The Bemidji daily pioneer (Bemidji, Minn.), October 14, 1918. 1918. Newspaper. Library of Congress Chronicling America. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86063381/1918-10-14/ed-1/.
After reflecting on what they know about wildfires, students will read articles about the Minnesota wildfires of 1918 from The Bemidji Daily Pioneer. In groups, students will identify the impact of the fires, different causes of it, and the motivations behind the human actions that contributed to the fires. Next, students will watch a PBS documentary to expand their knowledge gained from the articles. Then, they will work in groups to research safer methods for individuals to achieve one of the motivations identified earlier. Using information gained from this lesson, students will create infographics informing readers about the proposed method and why it should be used. Finally, students will reflect on opportunity costs and the moral obligation to consider the impact one’s choices have on other people.
In 1918, fires swept Minnesota, resulting in almost 500 deaths and thousands of people being displaced. Some of the causes, such as farming and lumberjacking practices, along with ignoring fire conditions, are similar to causes of wildfires across the country today.
Source: https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/event/cloquet-duluth-and-moose-lake-fires-1918
- What do you notice about the language used in the headlines on the front page of the newspaper? What emotions does the diction evoke?
- What human actions contributed to the Minnesota fires of 1918 described on the front page of The Bemidji Daily Pioneer?
- What actions are directly stated?
- What actions are implied? How?
ELA Standard
9.2.2.1. Write routinely for a range of tasks (e.g., personal interest, enjoyment, academic tasks), purposes and audiences, choosing topics and format, including visual elements (e.g., illustrations, charts, tables, audio visual elements) when applicable.
Social Studies Standard
9.2.8.1. Describe the opportunity cost of a choice and analyze the consequences of a specific choice, both intended and unintended.
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Have students respond to the quickwrite prompt: What does the word “wildfire” make you think of?
- After students have finished writing their responses, student volunteers will share their thoughts to see what some of the generalizations are.
- Inform students that wildfires swept through Minnesota in 1918, annihilating rural communities. Some of the causes could have been prevented, but others couldn’t.
- Have students create a four-square chart with the labels “effects of the fire,” “nonhuman causes,” “human causes,” and “reasons for human causes.”
- In groups of 3–4, have students read the fire-related articles from the front page of the October 14, 1918 issue of The Bemidji Daily Pioneer. While reading the articles, students will find explicit information and/or make inferences to determine the causes of the fire. If there are human causes, students will also write down the given reason or inference for why the humans did that action.
- When groups are finished, discuss their findings as a class.
- Inform students that more information about the fire was discovered later. Show the PBS documentary Fires of 1918 and have students add to their chart new information from the video.
- As a class, have students identify the main human causes and the motivations for those actions.
- Have students Think-Pair-Share in response to the question, What are the benefits and drawbacks of clearing trees in rural areas? Discuss the responses as a class.
- Tell students that they will be investigating practices that can be followed to reduce the opportunity costs of clearing trees.
- In groups of 3–4, have students pick one of the motivations/ benefits discussed earlier. They will research a method for achieving that motivation at a reduced opportunity cost by decreasing the likelihood of a wildfire.
- Using Canva or another platform, have students create infographics about a method they researched and why it should be utilized.
- Exit Slip: When considering the opportunity cost of a choice, should individuals consider the impact on others? Under what circumstances?
- Extension opportunities:
- PBS has several lesson plans related to their documentary.
- Have students write blackout poems using the front page of the October 14, 1918, issue of The Bemidji Daily Pioneer.
- Have students create public service announcements about wildfire prevention using the Read-Write-Think lesson MyTube: Changing the World with Video Public Service Announcements.
The daily Gate City and constitution—Democrat (Keokuk, Iowa), October 14, 1918. 1918. Newspaper. Library of Congress Chronicling America. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87057262/1918-10-14/ed-1/.