Historic Floods & When The Dikes Broke

In 'When the Dikes Broke,' the combination of wind, high tide, and low pressure caused the sea to flood land up to 5.6 meters (18.4 ft) above mean sea level. Most of the sea defenses - polders and dikes - facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding...

The North Sea Flood was caused by a heavy storm at the end of Saturday, 31 January 1953 and morning of the next day. The storm surge struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland.

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land that is usually dry. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civil engineering, and public health. Human changes to the environment often increase the intensity and frequency of flooding.  Flooding may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river, lake, or ocean, in which the water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual boundaries, or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an areal flood. While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt, these changes in size are unlikely to be considered significant unless they flood property or drown domestic animals.

Floods can also occur in rivers when the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river channel. Floods often cause damage to homes and businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers.  In spite of these, however, people have traditionally lived and worked by rivers because the land is usually flat and fertile, and because rivers provide easy travel and access to commerce and industry.

Our spine read for this unit is:

• When the Dikes Broke
• Based on the great flood that swept over Holland in 1953, the gripping story When the Dikes Broke follows the tale of the van Rossem family as they are awakened by sirens and the clanging of church bells and soon realize that the dikes have broken. As the water rises to their roof, the family is separated, and a desperate and daring search is set in place for those who have been swept away. This adventurous story is packed with educational and moral value.

Get the ENTIRE UNIT in Beautiful Book Studies!

Each unit addresses a new topic, including science, history, and geography.  Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.

• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the topic to life.

Table of Contents

• The King’s Fifth
• Red Falcons of Tremoine
• Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan
• Red Hugh of Ireland
• Calico Captive
• The Story of Eli Whitney
• Island of the Blue Dolphins
• The Lost Kingdom
• The Secret Garden
• Heidi
• Girl of the Limberlost
• The Winged Watchman
• When the Dikes Broke
• Using the Good & the Beautiful in High School

Product Sample:  Red Hugh of Ireland & the English Civil Wars  

The books selected for these unit studies can be found in the upper grades areas of The Good and the Beautiful Book List.  However, Homeschool On the Range and Sparks Academy are not employed by or affiliated with, nor do they receive any compensation from, The Good and the Beautiful.  It has simply been their curriculum of choice for many years.  These unit studies are not endorsed by The Good and the Beautiful or Jenny Phillips.