 80 years old. Continue to scroll to learn more about these predictions, and then see how your hometown compares to other parts of the country and the world using the interactive globe.
Reflect on the graph and map using these questions:
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What do you notice about your graph and the map?
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What do you wonder about the data?
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How does the climate in your hometown compare to that in other parts of the country and the world?
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What is your reaction to this information? Does it make you upset and worried? Does it make you want to create change? Or do you not feel particularly concerned about these changes?
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September 10, 2020 at 03:00PM
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Lesson of the Day: ‘Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?’ - The New York Times
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