HEART Force Wildfire Game
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Provided by: Center for Education Engagement and Evaluation|Published on: May 24, 2024
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this interactive bilingual board game, students will act as community leaders as they choose how to respond to wildfire hazards.
- Students will work in three different groups that represent different hazard zones to understand how communities and individuals can take action and mitigate future wildfire risks.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
Authors: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
Region: Colorado
Languages: English, Spanish
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The game rewards students for working collaboratively, encouraging community ideals in the classroom.
- The activity includes guidance for using this resource with students who have experienced wildfire-related trauma.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should watch the instructional video and read the facilitator script before introducing the game.
- Teachers will also need to prepare game materials before playing the game.
- The link to the emotions wheel in the teacher guide is broken. SubjectToClimate has a Climate Emotions Wheel in the Resource Database that teachers can use instead.
Differentiation & Implementation
- The resource suggests randomly generating teams, but teachers who have a wide range of student needs can group students strategically ahead of time.
- Teachers can give more time for the challenges for younger students and spread the game out across multiple days or class periods.
- Some students may benefit from a visual timer as they deliberate about the challenges.
- When reflecting on what was realistic and unrealistic about the game, teachers can take this opportunity to discuss what makes a good model and how models aren't exact representations.
This resource tasks students with collaborating to respond to a wildfire at various stages and locations, using limited resources. Instructions are clear, and the "how to" video is helpful. While enlightening, the game does not explicitly address the link between wildfire and climate change, so teachers should be sure to stress this. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
