"Increasing Forest Fire Activity"

• This is a watercolor and colored pencil artwork created by scientist and artist Jill Pelto, showing increasing wildfire activity. 
• This painting is inspired by Pelto's experience near a wildfire in Washington State in 2015.

Positives

• Students' engagement with works of art enhances their creativity and communication skills.
• Analyzing a visual medium is beneficial because it allows students to discuss their interpretations with their peers and to support their views by referring to specific elements.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the following concepts: wildfires, drought, temperature rise, and global warming.

Differentiation

• The painting could be incorporated into science lessons on wildfires, drought, and temperature rise. It could be used as a hook and students could discuss their observations.
• During art class, students could interpret this painting and then create their own artwork on climate change from their point of view.
• An ELA teacher could present this drawing to students and ask them to write a descriptive paragraph describing the different elements.
• Other images by Jill Pelto on deforestation and arctic melt would pair well with this image for a lesson.