Up in Flames

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How does human behavior affect the natural world?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article (see below). Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• toxic
• frequency
• denial
• severity
• daunting
• excessive

3. Engage
Have students share what they know about the wildfires in the West. Ask: In what ways do you think the wildfires are affecting individuals, towns, and states?

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Up in Flames, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear below, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is the author’s main purpose in the first section of the article? (Author’s purpose, text structure) 
  (The author’s main purpose is to set up two of the central ideas the article will discuss—the devastating effects of the wildfires and the connection between climate change and an increase in the number and severity of the wildfires. These central ideas are conveyed through details about the devastation and by giving the scientific consensus.)

• How does the section “Fuel for the Fires” help set up the ideas presented in “Fleeing for Their Lives”? Would the ideas be as clear if the author had reversed the order of the sections? Explain. (Develop ideas, text structure)
  (The section “Fuel for the Fires” explains why wildfires have become more common and intense in California. Having this background information when reading the next section, “Fleeing for Their Lives,” helps readers better understand the tragedy of what Californians are experiencing. If the sections were reversed, readers might assume that what is being described is typical for any year and also might not recognize the human role in creating the situation.)   

• Based on the article, what is the connection between climate change and the increase in deadly wildfires? What other factors have increased the likelihood of wildfires occurring? (Cause & effect, key details)
  (The article explains that warmer temperatures from climate change have dried out more shrubs, trees, and other vegetation, which act as fuel for wildfires. Other factors include more people living closer to forests and a decades-long rapid fire-suppression policy, which resulted in more vegetation, or fuel for large fires.)

• In the last section, the author states that “Officials say the task of rebuilding from the wildfires will be daunting.” As used in the text, what is the meaning of the word daunting? What are some details from different sections in the article that help you understand why rebuilding will be daunting? (Word meaning, problem & solution)
  (As used in the text, the word daunting means extremely difficult to accomplish. Details that help show why rebuilding will be daunting include “neighborhoods reduced to ash” from the opening section, “burned the entire park to the ground” from the section “Fleeing for Their Lives,” and “hot wildfires cause dangerous chemicals . . . to leach into drinking water” from the last section.) 

• At the end of the article, what does Philip B. Duffy mean when he says “It’s going to get worse”? Do you think Duffy is a credible source for making this assessment? Explain. (Make inferences, evaluate sources)
  (Duffy means that natural disasters, such as wildfires, will continue to increase in number and severity. As a climate scientists who is president of a climate research center, Duffy is a credible source.)

• What is the central idea of the sidebar “Wild Weather”? What does the sidebar add to the article? (Central idea, integrate sources)
  (The central idea of the sidebar is that climate change is making extreme weather, not just wildfires, more intense. The sidebar provides the specific chain of events that is leading to increases in each weather event it discusses. This adds to the article by providing additional effects of climate change as well as by presenting facts that help show why the scientists discussed in the article formed their conclusions.)

6. Writing Prompt
Based on the article and additional research, what is one change people could make to reduce wildfires in the future? Why would this action be helpful? Explain in one paragraph.

7. Video
Watch the videos about climate change and the rescue. What do they add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should insurance companies be allowed to cancel homeowner policies because of wildfires?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.