Heat illness

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/heat-illness

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the vulnerable populations?Elderly, infants, individuals with chronic diseases, outdoor workers, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups
2. What is heat illness and why does it happen?Heat illness is when the body gets too hot and can’t cool itself properly. It can happen when the air is very hot or when we play or run hard and make too much heat inside our bodies.
3. What are the signs of heat cramps and heat exhaustion?Heat cramps are painful muscle twitches that happen when we lose electrolytes. Heat exhaustion makes us feel very sweaty, weak, dizzy, and sometimes nauseous because we are losing too much water and salt.

Hyperthermia: A condition where the body temperature rises significantly above normal due to failed thermoregulation.
Vasodilation: The widening of blood vessels, a mechanism the body uses to release heat.
Thermoregulation: The physiological process by which the body maintains its core internal temperature.