Claflin University School of

Education
EDUC 421: Teaching ELA to Children
Reflective Lesson Plan Model
Name:

Louisa Steadman

Date: March 14, 2016

PART I: PLANNING
Cause and Effect
Title of Lesson

Source

Ereadingworksheets.com
http://www.teach-nology.com
English Language, Craft, and Structure

Subject Area (s)

Grade Level
Curriculum Standards

Grade 5
SCCCR Standard 10.1 Use cause and effect relationships
and comparisons to determine the meaning of words or
phrases.
Describe the lessons activities and content to provide a clear overview of the lesson.

Description and Background I will begin the lesson by sharing a personal story with
Information
students about cause and effect. We will then discuss what
cause and effect is. (Information: A cause is why something
happened or what made something happen. An effect is what
happens as a result of the cause. The cause happens first,
but does not always come first in sentences and texts. Words
that you can look for to help recognize cause and effect
include because, since, so, if then, before, and after.) I will
provide the students a few examples with which I will model
how to determine the cause and effect. I will ask for students
to volunteer giving examples.
Modeling Examples:
-

Today I was late for school (effect) because I forgot to

set my alarm (cause).
Alyssa didnt clean the paintbrushes when she
finished painting yesterday (cause) so the paint
brushes were dirty and stiff the next day (effect).
Kayla forgot to charge her IPad before coming to
school (cause), so she was unable to play Kahoot

(effect).
I will then provide students with examples that we will do
together on the board. I will ask for volunteers to come to the
board and underline the cause and circle the effect.
Guided Examples:
-

Kyle was very tired today (effect) because this

weekend he ran a marathon (cause).
Angela was very happy (effect) because she got to eat
cake for dessert (cause).
Reversed: Angela got to eat cake for dessert (cause)
so she was very happy (effect)!
Marshall saw a big bee coming towards him (cause)
and then he started screaming (effect)!

The students will complete a worksheet on cause and effect

independently. As the students complete this assignment, I
will monitor their progress. For students that are having
difficulty, I will work in a small group in the back of the room.
The students will watch a video on cause and effect.
Throughout the video, we will discuss the examples.
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMTIuPvU6Lc )
After watching the video, the students will complete a
summative assessment. They will be given 15-20 minutes.
To wrap up the lesson, I will read A Bad Case of the Stripes
by David Shannon. After reading, we will discuss the cause
and effect from the text. We will discuss any personal
experiences that may relate to this story.
Lesson Objectives

Camilla didnt eat lima beans (cause) so she was

covered in stripes (effect).
Why did Camilla turn into a pill? (effect) (cause) the
doctor gave her many pills.
Camilla ate the lima beans (cause) and turned back to
normal (effect) !

The student will be able to accurately identify the cause and

effect of a given situation.
The students will be able to accurately develop an effect for a
given cause, or a cause for a given effect.
Given a six question assessment, the students will be able to
choose an appropriate cause for a given effect, or effect for a
given cause with 80% accuracy.

Varying Objectives for

Individuals Needs

The students who do not understand the material will be able

to accurately identify the cause and effect of a given
situation with the use of definitions of cause and effect.
The students who have mastered the concept with be able
accurately identify the cause and effect of an in-depth
situation.
English language learners will be able to accurately identify
the cause and effect of a given situation accompanied with
pictures.

Statement of Purpose

Materials and Resources

Anticipatory Set

The purpose of teaching cause and effect is to provide

students with the skills to understand why things happen as
they do.
-Handouts (teacher made and www.teach-nology.com)
-Smart Board
-YouTube video
-Pencil
-Paper
-A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
I will begin the lesson by sharing a personal story with
students about cause and effect. (I recently had a very big
test on English. I decided it would be a good idea to study
every day for two hours. Last week I took the test and guess
what I made? I made an A! I will them ask the students why I
made such a good grade. We will discuss that because I
studied each day for two hours (cause) I made an A (effect).)

Part II: IMPLEMENTATION

Pre-assessment

Teacher Modeling or
Demonstration

To determine students prior knowledge about cause and

effect, I will have students complete a morning activity as
they enter the room. The Do Now activity will consist of
three cause and effect sentences. As students complete the
assignment, I will walk around the room to monitor the
student progress.
I will provide the students a few examples with which I will
model how to determine the cause and effect.

Guided Practice

I will then provide students with examples that we will do

together on the board. I will ask for volunteers to come to the
board and underline the cause and circle the effect.

Checking for Understanding

I will continue to monitor the class as they complete guided

and independent work. I will ask students to explain how
they chose their answers. I will remind students to refer back

to their definitions of cause and effect. Questions to use for

checking for understand include:
- What made you choose that answer?
- How do you know your answer is correct?
- Is this why the _____(the cause) occurred?
- Is this what happened from ________(the effect)?
- What could be another effect for this cause?
- What could be another cause for this effect?
Independent Practice

The students will complete a worksheet on cause and effect

independently.

Closure

To close the lesson, I will read A Bad Case of the Stripes by

David Shannon. After reading, we will discuss the cause and
effect from the text. We will discuss any personal
experiences that may relate to this story.

Assessment
(attach to lesson plan)

Given a six question assessment, the students will be able to

choose an appropriate cause for a given effect, or effect for a
given cause with 80% accuracy.

Extension Activities

Technology

Connection Across the

Curriculum

The teacher could have a successful community

person (educator, doctor, lawyer, etc.) visit the class to
discuss the causes of their success.
Students could be asked to create a narrative which
uses a cause and effect relationship format. The story
may use themes as a specific holiday, career path, or
hobby.
Parents could have their children look back on any
accomplishment that they child has made. They could
make a flip book of the cause and effect of the
accomplishment.

I will use the smart board to display a YouTube video on

cause and effect and to write examples on the board.
Students will have the opportunity to come to the board and
use it to write their answers.
The Arts: Students could create drawing or 3-D figures or a
cause and effect situation. For example, a student may draw
a person running (cause). As a result, they could draw the
person taking a nap (effect).
Health: A health lesson in this area could be on the topic of
the cause and effects related to healthy/unhealthy eat and
exercising habits.

Physical Education: Students can use cause and effect to

examine their skill as it strengthens from predicating a skill
such as stamina when running, flexibility, and number of
certain exercises (push up, jumping jacks, etc.).
Science: Cause and effect can be used in many areas of
science. Students can use cause and effect when conducting
experiments to show different outcomes.
Math: Students can use cause and effect when learning
about rules in math such as the rule is to add five each
time. If students add five each time (cause) then the answer
will be correct (effect).
Social Studies: Cause and effect can be used to relate to
many historical events such as the Reconstruction era, the
westward expansion, the American Civil War etc.

PART III: REFLECTION TO BE COMPLETED AFTER LESSON IS TAUGHT

Strengths

Weaknesses
Suggestions for
Improvement

My strengths of this lesson are that I was able to get the

students involved in the learning by asking for volunteers to
come to the board and provide answers.
My weakness is this lesson is that I should have allowed the
students to move around and work in groups more. I also
should have made more personal connections to students.
If I could teach this lesson again, I would create more group
activities for students. I would also make sure to ask
students to provide examples and make personal
connections to students.
Revised 6-2013
THE CLAFLIN IMPERATIVE
PREPARING STDUENTS FOR LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE IN A
MULTICULTURAL, GLOBAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY