🔥 Fire: A Chemical Reaction
Fire changed human history — it gave us warmth, light, cooked food, and protection. But what exactly is fire? Understanding fire means understanding energy transformation — how one form of energy changes into another.
🧺 Te Kete Ako
Fire Making & Energy Transfer
Fire Making & Energy Transfer · Years 7–10
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Investigate a significant question using evidence from multiple sources
- Analyse and evaluate information to form and support a reasoned position
- Connect learning to real-world contexts, including Aotearoa New Zealand settings
- Communicate understanding clearly and accurately for a specific audience
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I use at least two sources and can evaluate their credibility
- My position is clearly stated and supported by specific evidence
- I can connect my learning to at least one real-world Aotearoa context
- My communication is clear, organised, and appropriate for the audience
🔺 The Fire Triangle
Three things are needed for fire:
🪵
Fuel
Something to burn (wood, paper, gas)
💨
Oxygen
From the air (~21%)
🌡️
Heat
Ignition temperature to start reaction
Remove any one, and the fire goes out!
⚡ Energy Transformation
What Happens When Fire Burns?
Fire is a chemical reaction called combustion:
Fuel + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Water + ENERGY
The energy stored in the fuel (chemical energy) is released as:
- 🔆 Light energy — the flame we see
- 🔥 Heat energy — warmth we feel
- 🔊 Sound energy — crackling and popping
Energy Cannot Be Created or Destroyed
This is the Law of Conservation of Energy. The energy in firewood came from the sun — stored through photosynthesis. When we burn it, we release that stored solar energy!
🌿 Traditional Fire Making Methods
Hika Ahi — Fire Plough (Māori)
A pointed stick (kauahi) is rubbed rapidly along a groove in a softer wood (kaunoti).
Energy conversion: Kinetic (movement) energy → Heat energy through friction
Bow Drill
A bow spins a vertical stick rapidly against a fireboard. Used by many cultures worldwide.
Energy conversion: Mechanical advantage multiplies friction
Flint and Steel
Striking flint against steel creates sparks that ignite tinder.
Energy conversion: Kinetic → Heat (sparks are tiny pieces of glowing metal)
🔥 Ahi Kā — The Eternal Flame
Fire in Māori Culture
- Ahi kā — "burning fires of occupation" — represents continuous connection to land
- Keeping fires burning showed the land was occupied and cared for
- Hāngī — traditional cooking uses heated rocks for slow cooking
- Mahuika — goddess of fire in Māori mythology
🌡️ How Heat Moves
Three Ways Heat Transfers
- Conduction — heat moves through touching materials (pot on a fire)
- Convection — warm air/water rises, cool sinks (smoke rising)
- Radiation — heat travels through empty space (feeling warmth from flames)
⚠️ Fire Safety
- Never play with fire unsupervised
- Keep flammable materials away from heat sources
- Know where fire extinguishers are located
- Stop, drop, and roll if clothes catch fire
- Have an escape plan at home
✏️ Activities
Activity: Energy Flow Diagram
Draw a diagram showing energy flow:
Sun → Tree (photosynthesis) → Firewood → Fire → Heat + Light
Label each energy transformation.
Explain why rubbing sticks together creates heat:
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
Curriculum Links
- Science: Physical World — energy, heat transfer
- Te Ao Māori: Traditional technologies
- Chemistry: Combustion reactions
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
This handout is designed to be used alongside other resources in the same unit. Related materials are linked in the unit planner. All content is provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to build understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand's ecosystems, biodiversity, and the role of kaitiakitanga in environmental stewardship.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain key concepts from this resource using their own words.
- ✅ Students can connect the content to real-world environmental contexts in Aotearoa.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, word banks, or graphic organisers to scaffold access for students who need it. Offer entry-level and extension tasks to address a range of readiness levels.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary and provide bilingual glossaries where available. Allow students to respond in their home language first.
Inclusion: Use accessible formats — clear font, adequate whitespace, structured tasks. Neurodiverse learners benefit from chunked instructions and choice in how they demonstrate understanding.
Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson sequence. No specialist prior knowledge required for entry-level engagement.