Event-Based Science is a new way to teach middle school science. It is an award-winning, standards-based program in which newsworthy events establish the relevance of science topics; authentic tasks create the need-to-know more about those topics; and lively interviews, photographs, Web pages, and inquiry-based science activities create a desire to know more about those topics.

chemistry elements ecology wildfire forest

Fire! is an Event-Based Science module about the nature of fire. Fire! uses the fires that struck Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1988 to establish the context for exploring concepts related to the chemical nature of fire and the role of fire in nature. The task in Fire! places students in the roles of fire experts who are designing an environmental-education camp. Students will acquire then use their knowledge of the components of fire, fire-retardant materials, extinguishing and escaping fire, factors that influence the spread of forest fires, and regrowth following a forest fire.

NSTA Recommends Fire!