Guiding Question:

What is the effect of limiting one leg of the fire triangle?

Why do we need to answer this question?

Understanding the fire triangle is critical to ­fire ­fighting and fi­re investigation. Firefighters use this knowledge to extinguish a fire. Investigators use this knowledge to identify where a fire could have started, and to look for clues left behind by objects.

How will we answer this question?

• Students will carefully explore the phenomena of fire using a candle system to observe evidence of changes before, during, and after it is lit.
• Using the candle, students will investigate the effect of limiting one side of the fire triangle –oxygen, fuel, and heat – to understand the needs of fire.
• Make a claim to explain the effect(s) limiting one side of the fire triangle has on fire. Use evidence gathered from the investigation, and scientific understanding of basic fire science as reasoning to support the claim. Students will also identify how this knowledge is applied to fire investigation.

We are working to update our investigations to better represent three-dimensional teaching practices. We trust teachers to consider the procedures in this investigation and modify the resource to meet the needs of students in their classrooms. 

Be sure to explore the video showing this classroom investigation and the related teacher guide.