Standards
Idaho State Standards
Here are correlations to the Idaho State Language and Math standards and to the Idaho State Science Standards. For more information about the overall standards, see the complete Idaho Content Standards for Science, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the alignment between Idaho and NGSS Science Standards. You may also access the Idaho English Language Arts/Literacy Standards and Mathematics Standards.
Language
Kindergarten
ELA/Literacy K.RC.NF.6b
Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in texts heard.
Suggested Lesson
Compare and contrast wildfires, forest fires, and campfires.
Third Grade
ELA/Literacy 3.RC.NF.6b
Describe the relationship between a series of events, concepts, steps, or procedures in historical, scientific, or technical texts, using words that pertains to comparison, sequence, or cause/effect.
Suggested Lesson
Read Wildfires (True Books) by Howard K. Trammel and identify the cause/effect or other textual connections found in the book.
Fifth Grade
ELA/Literacy 5.W.RW.3
Write informational texts that introduce the topic; develop the focus with relevant facts, details, and examples from multiple sources that are logically grouped, including headings to support the purpose; and provide a concluding section.
Suggested Lesson
After studying the topic of wildfire, write a three-paragraph essay summarizing what they have learned.
Math
Third Grade
Math 3.MD.B.4
Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of objects using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Record and show the data by making a line plot (dot plot), where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or fourths.
Suggested Lesson
Using a map of your school, plan the shortest evacuation route from various locations that you might visit during your day — your classroom, the library, the cafeteria, etc. Use a ruler or tape measure to identify the distances.
Fifth Grade
Math 5.G.A.2
Represent real-world and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane (𝑥𝑥 and 𝑦𝑦 both have positive values), and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.
Suggested Lesson
Play a version of “Battleship” in which each partner draws a set of houses on graph paper. The wildfire is spreading as the opponent calls out a coordinate. If they guess a location correctly, that means the fire department has spread retardant chemicals on that home and the entire home is saved.
Sixth Grade
Math 6.SP.B.5b
Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context, by describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement.
Suggested Lesson
Experiment with probability in this wildfire interactive from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Science
Kindergarten
Earth and Space Science K.ESS.2.2
Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, local weather.
Supporting Content
Some kinds of severe weather are more likely than others in a given region. Weather scientists forecast severe weather so that the communities can prepare for and respond to these events. Asking questions, making observations, and gathering information are helpful in thinking about problems.
Earth and Space Science K.ESS.2.3
Communicate ideas that would enable humans to interact in a beneficial way with the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
Supporting Content
Things that people do can affect the world around them. People can reduce their effects on the land, water, air, and other living things. Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical models. These
representations are useful in communicating ideas for a problem’s solutions to other people. Examples of human influence on the land could include planting trees after a burn.
Second Grade
Earth and Space Science 2.ESS.1.1
Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly.
Supporting Content
Some events happen very quickly; others occur very slowly; and some over a time period much longer than one can observe.
Third Grade
Earth and Space Science 3.ESS.1.1
Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Supporting Content
Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next. Examples of data could include average temperature, precipitation, and wind direction.
Earth and Space Science 3.ESS.2.1
Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
Supporting Content
A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. Examples of design solutions to weather-related hazards could include barriers to prevent flooding, wind resistant roofs, lightning rods, and fire-wise landscaping.
Fourth Grade
Earth and Space Science 4.ESS.3.2
Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans.
Supporting Content
A variety of hazards result from natural processes. Hazards cannot be eliminated, but their impacts can be reduced. Testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions.
Fifth Grade
Physical Science 5.PS.1.4
Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
Supporting Content
When two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed.
Life Science 5.LS.2.3
Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals living there may change.
Supporting Content
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. When the environment changes in ways that affect a place's physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move to new locations, yet others move into the transformed environment, and some die. Examples of environmental changes could include changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and other organisms.
Earth and Space Science 5.ESS.3.1
Obtain and combine information about ways communities protect Earth's resources and environment using scientific ideas.
Supporting Content
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. Individuals and communities can often mitigate these effects through innovation and technology.
Sixth Grade - Middle School
Physical Science MS.PS.1.2
Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
Supporting Content
Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. In a chemical process, the atoms that make up the original substances are regrouped into different molecules, and these new substances have different properties from those of the reactants. Burning is a chemical reaction.
LIfe Science MS.LS.2.5
Construct an argument supported by evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
Supporting Content
Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations. Emphasis is on recognizing patterns in data and making warranted inferences about changes in populations, and on evaluating empirical evidence supporting arguments about changes to ecosystems.
Life Science MS.LS.2.6
Design and evaluate solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Supporting Content
Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification, nutrient recycling, and prevention of soil erosion. There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. Examples of design solution constraints could include scientific, economic, and social considerations.
Earth and Space Science MS.ESS.3.2
Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events to mitigate their effects.
Supporting Content
Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, combined with an understanding of related geologic forces, can help forecast the locations and likelihoods of future events. Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by phenomena that allow for reliable predictions, but others, such as earthquakes, occur suddenly and with no notice, and thus are not yet predictable. Examples of natural hazards can be taken from interior processes, surface processes, or severe weather events. Examples of data can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazards. Examples of technologies can be global (such as satellite systems to monitor forest fires) or local (such as building reservoirs to mitigate droughts)
Earth and Space Science MS.ESS.3.3
Apply scientific practices to design a method for monitoring human activity and increasing beneficial human influences on the environment.
Supporting Content
Human activities can positively and negatively influence the biosphere, sometimes altering natural habitats and ecosystems. Technology and engineering can potentially help us best manage natural resources as populations increase. Examples of the design process include examining human interactions and designing feasible solutions that promote stewardship. Examples can include water usage (such as stream and river use, aquifer recharge, or dams and levee construction); land usage (such as urban development, agriculture, wetland benefits, stream reclamation, or fire restoration); and pollution (such as of the air, water, or land).