edHelper.com Canadian Theme Unit

The Halifax Explosion

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The Halifax Explosion
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.52

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		atomic, contents, evasive, indicate, reverse, shards, during, spite, sundown, center, crashed, booming, natural, setting, effort, spectacular
	content words:		World War, Nova Scotia, World War II, United States

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The Halifax Explosion By Mary Lynn Bushong

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¹     During World War I, Halifax, Nova Scotia, was a center for the war effort. The city had one of the largest and best natural harbours in the world. Her economy was booming with the war effort.
 
²     Across the harbour from Halifax was the city of Dartmouth. Ferries ran back and forth keeping people moving. In those days, few people had cars; most used a horse and cart.
 
³     The people of Halifax were proud of their harbour and the contributions they could make to the war effort. It was outside their harbour that ships would wait to join a convoy before setting off across the Atlantic.
 
⁴     The Germans had submarines that wrecked shipping whenever possible. The harbour of Halifax had a narrow entrance. At sundown a double net was pulled into place. It not only kept U-boats out but also ships.
 
⁵     In 1917, the harbour continued to get busier and busier. When the submarine net was removed in the mornings, ships were in a hurry to leave or enter the harbour.
 
⁶     On December 5, 1917, the Mont-Blanc, a French munitions ship, was late arriving at Halifax. She had to wait outside the harbour until the next morning.
 
⁷     On the same day, the Imo, a Norwegian ship, waited too long to leave the harbour and had to stay. When the net was opened the next morning, she went speeding out.
 
⁸     She safely passed two ships coming into the harbour. The Imo was on the wrong side of the shipping lanes and wanted to stay there. When the Mont-Blanc came along, she wanted to stay in her own lane, the correct one.

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