Lesson Plan by Dr. Shu-Chen Jenny Yen

This lesson plan is also available as a downloadable PDF and we have a companion blog post  — Fire, Fire, Go Away!

Objectives:

1. Help young children understand the Los Angeles fires
2. Help the child identify their feelings
3. Redirect the child to positive perspectives and heroic acts
4. Empower the child to engage in helping behavior
5. Reassure parental unconditional love and their safety
6. Prompt actions and instill hope

Ages: 3- to 8-year-olds

Book: Fire, Fire, Go Away — A Social Story About the Los Angeles Fires

Procedures:

1. Tell the child that you will read a storybook about the Los Angeles Fires and show them the book.
2. Discussion starters: Ask the child if they have heard or know anything about the fires in Los Angeles. What are their experiences about fires such as campfires?
3. Read the book with the child: Use Dialogical Reading — try having a conversation/dialogue with the child when reading the book instead of just reading the book directly to the child.
   1. 1. Ask open questions and comment on the pictures
      2. Ask if the child can relate their experiences with the pictures or text in the book
      3. Pause for discussion for essential concepts such as firefighters’ work, helicopters, etc.
4. After reading the book, choose appropriate questions for discussion:
   1. For 3-to 5-year-olds
      • How do you feel after reading the story?
      • What do you think of people’s feelings? If you had to pack, what would you pack?
      • What would you do if your friend lost their house and had nothing? How can you help?
      • What would you like to say and do for the firefighters?
      • What do you want to say to the fire victims?
      • What can you do for the fire victims?
   2. For 6-to 8-year-olds
      • How do you feel after reading the story?
      • What can you do about these feelings?
      • What caused the fires? Why are there so many wildfires in CA?
      • Why is the Earth getting hotter every year? Have you heard of Global Warming?
      • What can we do to protect the environment?
      • What can we do to prevent wildfires?
      • What can we do for the fire victims?
      • What is your plan if you ever need to be evacuated?

Follow-Up Activities

After reading the book, you can do the activities below with the child or let the child completes the activities based on their age and developmental level.

Check Children’s Emotion

Using the Emotion Thermometers to help children identify their feelings. Download the worksheet and work with children to identify their feelings.

Art Activities

• Draw pictures of their emotion about the fires.
• Draw pictures of the fires.
• Draw pictures of “before” and “after” of houses, playgrounds, and schools.

Writing Activities

• Write a letter to the fire victims, firefighters, and volunteers.
• Write a letter to the Earth showing the plan to take of the mother earth in the future.
• Create a storybook for individual children if they have experienced the evacuation or were impacted by the fires and would like to write about it.

Science Activities

• Study how wildfires start and spread
• Read about the physics of fires
• Study the United Nations’ climate change information

Resources for talking to children about fires

• PBS: How to talk to kids about wildfires
• CCRC: How to manage stress caused by California wildfires
• Center for Childhood Mental Health: Ideas for teaching children about emotion