STANDARDS: TELLING BIOLOGY TEACHER S GUIDE Episode 5: Hypothermia By Erica Hutchings

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Aubrie Barnett
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1 TELLING BIOLOGY TEACHER S GUIDE Episode 5: Hypothermia By Erica Hutchings STANDARDS: The following standards may be addressed by using the podcast in conjunction with the information provided in the Teacher s Guide: NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth s Surface Processes: The abundance of liquid water on Earth s surface and its unique combination of physical and chemical properties are central to the planet s dynamics. These properties include water s exceptional capacity to absorb, store, and release large amounts of energy, transmit sunlight, expand upon freezing, dissolve and transport materials, and lower the viscosities and melting points of rocks. LS1.A: Structure and Function: Systems of specialized cells within organisms help them perform the essential functions of life. Feedback mechanisms maintain a living system s internal conditions within certain limits and mediate behaviors, allowing it to remain alive and functional even as external conditions change within some range. LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms: Cellular respiration is a chemical process in which the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and new compounds are formed that can transport energy to muscles. Cellular respiration also releases the energy needed to maintain body temperature despite ongoing energy transfer to the surrounding environment. LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter: Changes of energy and matter in a system can be described in terms of energy and matter flows into, out of, and within that system Cause and Effect: Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects Stability and Change: Feedback (negative or positive) can stabilize or destabilize a system Science and Engineering Practices: Developing and Using Models Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Asking Questions and Defining Problems

2 Common Core CCSS Habits of Mind - SCSh6. Students will communicate scientific investigations and information clearly. ELA- Literacy.SL6.2: Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study CCSS.ELA- Literacy.SL.6.3: Delineate a speaker s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. BACKGROUND: A great way to get students interested in science is through sharing stories that have connections between science and its real world applications. The Four Phases of Cold Water Immersion Cold Shock Response - This is the phase that lasts for about a minute after entering the water and refers to the shock that a person experiences as a result of the initial effect of cold water on breathing, circulation, and cognitive abilities. Cold Incapacitation This phase occurs within 5-15 minutes and describes the results of vasoconstriction on movement as the body tries desperately to maintain a core temperature. Movement will be lost in fingers and toes followed by arms and legs. This also represents the time in which a person not wearing a floatation device must reach safety, as he or she will drown as a result of this incapacitation. Hypothermia This phase generally takes at least thirty minutes to develop but varies greatly depending on water temperature, body mass, fat index, and mental and emotional factors. During this period, a person s core body temperature falls to 35 C (95 F). People are still likely to die from drowning as a result of slipping in and out of consciousness and not being able to keep airways clear of water. The first three phases of cold water immersion make up the Principle, which represents a good way to remember these phases and the average time it takes to reach each phase (note that this rule is best used in water that is F): 1 minute to get breathing under control, 10 minutes of meaningful movement, and 1 hour before you become unconscious due to hypothermia The table below shows more accurate average expected survival times based on temperatures.

3 Survival Times in Cold Water Without Protective Clothing Water Temperature Loss of Dexterity Exhaustion or Expected Time of Degrees C Degrees F with no protective Unconsciousness Survival clothing Under 2 min. Under 15 min. Under 15 to 45 min. 0.3 to Under 3 min. 15 to 30 min. 30 to 90 min. 4.5 to Under 5 min. 30 to 60 min. 1 to 3 hrs. 10 to to 15 min. 1 to 2 hrs. 1 to 6 hrs to to 40 min. 2 to 7 hrs. 2 to 40 hrs. 21 to to 2 hrs. 2 to 12 hrs. 3 hrs. to indefinite Over 26.5 Over 80 2 to 12 hrs. Indefinite Indefinite Retrieved from Circum- rescue Collapse This phase happens just before or after rescue and can result in fainting or even death. When rescue is imminent, there is a reaction where a person s heightened mental and physiological state relaxes. There is a decreased output of stress hormones and sometimes a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can result in cardiac arrest. A person s odds of survival are greatly impacted by the extraction methods of first responders. ACADEMIC LANGUAGE: Artery A type of blood vessel that delivers blood from the heart to another part of the body. Cardiac Arrest - This can also be used to describe road or water distribution (a main channel or highway that is connected to many branches). Hyperventilation A noun used to describe a condition characterized by excessively rapid and deep breathing. Impulse The use in this audio reflects the colloquial meaning - a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act. This is a word that can have multiple meanings depending on the context. For instance, there are nerve impulses, which describe how information is transmitted along neurons and through the nervous system. Impulse in classical mechanics or physics describes force over a time period and can be represented by the equation, J = F average (t 2 - t 1 ). Misconception This is a view or opinion that is incorrect and based on a misunderstood concept or an incorrect application of a word or concept based on prior understanding. There are many misconceptions in science, and it is important that teachers and students work to identify and correct them, as they can be very difficult to change.

4 Shiver This is a word that also has many different meanings based on the context used and part of speech. It is used in the accompanying audio as a verb - to shake or tremble with cold, fear, or excitement; however, there are two different nautical meanings for this word: to shake when too close to the wind or to be headed so close to the wind that sails shake. Additionally, this word also has two different meanings as nouns: a tremulous motion, a tremble, or a quiver; or an attack of shivering or chills (the shivers). Shock This is another term that can have multiple meanings based on context and part of speech. Its use as a noun in the accompanying podcast illustrates a state whereby there is a collapse of circulatory function characterized by specific physiological effects. It can also be used to illustrate a sudden blow or impact, a physiological effect resulting from passage of an electric current through the body, or a term used to describe suspension (shocks or shock absorbers). The verb forms associated with this word are directly related to the noun forms. Vasoconstriction A noun used to describe a tightening of the blood vessels LEARN MORE: Below are some additional questions that will help you to learn more about Cold Water survival, hypothermia, and human physiology. The Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp website provides a great deal of information on this subject, and you should be able to answer many of these questions by navigating this website: 1) Body fat plays an important role for many mammals who have adapted for cold water conditions. Why is fat so important for these animals: Can different body fat percentages affect human survivability in cold temperatures? Provide evidence in support or against this idea. 2) Many parents have trouble keeping their children bundled up when they play outside in the snow because kids seem to get hot easier, and the cold doesn t bother them as much as it would for adults. This is true for water as well. Explain this phenomenon. Is it dangerous to let kids who are hot take off their coats or hats in colder weather? 3) When I was climbing out of the water, I expended time and energy to climb up the short rapids even though it would have taken less energy and been easier to turn around and walk to the bank behind me. Think back to a time where your fight of flight response was activated. Were you in danger? Did your thinking skills become cloudy at all? How did you manage to calm down? 4) You were shown a table that depicts average survival times in various degrees of cold water. There have been recorded cases where people were able to survive far beyond these expected limits. Use the internet to see if you can find any examples where

5 people defied these models. Does the evidence change the validity of such models? Why or why not? 5) Describe some of the factors used in a person s judgement on whether to stay or swim once immersed in cold water. REFERENCES: Canadian Safe Boating Council. (2011). Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp. Retrieved from phases- of- cold- water- immersion#cold%20shock%20response. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved July 11, 2015, from Dictionary.com website: Kent, WA temperature retrieved from Forecast- Kent- Washington&date= &sort=hour. Shipwrite Productions. (2015, January). [Survival Times data table]. The chilling truth about cold water. Retrieved from VedernikOFF. (2015, Dec 5). [Song]. Piano retrieved from

Hypothermia Myths And The Truth About Cold Water

Hypothermia Myths And The Truth About Cold Water OCT 5, 2017 Cold incapacitation is the most common cause of death from immersion in cold water, not hypothermia. I was meeting with 40 professional mariners