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Wildfire Detection with Autonomous Vehicles

  • Difficulty: Grade 6-8
  • Time: 40-60 mins
  • Categories: Smart Vehicles

In this lesson, students will explore the vital role of wildfires in ecosystems. They’ll learn about the benefits of controlled burns and how climate change impacts fire behavior. Finally, they’ll discover how autonomous vehicles can help protect our forests and communities.

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What this lesson includes

  • Lesson Content

    Wildfires

  • Real-World Example

    Robotics Cats

  • Coding Tutorial

    Block-based

  • Assessment

    Triangulated Assessment Options

Educator Resources

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Overview Accordion

Learning Goals

  • Describe the causes and effects of wildfires
  • Explain the role of climate change in increasing wildfire incidents
  • List the various technologies used for wildfire detection
  • Create a wildfire detection vehicle that uses nested loops and compound conditionals to make a lightand sound-sensitive alert system

Preparation Accordion

Materials

  • Climate Action Kit or Smart Vehicle Kit
  • micro:bit V2
  • Computer with access to Microsoft MakeCode
  • Flashlight

Get to Know the Content

  1. Make sure you've completed our 'Getting Started with the Climate Action Kit' course
  2. If it has been awhile, review the kit components featured in this lesson:
  3. Review the code

Activity Accordion

Big Idea (15 minutes)

Learn about how climate change is increasing wildfire incidents.

Students will:

  • Describe controlled burns
  • Describe how convection and conduction are connected to wildfires
  • Explain how wildfires influence climate change
  • Learn different ways we can control wildfires

Take Action (45 minutes)

Learn about technology used to control wildfires and build your own wildfire detection vehicle with the Climate Action Kit! The vehicle will patrol an area. If it detects unusually high light or sound levels, it will send out a fire alert!

We've provided 3 ways students may build the project to support scaffolding and differentiation in your classroom: 'Use', 'Modify', and 'Create'.*

Activity Description
Use

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build & use their wildfire detection vehicle. They will test out key features like how the vehicle starts, stops, and sends out alerts.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build a wildfire detection vehicle with the Climate Action Kit
  • start and stop the wildfire detection vehicle
  • use the micro:bit’s light sensor to detect bright lights

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Modify

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build their wildfire detection vehicle. After this, they will modify the code to learn how it functions and improve the accuracy of the alarm system.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build a wildfire detection vehicle with the Climate Action Kit
  • explain how the conditional statements in the starter code make my car start and stop
  • improve the accuracy of my fire detection vehicle by using a compound conditional statement that looks at data from two sensors
  • use a nested loop to improve my fire alert

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Create

Students will work in small groups to design their own wildfire detection vehicle prototype with the Climate Action Kit.

Success Criteria

I can build a wildfire detection vehicle with the Climate Action Kit that uses at least two conditional statements to:

  • start
  • stop
  • patrol an area
  • send out a fire alert
  • avoid the fire

Resources

Blank Project

*Irene Lee, Fred Martin, Jill Denner, Bob Coulter, Walter Allan, Jeri Erickson, Joyce Malyn-Smith, and Linda Werner. 2011. Computational thinking for youth in practice. Acm Inroads 2, 1 (2011), 32–37.

Assessment Accordion

Use the following criteria to assess student learning. Students can:

Conversations

  • Discuss the causes of wildfires and suggest preventative measures
  • Explain how climate change contributes to increased wildfire incidents
  • Describe the main functions of a wildfire detection vehicle (Use, Modify, Create)
  • Explain how the nested conditional statements in the starter code allow the car to move, stop, and trigger a fire alert (Use, Modify, Create)

Observations

  • Make predictions about what certain segments of the code are responsible for and test those predictions (Use, Modify)
  • Methodically test and debug their code to ensure it functions as intended (Modify, Create)

Products

  • Add comments to the code to demonstrate their understanding of each block (Use, Modify, Create)
  • Write a compound conditional to improve the accuracy of our fire detection system (Modify, Create)
  • Use a nested loop to improve the alarm feature (Modify, Create)
  • Design their own wildfire detection vehicle that satisfies provided criteria (Create)

Standards Accordion

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade 6-8

MS-LS2-5 Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.

MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

MS-ETS1-1 Define criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Computer Science Teachers Association Standards

Grade 6-8

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.

2-CS-03 Systematically identify and fix problems with computing devices and their components.

2-AP-11 Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and perform operations on their values.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures, including nested loops and compound conditionals.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

Grade 6-8

6.EE.B.5 Understand solving an equation or inequality as a process of answering a question: which values from a specified set, if any, make the equation or inequality true? Use substitution to determine whether a given number in a specified set makes an equation or inequality true.

6.EE.B.6 Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving a real-world or mathematical problem; understand that a variable can represent an unknown number, or, depending on the purpose at hand, any number in a specified set.

6.EE.B.8 Write an inequality of the form x > c or x < c to represent a constraint or condition in a real-world or mathematical problem. Recognize that inequalities of the form x > c or x < c have infinitely many solutions; represent solutions of such inequalities on number line diagrams.

7.EE.B.4 Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.

United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals

11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

13 Climate Action

15 Life on Land

Common Career Technical Core Standards

STEM Cluster: Engineering & Technology Career Pathway

ST-ET 1.3 Use computer applications to solve problems by creating and using algorithms, and through simulation and modeling techniques.

ST-ET 2.1 Select and use information technology tools to collect, analyze, synthesize and display data to solve problems.

ST-ET 3.1 Use knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools necessary for engineering practice.

ST-ET 3.2 Describe the elements of good engineering practice (e.g., understanding customer needs, planning requirements analysis, using appropriate engineering tools, prototyping, testing, evaluating and verifying).

ST-ET 3.4 Illustrate the ability to characterize a plan and identify the necessary engineering tools that will produce a technical solution when given a problem statement.

ST-ET 4.1 Explain why and how the contributions of great innovators are important to society.

ST-ET 4.2 Explain the elements and steps of the design process and tools or techniques that can be used for each step.

ST-ET 4.3 Describe design constraints, criteria, and trade-offs in regard to variety of conditions (e.g., technology, cost, safety, society, environment, time, human resources, manufacturability).

ST-ET 5.1 Apply the design process using appropriate modeling and prototyping, testing, verification and implementation techniques.

ST-ET 5.2 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate a design or product and improve the design using testing, modeling and research.

ST-ET 5.3 Demonstrate the ability to record and organize information and test data during design evaluation.

ST-ET 6.1 Apply the use of algebraic, geometric, and trigonometric relationships, characteristics and properties to solve problems.

STEM Cluster: Science and Math Career Pathway

ST-SM 1.1 Apply science and mathematics concepts and principles to resolve plans, projects, processes, issues or problems through methods of inquiry.

ST-SM 1.2 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to access, share, and use data to develop plans, processes, projects and solutions.

ST-SM 1.3 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to integrate solutions related to technical or engineering activities using the content and concepts related to the situations.

ST-SM 1.4 Explain the role of modeling in science and engineering.

ST-SM 1.5 Explain the use of models and simulation in hypothesis testing (i.e., the scientific method).

ST-SM 1.6 Communicate with others on inquiry or resolution of issues/problems in the global community.

ST-SM 2.1 Demonstrate the ability to recognize cause and effect when faced with assigned projects or issues.

ST-SM 2.4 Predict the outcomes based on data collected in a project or experiment.

ST-SM 2.9 Analyze change as a result of data differences and changing environmental values.

ST-SM 3.1 Evaluate the impact of science on society based on products and processes used in the real world.

ST-SM 3.2 Evaluate the impact of mathematics on society based on products and processes used in the real world.

ST-SM 3.3 Research how science and mathematics influence the professions and occupations supported by the STEM Career Cluster.

Information Technology Cluster: Programming & Software Development Career Pathway

IT-PRG 4.1 Employ tools in developing software applications.

IT-PRG 6.1 Explain programming language concepts.

IT-PRG 6.3 Demonstrate proficiency in developing an application using an appropriate programming language.

IT-PRG 6.4 Explain basic software systems implementation.

IT-PRG 7.1 Develop a software test plan.

IT-PRG 7.2 Perform testing and validation.

Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Cluster: Natural Resources Systems Career Pathway

AG-NR 4.1 Employ techniques and equipment needed to manage and/or prevent fire.