GeographyAlive:BushfirehazardsinAustralia(Lesson6)

Lesson6:FireContentfocus:Inthislessonstudentsdeveloptheirskillsinidentifyingrhymingwords(andrhymedcouplets)andtheuseofmetaphoricallanguage.Theymaydothisontheirownorthroughdiscussionwithadultstoryreader.Themesaddressed:• ThepowerofnaturalforcesinAustralia• Theextremesoffireandflood• Thecausesofbushfire• The‘stayorgo’policy• FireandthelifecycleofAustralianflora• Thecourageoffirefighters• TheroleofvolunteersinAustralianlife• Climatechange• Rhyming

Resources:

• Picturebook–Fire,byJackieFrench&BruceWhatley,Scholastic(2014)

Fireisamovingandsensitivestoryofanaturaldisasterasseenthroughtheeyesofacockatoo.Thefireengulfshomesandland,leavingapathofdevastation.Butfromtheruins,courage,kindnessandnewlifegrows.

Synopsis:Justonesparkwakesthefireandasitleapsacrossthepaddocks,thepeopleinitspathspringintoaction.Thedrillisfamiliar:estimatehowfaroffthefireisburning,checkthatfirehazardstopropertyhavebeenremovedwhereverpossible,packthecarandbereadytodrivetosafety.Thefireracesonwardlikeamonster,devouringallobstacles,anditistimetoleave.

Escapeisuncertain,though,withthesmokesothickthattheheadlightsofthefamilyuteproveuseless.Therearejusttwosignsofhope:thespeckofahelicopterapproaching,andtheteamoffirefighterswhosecourageandstrengthholdthefireback.Theunnamedfamily’shomeandpossessionshavebeendestroyed,anditseemsthatalltheyareleftwithisgrief.Butthetextsuggeststhatwhattheyhaveinsteadisawealthofsupportandfriendship,frombothprofessionalrescuecrewsandvolunteers.Andthefutureregrowthofgreenshootsinthebushisenvisagedasametaphorforthecontinuingspiritoflifeinthecommunity.

• Worksheet6:Fire

Keyinquiryquestions:

• WhatdoesthestoryofFiretellusaboutthecausesandimpactsofbushfires?

• WhatdoesthestoryofFiretellusabout:howpeopleshouldrespondinthatfaceofabushfirethreat;theroleofvolunteersinAustralianlife;humanresilienceinthefaceofdisasterssuchasabushfire?

Outcomes:Astudent:• demonstratesan

understandingofrhymingwords,simileandmetaphors,andsymbolism.

• identifiesthedangersassociatedwithbushfiresfromanillustratedstory.

• appreciatesthevalueof

lifeandtheworkofvolunteers.

Lessonsequence:Step1:Showthestudentsthebookscover.Askthemwhattheycanseeandwhatthissuggestsaboutthetypeofstoryfeaturedinthebook.Whatdoesittellusaboutthisbushfire?Whatistheroleofthecockatoointheillustration?Whydoesthecockatoolookfrightened?Step2:Readthepicturebook,Fire,totheclassandbrieflydiscussesthekeythemesfeaturedinthetext–thepowerofnaturalforcesinAustralia;theextremesoffireandflood;thecausesofbushfire;the‘stayorgo’policy;fireandthelifecycleofAustralianflora;thecourageoffirefighters;andtheroleofvolunteersinAustralianlife.Discusstheorderofeventsportrayedinthestory. Step3:Revisetheconceptofrhymingwithstudents.Re-readthebookandaskstudentstoidentifywhererhymingisused.CompleteActivity1onWorksheet6:Fire.HaveyourstudentsidentifyofrhymingwordsforthoselistedinActivity2.Step4:Revisetheconceptsofsimile,metaphorandsymbolismwiththestudents.Showthestudentsthefirstdouble-pagespread.DiscussJackieFrench’suseofsimile–acomparisonthatuses‘like’–Likeasnake,firechangesdirectionquickly,isdangerous,thehissingsoundofthefireetc.DiscussJackieFrench’suseofmetaphor(thefirebeinglikenedtoaliving,threateningcreature).Identifythewordsandphrasesthathelpbuildthismetaphoricalimage–‘fireawake’;flamessnickered’;‘bushfireleapt’;‘lickedbytonguesoffire’;‘flamesarelaughing’;‘thebeaststhatateit’;‘gulpingsmoke’;‘oven’sbreathswallowstheday’;‘redmonster’.Askstudentstolookforexamplesofsymbolism–forexample,thehelicopterrepresentativeofhope;thegrievingfamily,theyoungboyholdingthehandofhisfather,andthevolunteergivingthekoalaadrinkreinforcingtheimportanceoflife–propertycanbereplaced;greenshootsandthecockatoorepresentingrenewalandrecovery.

GeographyAlive:BushfirehazardsinAustralia(Lesson6)

Step5:Askthestudentstore-readthestoryandaskthemtoidentifythewaysinwhichitendsonapositivenote.

Step5:Askstudentstoreflectontheillustrationsinthebook.Inwhatwaysdotheillustrationscapturethemoodofthefire,aswellasthecontrastinglandscapebeforeandafterthefire.Howdotheillustrationsemphasisetheimportanceoflifeandworkofvolunteerfirefighters.Studytheimageoftheburninghome.Whatwouldyourreactionbeifthiswasyourhome?

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