In Olden Blaze
Grade Levels : 3-5
Lesson Objective
Primary Subject/ Skills
Suggested Procedure
Lesson
Objective:
Give students a historical perspective on the danger of fires
in everyday life and the measures, practices and laws that
made communities safer.
Primary
Subject/ Skills:
Social Studies (American history; civics and government –
building codes and regulations), Science (kindling temperatures),
English Language Arts(research and reporting), Critical Thinking
Suggested Procedure:
Part I – Assess the Hazards
Fire was a terrible danger for early settlers in America.
Homes were constructed of materials with very low kindling
temperatures (they easily catch fire) such as wood, straw,
grass. They even had wood and mud chimneys.
Ask students what things they can think of that made fires
common in the early American settlements.
1.The materials used in house construction were highly flammable.
2. Towns were crowded and houses were built
close together so a fire in one home would spread quickly
to others.
3. Open fireplaces in homes and buildings
meant sparks and embers could easily fly out into the room.
4. Particular weather conditions were favorable
to fires -- dry seasons or cold weather.
Discuss reasons that particular materials
were used in building, if they were likely to burn more easily:
• Economics – cheaper to build.
• Time – could be built more quickly to accommodate
rapidly growing cities and towns.
• Availability – materials had to be readily available.
Following a discussion of the early fire danger, ask students
to select a town or area at a particular point in American
History (up to 1900). Have students research and assess the
fire danger in that town using the discussion points above.
Part II – Study the Solutions
Continuing improvements in fire prevention and firefighting
throughout the years enabled cities and towns to grow and
prosper. Here are some starting points for an exploration
of the topic from the perspective of history.
1. Ask students to research early fire prevention measures
and codes or regulations and construct a timeline. Were the
measures universal or confined to specific towns or areas?
For example, as early as 1648, Peter Stuyvesant, governor
of New Amsterdam (New York), outlawed wooden chimneys and
thatched roofs on new homes built. Did that regulation carry
on into other towns and cities as they were built?
2. Have students research building materials people could
have used that would have resisted fires better than wood
and straw.
• Bricks
• Stone
• Tile or Slate for Roofs
• Stone or Brick for Chimneys
Why didn’t they use these materials? Were these materials
readily available in all areas of the country? Affordable?
Did they require special building expertise?
3. In 1875 Chicago Department of Buildings began enforcing
a Chicago Building Code regulating construction, rehabilitation
and maintenance of homes and buildings. Why? Relate the more
stringent codes and regulations to the city’s growth
over the next decade and into the next century.
Note: Students can also investigate
other major fire disasters that prompted changes in codes
and fire prevention strategies. Suggestions: The Triangle
Shirtwaist Co. fire in New York in 1911; The Lady of Angels
School fire in Chicago in 1958, or the Iroquois Theater fire
in Chicago in 1903.
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