ABSTRACT
Included in this chapter are six major activities—including a cross curricular math challenge. In “What Is a Smokejumper?” students build background knowledge and context, followed by a short, constructed response in which students personalize their non-fiction reading experience by explaining whether they have what it takes to be a smokejumper. With “Smokejumper: Help Wanted,” students need to make strong inferences in this speaking and listening activity. Our critical thinking reaches the synthesis level here as students role-play prospective applicants and interviewers for a smokejumper training position. Finally, as a commander of a smoke jumping team, students will need to defend their choice for best applicant. Students use best practices in history and social studies in “Fireline” as they look closely at details of a historical primary source mural. In this activity, students combine visual and textual non-fiction to reach an understanding of a topic and interpret its meaning. Students integrate visual and textual elements and think critically using a Venn diagram in the “Pulaski Tool” activity as they learn about this key wildland firefighting tool. Then it’s time to go hands-on and across the curriculum with the knowledge we’ve built. In “Smokejumper Models,” students think mathematically using fractions and practice geometry as they prepare miniature smokejumpers who will battle a simulated wildfire in the classroom. For our “Classroom Wildfire,” we construct a classroom wildfire simulation and parachute our smokejumpers on a mission—dropping student-crafted parachuters to construct a fire line. We do gridwork (mapmaking), add and multiply fractions, estimation, and percentages as we engage in great hands-on learning.
