Climate Change and Wildfire – Curriculum Unit for 9-12 Grade Students

Welcome! Thank you for your interest in the USDA Southwest Climate Hub’s curriculum unit on Climate Change and Wildfire. This unit was designed to introduce high school students to the effects of climate change and rising global temperatures on wildfires. We partnered with the Asombro Institute for Science Education to design an engaging, fun, and scientifically rigorous education unit aligned with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. This unit is freely available and intended for use by anyone, especially educators of 9-12 grade students. The unit consists of three activities and was designed to be conducted over five hours. Each activity can also stand alone however, and the unit need not be completed in its entirety.

The curriculum is free to download. Interested in learning more about teaching these activities? Please help us organize an educator workshop in your area! Email information@asombro.org for more information about this opportunity.

To download curriculum: 

• Select day/lesson from left column, or 
• Download Climate Change and Wildfire Unit complete guide (in PDF), or 
• Select from the list of educator guides and digital resources by day listed below

Additional documents:

• Curriculum Introduction
• Next Generation Science Standards Activity Charts
• Common Core State Standards Activity Chart
• Copyright Information
• Acknowledgements

Interested in learning more about teaching these activities?  Please help us organize an educator workshop in your area! Email information@asombro.org for more information about this opportunity.

List of educator guides and digital resources by day

Day 1 – Wildfire: Past and Future

• Educator guide (PDF)
• Wildfire: Past and Future handout (PDF)
• Wildfire: Past and Future presentation (PowerPoint)
• Model Description page (PDF)
• Instructional Video (link)

Day 2 and 3 – Wildfire Data Jam

• Educator guide (PDF)
• Wildfire Data Jam handout (PDF)
• Wildfire Data Jam presentation (PowerPoint)
• Dataset page (PDF)

Day 4 – Playing with Fire

• Educator guide (PDF)
• Playing with Fire presentation (PowerPoint)
• Playing with Fire game board (PDF)
• Playing with Fire career cards (PDF)
• Wildfire hazard cards (PDF)
• Playing with Fire game rules handout (PDF)
• Instructional Video (link)