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Review the background information and Conrad Smith's article with the class. Have the students read the descriptions of a wildland fire in the boxes below. How do the descriptions make the reader feel about fire? Are there words that paint a negative or destructive picture of wildland fire? Are all the effects of a fire mentioned or just the negative effects?
Divide the class into teams of two students. Ask the students to rewrite the descriptions listed on page 5 using words that describe wildland fire as an ecological force instead of a force of devastation.
Discuss particular words that may help make the story seem like a catastrophe. Have your students replace those words with ones that are more factual and descriptive instead of sensationalized. Include a list of words that are more dramatic and another list of more factual words that may be substituted for them. Feel free to alter or expand the list to fit with your expectations and your students' skills.
Discuss the differences between the students' fire descriptions and the ones given. Which ones were more exciting? Explain how audience ratings are important to news programs and to print media, such as newspapers and magazines. Discuss why television networks and print media publishers may decide to use sensationalized reporting techniques to attract more viewers or readers. Discuss how using more sensational words and omitting certain characteristics of wildland fire can lead people to view fire only as a life-threatening force.
Explain why it is important for each person to review all sides of an issue or story before forming an opinion about the situation. Question 3 on the Quiz requires the teacher to set a scenario for the students and review terms.
Fact-Based Descriptions
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Words that Sensationalize
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Some Positive Aspects of Fire
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Some Negative Aspects of Fire
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