The Year of Fire

This story has many themes including hope after a tragedy, resilience, family and the ecological recovery after a forest fire. Discuss each theme and its meaning with students and then ask them to share any personal connections they have with a theme.

Show the front cover to the students.  Ask them what they notice about the two illustrations on the front cover. Why do you think the illustrator drew two separate illustrations? Read the title of the book and then analyze the illustrations. What do they think the book is about?

Draw a three-column chart on chart paper. Label the three columns as follows:

Before reading the book, fill in the first two columns in the chart. In the first column, ask students to brainstorm and list the information they already know about wildfires.

In the second column, ask students to list questions they would like to have answered or information they would like to know about wildfires.

In the third column, after reading the book, ask the students to list the information they have learned as a result of reading the book. Address any information that was not learned in the book that students wanted to learn.

Explain to students that wildfires are a pretty common event globally. It is estimated that over 100,000 wildfires happen in the United States alone each year. So how do they begin? First, there may be a lack of water in the area. This is known as a drought. During this time, the land is very dry, and vegetation can easily catch fire. Next, something has to cause the fire to begin. Things like forgetting to put out a campfire, or throwing away a burning cigarette can cause the land to go up in flames. After the fire begins, it takes an extraordinary effort to put them out. Wind can push the fire along at speeds quicker than firefighters can put them out, especially in areas with a lot of trees and vegetation. If a wildfire continues to spread, it can cause large amounts of damage to forests and homes.

Lead a discussion about current events with wildfires. Use newspaper articles, news videos and other primary sources to discuss wildfires that have happened recently and/or have made the news. Discuss the impact of the wildfires on individuals, the community,  animals and ecosystems. Encourage students to ask questions, validate their feelings and make it a safe space for students to share.

Before the book is read, choose up to five words in the book that are unfamiliar to most of your students. Then, as they read, have the students find these words and try to infer the meaning by reading around the word. If they can’t infer the meaning, have them look up the word in a dictionary.

Have students place mini sticky notes with each annotation mark listed below on their book to show their thinking or questions they may have as they read.

Suggested annotations:

• LOL (means this is a funny part.)
• * ( means this is important.)
• ! (means this is surprising.)
• <3 (means that the reader liked this part.)
• ? (means that they have a question or that this is confusing.)

A story map is a graphic organizer that helps students learn the elements of literature by identifying characters, plot, setting or the story sequence. It is used during and after reading a text. This strategy supports students’ comprehension by providing students with a framework for identifying and organizing the elements of literature.  As students read, have them complete the story map. After reading, have students fill in any missing parts; scaffold as needed.

Story Map

First:_____________________

Next:____________________

Then:____________________

Last:_____________________

Refer back to the KWL Chart that was started before reading the text. Remind students of their thoughts and what they wanted to know about wildfires. Fill in the last column of the chart together. If there are questions that were not answered in the text, encourage students to do further research on wildfires and to discuss.

Use the following questions to facilitate group discussion, or have students write responses to the questions individually.

• Where did this story happen?
• Do you think the granddaughter enjoyed helping with the maple syrup each year? Why? Why not?
• The most likely reason the author wrote this book was to ___________.
• How would you describe Grandfather?
• Grandfather describes what it was like in the year of the fire. Discuss what life was like during that time.
• Why did the grandfather’s father think that Mr. Richardson started the fire?
• Do you think Mr. Richardson started the fire?
• What do you think the cause of the wildfire was?
• Do you see any similarities with how wildfires are fought today and how the fire in the story was fought? Do you see any differences?
• Describe the fire and what happened that night.
• What can you tell about what the animals did during the fire? What helped you to know about the animals?
• How did the fire get put out?
• How did the snow help the fire? Did it hinder the fire being put out under the ground? What happened to the roots of the trees?
• How did the fire impact the grandfather and his family? What about Mr. Richardson? The community?
• What were the signs that the forest was coming back to life?
• Why did grandfather think it was important that the story be told for other generations?
• In what way is climate change important in the text?
• What do you believe can be learned from reading this book?
• What did this story reveal about families?
• If you could ask Grandfather anything, what would you ask him?
• Reflect back on the title of this book? What do you think it means now?

Write different questions for students to answer about the book with a marker on a beach ball. Make sure the questions hit on different elements such as character, problem and solution, setting, connections, and predictions. Then, throw the beach ball around the classroom. Students will answer the question that they see when they catch it.

Have students retell the story using pictures they’ve painted on stones to create a path from start to finish.

Choose one or two of the following categories to have students write a written response about the story.

Respond personally to the text

• How do you feel about the text and why?
• How has the text changed your life in some way?

Respond to theme and/or author’s purpose

• What is the author trying to teach you?
• What is the author’s purpose or the message of the text?

Respond to the writing style

• How does the author use language to create sensory images?
• How does the author’s language deepen your understanding?

Use the following questions to facilitate group discussion, or have students write responses to the questions individually.

• Does any part of the book remind you of the world and what is occurring now, or what has happened in the past?
• How have your own experiences deepened your understanding?
• How is this text’s events similar to other events?
• Do you connect in any way with a character in the text?

Discuss the dangers of campfires and how to ensure they are safe, such as having a fire ring and water nearby. Have students plan an imaginary camping trip and list all of the things they will need to bring, including a first aid kit. Discuss how to set up the camp and how to start and then how to safely manage a campfire.

Ask students to think about the trees they see around their community and the benefits they provide. If possible, go for a walk around your community or schoolyard. Ask students to create a visual representation of the trees in their community and some of their benefits. This can be done through a digital presentation, drawing, painting or any other visual format.

Have students discuss flammable objects vs. nonflammable objects. Think of objects found at their homes, in the classroom and outside. Have students make a two-column chart with the titles Flammable and Nonflammable and listing the items in each category. Remind the students that they need to keep these items in mind whenever there is any type of fire around.

In small groups have students research the process for making maple syrup. Then have the students create a diagram on the steps in the process. To culminate their research, bring maple syrup for students to taste.