Instructor: Catherine Keeter Grade Level: 7th/8th

Lesson Title: Cause and Effect Date: December 5, 2016

Curriculum Area: Language Arts Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection:

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, at the high end of Grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and
proficiently. [RL.8.10]

IEP goal: I can read a passage and answer questions about it with 80% accuracy.

Learning Objective:

When given a reading passage, students will determine the cause and effect with 80%
accuracy.

Kid Friendly Objective:

Today, we are going to learn about how we can use cause and effect to answer
questions about a reading passage. At the end of the lesson you will read a passage
and answer a cause and effect question about what you have read.

Evaluation of Learning Objective:

The students will be assessed on their ability to effectively determine the cause and
effect of a reading passage. Students will be able to choose between two reading
passages that they wish to read, either New Park or Seeing Changes. The students
must answer four out of five cause and effect questions, scoring at least an 80%,
correctly to be considered proficient.

Engagement:

Can I see Student U, Student B, and Student H at the back table please? Students
walk to the back table. Today we are going to practice answering questions about
cause and effect. As you can see there are many pictures posted around the
room. I am going to give you each a picture and your picture is going to be the
cause. The pictures around the room are the effects. What you will do is look at
your picture and determine what effect could occur from the cause you were
given. For example, here I have a picture of snow falling as my cause. Teacher
shows students picture. So I am going to look around the room for a picture that
could result from snow. Right beside me is a picture of school being closed due
to weather. Could this be an effect of snowfall? Students nod heads yes. Teacher
begins passing out pictures. When you get your picture you can start looking
around the classroom for your effect. Students find effect pictures. Now lets look
over everyones cause and effect pictures. Student B, what picture were you
given? Examples student response: I was given a picture of someone studying.
And what effect picture did you find for your cause picture? Example student
response: An A on a test. Could studying for a test cause you to get an A?
Students nod. Thats right! Student H, what picture were you given? Teacher
continues to review cause and effect pictures with students. Teacher transitions to
teaching.

Design for Learning:

I. Teaching:

I am going to give each of you a cause and effect graphic organizer. Teacher
begins to pass out graphic organizers. I am going to show you a presentation on
cause and effect and we will fill out the graphic organizer together. Teacher begins
to pull up cause and effect presentation on ipad and tv. This presentation will help us
understand what cause and effect is and will give us tips on how to identify cause
and effect in reading passages. Everyone go ahead and write your name on the
top of your graphic organizer and we will get started. Teacher gives students time
to write names. Teacher starts to play cause and effect presentation video. Teacher
pauses video at the cause and effect definitions. The cause is why something
happened and the effect is what happened. At the top of your graphic organizers
are two spots to write this down, go ahead and write the definitions of cause and
effect. Teacher gives students time to write answers. Its really important that you
dont get these two confused because if you are answering questions about a
reading passage, the question might explicitly ask you what the cause of a
situation was and you want to be sure you must be able to tell difference between
cause and effect to answer the question. Does everyone understand the
difference between cause and effect? Students nod. Teacher starts playing video
presentation again. Teacher pauses the video. The cause happens first but does not
always come first in sentences and texts. This sentence is written on your
graphic organizer with blanks. Everyone fill in the blanks of that sentence.
Teacher gives students time to write. So if you are going to answer a question about
cause and effect, you cant just look for the cause of an event at the beginning of
the sentence because sometimes the cause is written at the end of a sentence.
Also in reading passages the cause and effect may not be in the same sentence
and you may have to find the cause and effect within the same paragraph.
Teacher starts playing video presentation again. Teacher pauses the video. Here are a
list of words that let us know a reading passage may be talking about cause and
effect. Write these down on your graphic organizer. Teacher gives students time to
write. If we were reading a passage about a snowy day, the passage probably
wont explicitly say the cause and effect. For example, reading passages might
not say the snowfall cause the effect of the school closing due to bad weather. A
reading passage would be more likely to say, the school closed down because
there was a lot of snow and cars could not drive on the roads. This list of words
will help you identify cause and effect phrases. Teacher starts playing video
presentation again. Teacher pauses the video. Buster saw a UFO in the air and then
he started screaming. What is the cause in this sentence? Example student
response: Buster saw a UFO. Yes, great! And what is the effect? Example student
response: He started screaming. Lets look at our next sentence; Buster started
screaming since he saw a UFO in the air. Are the cause and effect still the same in
this sentence, even though the sentence is worded differently? Students nod.
Thats right. Teacher starts playing video presentation again. So remember that the
cause is why something happened and the effect is what happened. Also
remember that the cause happens first but does not always come first in a
sentence. And the list of keywords we wrote down are clues for knowing if a
reading passage is talking about cause and effect. Now I want everyone to look at
the bottom of your paper. At the bottom of your graphic organizer I have written
example questions about cause and effect that you may be asked to answer after
reading a passage. The questions might ask you straightforward what the cause
or effect of something was, but questions about cause and effect can also be
worded differently. For example, a question might ask why did this happen or
what was the purpose of this. I want you to be aware of different ways that cause
and effect questions can be asked. Everyone take a second to look over these
questions and let me know if you have any questions about them. Teacher gives
students time to look over questions. Does anyone have any questions? Teacher
answers any questions that students may have. Teacher transitions to practice.

II. Opportunity for Practice:

Now we are going to practice answering cause and effect questions together. I am
going to give each of you the same reading passage. Teacher begins to pass out
reading passage. We are going to read the passage together and then answer
three questions about cause and effect. Teacher begins to read passage. Lets look
at our first question. It says, Alice wasnt sure she wanted to get up to pick
daises, why was she feeling this way? This question is asking, what caused Alice
to feel like she may or may not want to pick daises. Does anyone know? Example
student response: She was sleepy. Thats right! Being sleepy caused Alice to be
unsure of what she wanted to do. The next question says the white rabbit had a
watch and was wearing a coat, what effect did that have on Alice. Does anyone
know? Example student response: Alice started to follow the rabbit. Yes! The cause
would be seeing that the rabbit was wearing a coat and had a watch and the effect
is that Alice got up to follow the rabbit. Our last question says, Alice followed the
white rabbit, what was she feeling that made her follow the rabbit. The question is
asking what feeling caused Alice to follow the rabbit? Does anyone know?
Example student response: Curiosity. Thats right! Great job. Does anyone have
any questions about this reading passage or the questions we answered?
Teacher answers any questions that students may have. Teacher transitions to practice.

III. Assessment:

Now I want to see how well you can identify cause and effect on your own. I
am going to let you choose between reading two passages. One is titled A
New Park and it is about a the building of a park in a community and the
other is titled Seeing Changes and it is about a community changing. You
can pick whichever one you would like to read. You will read your passage and
answer the five questions about it, then you will turn it in to me. Does anyone
have any questions? Teacher answers any questions that students may have. You
may get started.

IV. Closure:

Good job working today everyone! Lets review what we learned today. Who
can define the word cause for me? Example student response: The cause is why
something happened. Yes thats right! Who can define effect for me? Example
student response: The effect tis what happened. Yes, great! Can anyone tell me
in what order cause and effect come in a sentence? Example student response:
Cause and effect can come in any order in a sentence. Youre right, good job.
Who can give me one of our keywords to know if a reading passage is talking
about cause and effect? Example student response: Since. Yes! Other keywords
are because, so, if, before, then, after. Great job today everyone!

Materials and Resources:

Pencils
Cause pictures
Effect pictures
TV
Ipad
Graphic organizers
Cause and effect video presentation
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reGjAI4lxMs
Down the Rabbit Hole reading passage and questions
A New Park reading passage and questions
Seeing Changes reading passage and questions
Plans for Individual Learners

I will repeat instructions for Student B

I will allow student H preferential seating

Extensions:

I will give students who can correctly identify cause and effect in a passage,
reading passages on a higher grade level.

Accommodations and Modifications:

Student B will be able to have her assessment passage and questions read to
her

Data Analysis:

Two out of three of the students performed proficiently on the assessment. Both
students who performed proficiently scored a 4/5 or an 80%. The one student who
scored a 2/5 or a 40% did not seem to understand the questions that were asked. In the
question that asked for a written response, the student did not answer in a way that was
relevant to the question at all. I believe the student performed this way on his
assessment because of his background as an ELL student.

Student B 4/5

Student H 4/5

Student U 2/5

Reflection:

All in all, I feel as if the lesson went well. The students enjoyed the engagement portion
of the lesson and the use of pictures seemed to effectively introduce the idea of cause
and effect. The graphic organizer used during the teaching portion of the lesson seemed
to keep the students notes neat and simple. The students behaved fairly well during the
lesson, but if I were to change anything about the way I handled behavior during the
lesson, I would tell the students my expectations for behavior prior to beginning the
lesson. I think this would have made the students aware of the appropriate ways to act
during the lesson. I feel as if two out of three of the students grasped the concept of
cause and effect and that the student who needs a little more support to become
proficient in this area.
Name_____________
 Cause and Effect
Cause:
Effect:
The cause happens _________ but does ______ always come
________in sentences and text
Keywords to help you find cause and effect:
Because

So
If

Before

Example Cause and Effect Questions:
What caused (the event)?
Ex: What caused school to be canceled?
What was the effect of (the cause)?
Ex: What was the effect of the heavy snowfall?
What is the result?
Ex: What was the result of the snowfall?
Why did this happen?
Ex: Why was school canceled?
What was the purpose of this?
Ex: What was the purpose of school being canceled?
Name_____________

A New Park
A school in Chicago was not near a park, so there was no place for children to play in
the community. To get to a park, you had to take a bus. The school was a very big
school with two buildings. There was a lot of land outside the school. It took up a whole
block. About ten years ago, there used to be a park.

What happened to the park? When they first built the school, it was just one building.
But then more people moved into the community, so they needed a bigger school. They
paved the ground where the park had been, and they built another building. We still had
a playground, but it was not a good place to play. The swings were broken and it was
very small.

The principal met with the alderman. The alderman works in the city government.
Citizens elect the alderman, and each part of the city has an alderman. The principal
asked the alderman to help. She said that they had an old playground. She showed
pictures of the playground. She explained that the equipment was old and broken. She
said, Our children deserve a much better place to play.

The alderman had a big idea. Lets turn your school into a park, she said. You have
lots of land outside the school. Right now it is concrete. We can put in grass and trees.
We can rebuild the playground.

To make that change, the alderman had to get money because it would be expensive to
make the park. The alderman talked with the Chicago Park District. That is the
organization that runs all the parks. They wanted to add a park near the school. The
wanted to make sure every community had a park they could walk to, and they liked the
idea of putting it right outside the school.

It took two years to make this big change. First, designers made plans. Then, the Park
District made a budget. They made a schedule. First they would have to break up the
concrete. Then they would need good soil, grass, and trees.

They needed money to pay for the work and equipment. The alderman helped them get
money. He persuaded the City Council to pay for the new park. The City Council is in
charge of the citys laws. It oversees the budget, too. The alderman helped them
understand that this park would be well used every day.

It took two years, but the park was built. Everyone loved the park. Now on Saturdays
and Sundays children come to play in the park.
There was a big celebration when they opened it. Parents came, and so did the
alderman. He invited principals of other schools in the community. The other principals
said they wanted to have parks, too. He said, I know what to do.

Directions: Choose the best answer for each question

1. Why was the area around the school covered with concrete?

a. They built another building.

b. They parked cars on it.
c. They used it for a playground. d. They
liked concrete.

2. Why did the Park District help the school?

a. They needed to.

b. They had a goal to build more parks.
c. They liked the alderman. d. They
needed the money.

3. Why did City Council decide to pay for the park?

a. They had the money.

b. They wanted more parks.
c. They believed the alderman. d. They
liked the school.

4. What is one effect of the new park?

a. The community is a better place to live. b. There is a
new parking lot.
c. Children can play in the old playground. d. People have
more time to play.

5. Write your own answer to this question.

What do you predict will be an effect of creating this new park?

________________________________________________________________

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Name_____________________

Seeing Changes

My family has lived in this community for many years. We still live in the same house my
grandmother lived in when she was a child.

When she was a child, there were open fields. That was 50 years ago. Then more
people moved here. It still was a good place to live. There was a good school, and
people thought the neighborhood looked pretty. There were many trees and people had
big yards.

After many people moved to this community, it got crowded. They built big apartment
buildings. They built homes where there had been open lots. By ten years ago, there
was no more open land.

Being crowded is not such a bad change. People opened stores in the neighborhood,
making it more convenient to shop. My grandmother says that when she was young she
had to walk for blocks to get to a store. Now there is a store down the street that opened
because store owners know that there are many customers in our community.

More changes keep happening. My grandmother used to have to walk very far to get to
school. Thirty years ago, they built a school right across the street from our house. So
her child, my mother, could go to school in a minute. She just opened the front door and
crossed the street and she was there.

More people moved into the community. The school got overcrowded. So the school
district built another building. Hundreds of children go to the school every day. I am one
of them.

Five years ago, when I was in 1st grade, there was no place to play. We had a
playground but it was not good. So after school I would go home and play on my block.
But there wasnt much to do, it was hard to play there, and my mother worried.

That year they started to change the school. They tore up the concrete outside of the
school. They planted grass and trees. It took a long time, and there was a lot of dirt and
construction noise. My mother kept vacuuming everyday. She said it was dust from
construction.

Finally, they finished. Now there is a park right across the street from my home. Im
there every day after school. My mother can see that I am safe. She just looks out the
window.

Directions: Choose the best answer for each question

6. Why did the population grow in the community?

a. People liked it.

b. They had trees.
c. There were places to park. d.
Friends came to stay.

7. Why did people open stores in the community?

a. They liked the community.

b. They knew they could sell things there. c. There was
a good school.
d. Many children lived there.

8. What caused them to add a school building? a. The growth of

the population.
b. The change in the community.
c. The improvements in transportation. d. The
parents demanded it.

9. What was one effect of the construction? a. There was a

lot of dust.
b. People moved out of the community.
c. They built another school. d. There was
no place to play.

10. Write your own answer to this question.

What do you predict an effect will be of the building of the park?

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