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  • Let’s Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters (Spanish)
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Let’s Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters (Spanish)

  • Article
  • Middle School
  • 1 Classroom Period
  • Fire
  • Aldehydes
  • Applied Science
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Fire
  • Smoke
  • Wildfire
Article caver for Let's Clear the Air. It is a drawing of fireman working in a forest after a fire.
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Smoke from wildland fires contains hundreds of chemicals. These chemicals can be gases, liquids, or solid forms. The effects of breathing wildland fire smoke include eye and throat irritation, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. The scientists in this study wanted to measure the danger smoke poses to firefighters.

Let’s Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters (Spanish)

Part Of

Wildland Fire - Spanish

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  • The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How consistently can you and your classmates estimate the amount of smoke coming from a wildland fire?

    FACTivity – Let’s Clear the Air (Spanish)

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Fire
    The question you will answer in this FACTivity is: How consistently can you and your classmates estimate the amount of smoke coming from a wildland fire?
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Activity (PDF)

    Part Of

    Let's Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters (Spanish)

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Glossary

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  • analyze

    (a nǝ līz): To study or find out the nature and relationship of the parts of something.

  • astronomer

    (ǝ strä nǝ mǝr): Scientist who studies heavenly bodies, like planets and stars, and their sizes, motions, and composition.

  • average

    (av (ǝ) rij): A value that is computed by dividing the sum of a set of terms by the number of terms.

  • data

    (dā tǝ or da tǝ): Factual information (such as measurements or statistics) used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation.

  • forest manager

    (fȯr ǝst ma ni jǝr): A person who manages a forest; in the Forest Service, forest managers focus on managing vegetation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health (definition from USDA Forest Service).

  • relationship

    (ri lā shǝn ship): The state of being connected through a relation that is known or can be discovered.

  • sample

    (sam pəl): A small subset group, representative of the entire group.

  • scale

    (skāl): (1) Something graduated especially when used as a measure or rule: such as a series of marks or points at known intervals used to measure distances or a range of responses to a statement that vary from strongly agree to strongly disagree; (2) A distinctive relative size, extent, or degree.

  • steward

    (stü ǝrd): One who carefully and responsibly manages something entrusted to one’s care.

  • Mr. Ottmar in the mountains

    Roger Ottmar

    Forester

    I like being a scientist because I can provide new knowledge and develop tools to help forest managers to become better stewards of the land.
    View Profile
  • Mr. Reinhardt

    Tim Reinhardt

    Forester

    I like being a scientist because I get to solve hard problems for people. I also learn more about what is true, rather than what is thought to be true.
    View Profile

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  • Education Standards
  • Educator Guide
  • Education Files

Standards addressed in this Article:

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.
  • 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.

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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.

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  • 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.


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    Jessica Nickelsen
    Director, Natural Inquirer program

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Education Files

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  • Related from Natural Inquirer

Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer

  • Smoke from wildland fires contains hundreds of chemicals. These chemicals can be gases, liquids, or solid forms. The effects of breathing wildland fire smoke include eye and throat irritation, shortness...

    Let’s Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters

    • Article
    • Middle School
    • 1 Classroom Period
    • Fire
    • Aldehydes
    • Applied Science
    • Carbon Monoxide
    • Fire
    • Smoke
    • Wildfire
    Smoke from wildland fires contains hundreds of chemicals. These chemicals can be gases, liquids, or solid forms. The effects of breathing wildland fire smoke include eye and throat irritation, shortness...
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)
    Explore Article Download Article (PDF)

    Part Of

    Wildland Fire - Vol. 4 No. 1

  • Test your knowledge on stewardship, data, and sample size.

    Word Search – Let’s Clear the Air

    • Activity
    • Middle School
    • Less than 30 minutes
    • Fire
    • Average
    • Data
    • Relationship
    • Sample
    • Stewards
    • Vocabulary
    Test your knowledge on stewardship, data, and sample size.
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)
    Explore Activity Download Word Search (PDF) Answer Key (PDF)

    Part Of

    Let's Clear the Air: The Danger of Forest Fire Smoke to Firefighters


Additional Resources

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  • Natural Inquirer - Homepage
  • Find Outdoors
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  • USDA Forest Service logo.

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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