K-8 Fire Ecology Curriculum
Collaboratively planned fire education for K-8th grade students.
The Southern Oregon Fire Ecology Education (SOFEE) program provides K–8 STEAM-based, open-source fire ecology curriculum aligned with national and Oregon education standards. Developed by regional educators and adapted from the USFS FireWorks! curriculum, SOFEE integrates place-based education and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) to reflect Southern Oregon’s unique ecology.
SOFEE provides the foundation for students to understand wildfire preparedness, and safety in a wildfire or smoke emergency. It fosters lifelong participation in climate resilience by fostering their role in forest health and stewardship.
- Hands-on activities and live-fire science demonstrations.
- Developed with regional agencies, nonprofits, and educators.
- Trauma-informed teaching approach and training.
SOFEE partners are committed to facilitating student interactions with the natural world through place-based education, trauma-informed approach, and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK). In turn, students help their communities to be more prepared within our fire-adapted ecosystems.
FireWorks! Southern Oregon Fire Ecology Education (SOFEE) provides a comprehensive fire ecology curriculum tailored for vulnerable populations in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Incorporating partner narratives and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, SOFEE utilizes partner narratives and education to empower the next generations on Firewise practices and how to identify defensible space in various landscapes and home dwellings.
There is a statewide need for fire ecology education integration on the district level. An effective way to educate landowners on disturbance ecology and fire mitigation is through the next generation of learners in active learning environments.
Education continues to prove to be an effective coping mechanism for families and people managing social, economic, and emotional trauma after fire, specifically the highly impacted and still trauma-resonating Almeda fire in 2020 in Southern Oregon towns. Aligned with the National Cohesive Wildfire Strategy, SOFEE promotes fire-adapted communities by preparing students for wildfire resilience, smoke effects, and emergency preparedness during active prescribed burns and wildfire season.
FireWorks! Southern Oregon Fire Ecology Education
Goals & Objectives
The overall goal of this curriculum is to provide Southern Oregon schools with standards-based, hands-on, place-based lessons that provide students with an understanding of the dynamics of wildfire in the state of Oregon and how they can be a part of the effort to develop more wildfire-resilient communities. Through these lessons, students will be able to:
- Recognize wildfire as both a natural process in Oregon and the increase in wildfire risk and severity have been over the years.
- Understand the historical use of frequent, low-intensity fire as a means of forest management.
- Understand the interdependency of local forest ecology on wildfire to survive and thrive.
- Describe the ingredients of fire, fuel types, and fuel structures within a forest.
- Describe what a healthy wildfire regime looks like from an environmental perspective.
- Describe the factors determining where a wildfire will move and with what intensity.
- Describe what a healthy wildfire regime looks like from a community perspective.
- Demonstrate Ready, Set, Go for wildfire evacuation preparedness.
- Understand how to mitigate the health impacts of smoke.
- Learn from agency, government, and local fire district field professionals how they prepare for, mitigate risk, and suppress wildfire.
- Understand defensible space and assess risk around structures.
- Describe barriers to communities in wildfire-prone areas to preparing for wildfire.
- Identify actions they can take to help ensure the fire resiliency of their communities.
For Educators:
The Curriculum
The FireWorks! SOFEE K-8 curriculum provides a set of STEAM-based lesson plans, resources, and tools designed to help students understand basic fire science, Southern Oregon wildfire ecology, and community wildfire resilience. Classroom and field activities teach students about healthy fire regimes, community preparedness, and natural resource careers.
The lessons are designed to be taught through the trauma-informed lens to support students and families who have experienced trauma related to wildfires.
Trauma Informed Toolkit for Educators
Developed by OSU Ext. ONREP.
While the Elementary and Middle School lesson series are structured to span a school year, with each subsequent module building upon the last, teachers may select lessons from each module to fit the needs of their educational program.
Early Elementary Overview (K-2)
- Module 1 – Introduction to Wildfire and Basic Fire Science
- Module 2 – Fire Within Ecosystems and Ecosystem Relationships
- Module 3 – Fire Preparedness
Early Elementary Lessons (K-2)
Shared files hosted on Google Drive.
Elementary Overview (Grades 3-5)
- Module 1 – Introduction to Wildfire and Basic Fire Science
- Module 2 – Fire within Ecosystems and Wildfire Behavior
- Module 3 – Forest Communities and Animal Adaptations to Wildfire
- Module 4 – Tree Physiology and Tree Adaptations to Wildfire
- Module 5 – Fire Preparedness and Ready, Set, Go Education
Elementary Lessons (Grades 3-5)
Shared files hosted on Google Drive.
Middle School Overview (Grades 6-8)
- Module 1 – Introduction to Wildfire and Basic Fire Science
- Module 2 – Understanding Ecosystems: Analyzing Environmental Components Related to Fire
- Module 3 – Understanding Wildfire Communities
- Module 4 – History of Fire in Southern Oregon and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK)
- Module 5 – Fire Preparedness, Defensible Space and Ready, Set, Go Education
Middle School Lessons (Grades 6-8)
Shared files hosted on Google Drive.
Supporting
Agencies & Organizations
Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative (SOFRC) received financial support from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under an Assistance Agreement.
For more information on the FireWorks! SOFEE fire ecology curriculum, please contact us or join our newsletter.
