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Why Do We Shiver?By Erin Horner

I like to take a bath. I like the waythe warm water feels on my skin. I donot like to get out of the bathtub.When I get out of the bathtub I amreally cold. Sometimes I am so coldthat my teeth begin chattering, and Istart to shiver. Why do we shiverwhen we are cold? Shivering is areflex. Like all reflexes, shivering isinvoluntary. We don't have to thinkabout a reflex in order to make ithappen. When the air around ussuddenly becomes cooler, the nervesin our skin sense that we are cold. These nerves then send messengers.They race to our spinal cord and brain. The brain sends messengersback that race throughout our bodies. These marvelous messengerstell all of our muscles to start warming up. Our muscles then starttightening and relaxing. They do this very quickly over and overagain. These quick movements are the shivers. These shivers help towarm us up. So the next time you start to shiver, thank your nerves.They're working to warm you up before you even have the chance toyell, "Mom, I'm c-c-c-old!"

Why Do We Shiver?

Questions1. Why do we shiver?

2. The author probably wrote this passage to ______.A. encourage you to take more bathsB. inform you how and why your body shiversC. demonstrate the best way to stay warmD. describe how to stop shivering

3. Shivering ______.A. helps to warm us upB. is involuntaryC. is a reflexD. all of the above

4. Choose the best title.A. Shivering: What a Weird Way To Warm Up!B. Shivering Is Not For WimpsC. Shiver Me Timbers!D. How To Stop Shivering

Have you ever been really cold? Did you shiver? Write a briefparagraph describing a time when you were really cold.

NameDo you like to be cold? Or would you prefer to be hot? If you had tochoose between living in the arctic where it is always cold or in thedesert where it is always hot, which environment would you pick?Why?