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 and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK). In turn, students help their communities to be more prepared within our fire-adapted ecosystems.
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.
Firebright Wildfire Curriculum
Goals & Objectives
The overall goal of this curriculum is to provide Oregon high schools with engaging, standards- based lessons that build upon existing natural resource courses and provide students an understanding of the dynamics of wildfire in the state of Oregon, and how they can be a part of the effort of developing 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 interdependency of local forest ecology on wildfire to survive and thrive.
- Determine wildfire risks related to forest structure.
- Describe the essential ingredients to start a fire.
- Describe the factors that determine where a wildfire will move and with what intensity.
- Describe what a healthy wildfire regime looks like from an environmental perspective
- Describe what a healthy wildfire regime looks like from a community and economic perspective.
- Explain scientific principles and economic constraints involved in managing wildfires.
- Identify the roles of agencies, governments, and local fire districts in preparing for, mitigating risk, and suppressing wildfire.
-
Understand the qualifications required for a student wanting to start a profession in wildland firefighting.
-
Examine wildland firefighting and natural resource management career options.
-
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: How to Use the Curriculum
FireBright high school curriculum provides a set of lesson plans, resources, and tools designed to help students gain a deep understanding of Oregon forests and wildfires. Classroom and field activities enable students to learn about the occupational fields of wildland firefighting and natural resource management in Oregon and how to build community fire resilience.
The curriculum is divided into five modules, and each module contains from 1 to 7 distinct classes, although teachers may wish to break up or meld together classes to fit their school schedules. The first module provides a general overview of the wildfire situation in Oregon, the second two focus on the academic material behind healthy forests and wildfire, and the last two focus on career paths and community options for resilience. While it is 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. Each module and/or lesson may be delivered alone or done in the order that instructors choose.
Partners and Status:
This work is based on a USDA funded Landscape Scale Restoration grant that included the following partners:
- Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)
- Oregon State University, Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center
- Southern Oregon Forest Restoration Collaborative
- Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI)
- Keep Oregon Green (KOG)
- Collaboration with the Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office and the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
The project is in the final phases of demonstration in high schools in southern Oregon. Teacher training, a video, and evaluation will complete the project by the end of next year. The curriculum will be available to schools throughout Oregon at that time.
For more information on the SOFEE fire ecology curriculum, please contact us or join our newsletter.
