Bim/Getty Images
a fire truck in a city
They drive their fire trucks to the fire.
Trevor Bexon/shutterstock.com
Wildfires!
You will read about someone who fights wildfires. Here are five facts to know first.
From the September 2022 Issue
Lexiles: 380L
Guided Reading Level: I
DRA Level: 16
Vocabulary: wildfire, dangerous, smokejumpers
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
1. Many firefighters fight fires in cities and towns.
2. But fires can start in forests too.
Shutterstock.com
Lightning can strike trees. That can start a wildfire! That is a fire in nature. Wildfires can be very dangerous.
3. Wildfires can be far from cities and towns.
Trevor Bexon/Shutterstock.com
There may not be roads nearby. Firefighters can’t drive a fire truck to these fires. They must get to the fires another way.
4. Smokejumpers fly to a fire.
Alamy Stock Photo
A smokejumper
Smokejumpers fight fires that are hard to get to. They go to places where there are no roads. They fly in a plane to the fire. Then they jump down to fight it.
5. Smokejumpers are strong and brave.
Smokejumpers are ready. They put the fires out!
Now read about a brave smokejumper in . . .
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Quizzes
(2)
Quizzes
(2)
Answer Key
(1)
Activities
(2)
Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes
(2)
Quizzes
(2)
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
Science Focus:
Science, technology, and society
Vocabulary
wildfire, dangerous, smokejumpers
In-Person Lesson Plan
Essential Question
The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is, How can we be brave?
- Reading and discussing “Wildfires!” along with the other themed texts in the magazine (the Big Read, “Jumping to the Fire”; the fiction story, “The Bravest Dino on Earth”; Word Play, “3 Ways to Say ‘Scared’”; and the poetry kit, “Brave Shark?”), will help kids think about this question.
Building Background Knowledge
This article gives kids background knowledge that will help them better understand this issue’s Big Read, “Jumping to the Fire,” on pages 6-11.
1. BEFORE READING
Preview Vocabulary (2 minutes)
- Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are wildfire, dangerous, and smokejumpers.
Text Preview Bookmarks (5-10 minutes)
- Students can use these evergreen bookmarks to help them preview the text.
2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 MINUTES)
- Tell students they will read an article about wildfires.
- This article works well with whole-class instruction. Call on different students to read each numbered section aloud. The numbers make the text easy to navigate.
- As you read, stop to analyze the photos.
2. AFTER READING
ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)
- Pass out the quiz for a quick comprehension check.
- We offer both multiple-choice and written- answer formats for the quiz.
ELA Focus: Write Key Details to Nosey at [email protected] (20 minutes)
- It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article. They can work in small groups or individually.
- Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
- You can also do this as a whole-class activity and email Fact Files to Nosey at [email protected]!
Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (15 minutes)
- Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
- Two Different Texts Use this printable to help your students compare and contrast the Big Read, “Jumping to the Fire” (pages 24-29), with the Background Builder feature, “Wildfires!”
Scavenger Hunt Slide Deck (20 minutes)
- We created a Scavenger Hunt Slide Deck for several stories in this month’s Storyworks 2, including this Words & Pictures piece. The scavenger hunt can be done by students independently at home or during class time.
- This is a self-contained group of slides that guide your students on a scavenger hunt through the whole issue. It’s not only fun, it also helps them make text-to-text connections.
Text-to-Speech