KS2 Resource

What do you already know about FIRE?

​

Do you know how a fire starts?

​

Do you know what to do if you see or smell a fire?

​

Look at the poster from the ‘Fire Kills Campaign’ by the National Fire Chiefs Council.

​

Is there anything on here that you didn’t already know?

DO NOW:

What happens as a result of this chemical chain reaction?

DO NOW:

What happens as a result of this chemical chain reaction?

DO NOW:

Extension:

​

Draw examples of heat, oxygen and fuel, on your worksheet.

example:

TASK 1:

​

1. In pairs or small groups, pick one of the ‘What if?’ cards and discuss what you would do in that situation. What could the consequence be from your action? Do you agree with each other, on what you would do?

​

• Pick another one and discuss.

​

• Which ‘What if?’ scenario do you think would be the most difficult to go through? Put them into order.

​

Extension:

​

Can you think of your own ‘What if?’ situations?

​

What do we need to learn from the ‘What ifs’?

What if?

​

What would YOU do if you see someone with scars or something that makes them look different to others?

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

We will listen

We will put our hands up

We will be kind

Over the past two centuries our work, leisure, homes and cities have been threatened by war, fire, gas, chemicals, explosions and hot liquids.

​

Forged by Fire: An Illustrated History of Burns in the 20^th Century tells some of the stories of how people have been affected by these hazards, and how they have shaped how we live, work and play to this day. The Forged by Fire team have uncovered hidden social histories and given prominence to those you may not always come across in history books.

​

The Forged by Fire team:

Prof Jonathan Reinarz (University of Birmingham)

Dr Shane Ewen (Leeds Beckett University)

Dr Rebecca Wynter (University of Birmingham)

Dr Aaron Andrews (Leeds Beckett University)

​

The first four stories in the graphic novel, Forged by Fire, were designed by Birmingham artist Sarah Taylor Silverwood and were put together using archival sources.

​

There are also three stories about the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 which have been recreated by students at Beckfoot Thornton School, with the help of Leeds artist Tom Bailey, Rachel Wood of Saltaire Stories, and members of the Forged by Fire team.

​

These stories tell tales of tragedy but they also capture stories of heroism that we don’t always hear about – moments of magic during the horror:

• where emergency services and communities tried to save as many lives as they could
• where in the aftermath of the fires, people campaigned for better fire safety in the workplace and at home
• where people developed better treatments for burn injuries
• where people have shared their own scars and injuries to raise awareness of fire safety

​

This is a graphic novel with everyday heroes…

​

Learning Intentions:

​

To explore hidden social histories about how fire has affected people’s lives over the last two centuries.

​

To learn about how hazards have shaped how we live, work and play to this day.

​

To develop greater empathy for others by looking at real stories of heroism.

TASK 2:

You are going to carry out an investigation into one of the fires within the graphic novel, Forged by Fire.

You will need to ask and answer questions about the fire, using the stories in the graphic novel, as well as other archival sources (newspaper clippings, real inquests, testimonials, biographies and witness statements).

​

Be ready to present your findings…

Whole class feedback

Who were the heroes in the stories?

What makes someone a hero?

TASK 3:

​

Using your group’s graphic story/stories, your investigations and any source material you have used, WRITE A DIARY ENTRY for one of the people mentioned.

​

​

​

HOW do you write a DIARY ENTRY?

Follow a ‘Diary style’…

Start each entry with a date.

Chronological order

Your diary should be in time order, using adverbials and time connectives: Firstly, secondly… last of all…

Self-reflection

Try to include your thoughts, feelings, opinions and hopes.

Past tense:

A diary is about what has already happened.

​

First person narrative

Remember to use personal pronouns (I/we).

Detailed descriptions

Remember to use more than one sense, to make your description really realistic. Similes, metaphors, alliteration and onomatopoeia can also make the experience come alive for your reader.

June 10^th 1902

​

I have just got back home. I am completely exhausted but I can’t yet close my eyes – I am frightened of what I will dream. It has been a nightmare. My hair and skin smell of smoke, my clothes are ruined. I need to wash but although everything about me looks burnt, I seem frozen.

​

We were having tea, just at the usual time and having a natter as we continued to finish our work. Mrs Graham had brought it up to us, just like normal. When I was pouring out the milk and stirring the teaspoon around my cup, I remember thinking there was a funny ringing noise but the sound was so faint that I just ignored it. We had heard it before but nothing had ever happened before.

​

Everything then happened so fast. All of a sudden, we could smell smoke and we all rushed to the stairs but the heat of the flames and the thickness of the smoke soon stopped us going any further. Terrified and trapped, we didn’t know what to do, we just wanted somebody to help us but nobody came.

​

I ran to the window nearest to St. Paul’s and managed to push it open but some of the other girls started to shout to shut it as it was letting the smoke come in. We could hear the flames crackling and the heat rising beneath our feet. I can still hear the cries and screams ringing like an alarm, even now.

​

Quickly, I went to the other side and stood on the window ledge. The smoke was choking me. Through the flames and black smoke I could see police scrambling below and holding out a tarpaulin. I am not sure if people started to shout to jump or whether that was in my own head. But I did. I held my breath and just let go. Luckily, they caught me.

​

I left the girls up there, waiting to be saved. I’m not sure yet if anyone was. I thought if I went first, they would follow. I don’t think they did.

Example

TASK: Write a diary entry for one of the people mentioned in the fire that you have investigated. Remember, the experiences may be very different depending on whether they were a firefighter, a police officer, a Doctor, a member of the public, a child or a survivor.

​

At first, I…

​

I could see…

​

The smell of…

​

Hearing the…

​

…made me feel…

​

The last thing I remember was…

Ideas for sensory language

​

Saw: flames shooting up people running

black smoke buildings burning

breaking windows people scrambling

​

Smelt: Thick black smoke choking wood smoke candles smouldering

​

Heard: screams shouts cries

flames crackling buildings crumbling

​

Felt: terrified scared trapped desperate confident worried responsible guilty

What do we need to learn from the ‘What ifs’?

What if it was YOU?

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

ALWAYS BE AN EVERYDAY HERO.

KEEP SAFE. BE KIND.

​