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Wildfire Smoke Spread

Month, Year

Teacher’s name

School’s name

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Unit Timeline

Day 1

Day 5

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Incense stick & paper modeling

Intro to computer models

Reading Code activity

Evaluating theories

Comparing models with real world data

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Day #1

Diffusion Experiment

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Clue #1:

Some major events happened in August-Oct 2021 in the purple area

The goal of this slide is to elicit students' ideas about the phenomenon

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Clue #2:

This is happening because of the drought in California

The goal of this slide is to elicit students' ideas about the phenomenon

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Clue #3:

Firefighters were the heroes of this event

The goal of this slide is to elicit students' ideas about the phenomenon

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What do you know about how wildfire smoke spreads?

What do you wonder about how wildfire smoke spreads?

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How does wildfire smoke spread?

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Substitute for actual incense stick experiment if necessary

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What is a scientific model?

A model is a simplified version of reality and can be used to better understand something or to test a hypothesis in science.

A model is a representation of an idea, an object, or a process that is used to describe and explain a phenomena that cannot be experienced directly.

Process model

Computer model

Three dimensional model

Equation model

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Paper models

On a paper, draw a model to explain how the smoke particles make their way through the air.

Zoom in on what is happening that causes the smoke particles to move about.
Make sure to add labels and arrows to clearly communicate your ideas.

Student worksheet

(Pg. 1)

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Day #2

Intro to computer models

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Paper model gallery walk

What similarities or differences do you notice?

What ideas do we have about how smoke spreads?

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How do we validate an idea?

💡

Come up with an idea for how something works.

🌍

Design a way to model the idea.

🔍

Test the model and make observations.

📏

Compare observations from model with observations from real world.

repeat!

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What is a computer model?

A computer model is a representation of a real-life system or situation, such as the potential path of a hurricane or the potential spreading of COVID-19 in cities. A collection of rules or code is created--a computer program--and when it “runs” it allows us to study what might happen in real-life situations. A computer program has lots of variables or “parts” to change to see how they affect the outcome of whatever is being studied.

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What is a computer model?

What is the added value of computer models?

Let us study extreme conditions like weather, earthquakes, diseases.
Let us speed up or slow down a phenomenon (bacterial growth)
Help us predict things we can’t see

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Introduction to MoDa

Stage for the model

Example Code

Domain-specific blocks for wildfire smoke spread

Satellite video of the phenomenon

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Introduction to MoDa

Build your

model here

Run your

model here

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Introduction to MoDa

Find blocks to make your model…

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Introduction to MoDa

… and add them to your code

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Introduction to MoDa

setup block:

Instructions for how your model will start.
Happens when you click
Runs the blocks inside once.

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Introduction to MoDa

Go block:

Instructions for how to change your model at each step.
Happens when you click
Runs the blocks inside on repeat until you stop it.

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Modeling Challenges

#1: Make air move like wind

#2: Create continuous smoke

#3: Make the smoke and air interact

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Challenge #1: Make air move like wind

Create air particles
Make the air particles move like the wind

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Challenge #1: Make air move like wind

Create air particles
Make the air particles move like the wind

What’s inside this block?

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Challenge #2: Create continuous smoke

Create continuous smoke particles. That is, produce a stream of smoke.

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Challenge #2: Create continuous smoke

Create continuous smoke particles. That is, produce a stream of smoke.

IMPORTANT:

When create-smoke-particles is under Go, make sure a small number (1-10) particles are being created. Otherwise, the system will get overloaded because too many smoke particles are being created at each tick.

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Challenge #3: Make the smoke and air interact

Make the smoke particles and air particles interact with each other.

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Challenge #3: Make the smoke and air interact

Make the smoke particles and air particles interact with each other.

What’s inside this block?

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Day #3

Reading and Predicting Code

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[Review]

Modeling Challenges

#1: Make air move like wind

#2: Create continuous smoke

#3: Make the smoke and air interact

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Reading and Predicting Code

How does move & interact influence the shape of smoke spread?

Which other blocks can influence smoke spread?

Let’s work on predicting how smoke should spread by reading the model’s code

Student worksheet

(Pgs. 2-3)

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Reading and Predicting Code: #1