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Meet Smokey Bear’s Team Video Read-Along

  • Video
  • PreK - 2nd
  • Less than 30 minutes
  • Fire
  • Ecosystem
  • Fuels
  • Prescribed Fire
  • Wildfire Detection
  • Wildfire Prevention
  • Wildfire Prevention Education
A thumbnail for Meet Smokey Bear's Team YouTube video
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Meet Smokey Bear and some of the people who work with him to prevent human-caused wildfires! This video is based on our Reader publication series, which is written for children from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Download the publication for free. It includes colorful photos and illustrations, questions to spark conversations, a glossary of new vocabulary words, and a fun activity.

Meet Smokey Bear’s Team Video Read-Along

Part Of

Meet Smokey Bear's Team - Vol. 1 No. 12

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  • Choose one of Smokey Bear’s rules for fire prevention and illustrate it. You can send Smokey Bear your finished drawing at Smokey Bear, Washington DC 20252. He has his own...

    Try This! – Meet Smokey Bear’s Team

    • Activity
    • PreK - 2nd
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Fire
    • Art Activity
    • Drawing
    • Smokey Bear
    • Wildfire Prevention
    Choose one of Smokey Bear’s rules for fire prevention and illustrate it. You can send Smokey Bear your finished drawing at Smokey Bear, Washington DC 20252. He has his own...
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Meet Smokey Bear's Team - Vol. 1 No. 12

Glossary

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  • ecosystem

    (ē kō sis tǝm): A group of plants and animals that interact with each other and their environment.

  • fuel

    (fyül): Things that can burn, like branches, grasses, other plants, leaves, and trees (in a forest or grassland).

  • impact

    (im pakt): To have a strong effect on something.

  • prescribed fire

    (pri skrībd fī ǝr): A carefully planned fire that skilled workers set on purpose to remove fuels that may cause a large wildfire.

  • prevent

    (pri vent): To stop something from happening.

  • prevention

    (pri ven(t) shǝn): The act of stopping something from happening.

  • wildfire

    (wīld fī ǝr): An uncontrolled outdoor fire; an outdoor fire that is unwanted.

Jump To

  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide

Standards addressed in this Video:

Next Generation Science Standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a set of K-12 science education standards emphasizing inquiry-based learning, real-world applications, and integrating engineering practices, aiming to deepen understanding of science while promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
  • ESS3
  • ESS3.C-E1
    Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.

Social Studies Standards

Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
  • Civic Ideals and Practices
  • People, Places, and Environments
  • Science, Technology, and Society

Note To Educators

The Forest Service's Mission

The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.

USDA and Forest Service Logos

What Is the Natural Inquirer?

Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.

Natural Inquirer bee sitting at a desk with paper and pencil

  • Meet the Scientists

    Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.

  • What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?

    Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.

  • Thinking About Science

    Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.

  • Thinking About the Environment

    Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.

  • Introduction

    Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.

  • Method

    Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.

  • Findings & Discussion

    Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.

  • Reflection Section

    Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.

  • Number Crunches

    Presents an easy math problem related to the research.

  • Glossary

    Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.

  • Citation

    Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.

  • FACTivity

    Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.


Science Education Standards

You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.


We Welcome Feedback

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    Jessica Nickelsen
    Director, Natural Inquirer program

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  • Additional Resources

Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer

  • A fun activity to pair with the Smokey Bear reading challenge or any of our Smokey Bear resources!

    Smokey Bear Reading Challenge – Bingo

    • Activity
    • All Grade Levels
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Fire
    • Activity
    • Bingo
    • Reading Challenge
    • Smokey Bear
    • Smokey Bear History
    • Summer Reading
    • Wildfire Prevention
    A fun activity to pair with the Smokey Bear reading challenge or any of our Smokey Bear resources!
    Explore Activity Download (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download (PDF)

Additional Resources

  • Smokey Bear: The Front Line

    From prevention to containment, learn about the many types of wildland firefighters protecting our nation from the ravages of unwanted wildfires.

    Visit Website
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The Natural Inquirer program produces a variety of science education materials for PreK through grade 12. Natural Inquirer products are produced by the USDA Forest Service, FIND Outdoors, and other cooperators and partners.

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