Cause and Effect in Stories and Daily Life

Designed by: Emily Hammett  School: Meadowfield Elementary

1) CORE CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE (S): Recognize cause and effect. (1-CM11)  PACT: I.F.8

GRADE LEVEL:  1    SUBJECT:   READING

2) OVERVIEW: The teacher will introduce the concept of cause and effect by giving four cause and effect demonstrations and then asking children to recognize the specific cause and effect in each demonstration.  Then, the teacher will help the children to recognize the cause and effect in the story The Napping House by Audrey Wood.  Then, the class will play the game "Cause and Effect Match-Up" in which children must correctly recognize and match-up cause and effect cards and place them in a cause and effect chart.  Following the game, the children will be divided into groups of two and assessed on the concept of cause and effect as they use their own set of cause and effect cards to correctly recognize and match-up causes and effects and glue them onto a cause and effect chart. 

3) PURPOSE/ESSENTIAL QUESTION (S): How do you know if one thing happening makes another thing happen?

4) TIME FRAME: 2 days (Day 1 - 45 minutes to 1 hour; Day 2 - 45 minutes)

5) RESOURCES:

- Cause and Effect Cards for "Cause and Effect Match-Up" Game- In order to make the cause and effect cards, the teacher needs to either draw or find Internet or magazine pictures which depict various causes and effects.  Teachers can also refer to pp. 13-14, 21-22, 43-44, 57-58 in Practice Book level 1; pp.15-16 in Practice Book level 2; pp. 11-12 and 56-57 in Practice Book level 3; pp.2-3 and 45 in Practice Book level 4; and pp. 48-49 in Practice Book level 5 for picture ideas, as well.  Each picture should be glued onto a piece of construction paper, poster board, or tagboard and then cut out into a square.  Each square should then be laminated, and then a magnet strip should be glued to the back of the square.  You will need enough cause and effect cards so that each child in your class would have at least one cause and effect match.   

- A set of Cause and Effect cards for each group of two in your class- These cards will need to be similar cause and effect match up cards as from the Match-Up game; however, these cards do not need to be magnetized.  Each set should have only 10 cards (5 "cause" cards and 5 matching "effect" cards).

- One egg

- One bowl

- 10-15 dominos

- One balloon (not blown up)

- Wood, Audrey.  (1984).  The napping house.  Illus.  Don Wood.  San Diego: Harcourt.

- The Napping House (film) - Media:  MP4-1988

- Overhead projector, transparency, overhead pens (optional)

- 1 piece of construction paper for each group of two

- 1 glue stick for each group of two

- 1 piece of construction paper for each child (if finished early with assessment)

6) ASSESSMENTS: 

1 point for each cause correctly identified in chart  X  5 = 5

1 point for each effect correctly identified in chart  X  5 = 5

1 point for each correct cause and effect match     X  5 = 5

= A total of 15 possible points

So that

13/15 to 15/15     = +

11/15 to 12/15     = ?

11/15 and below  =-

7) INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Day 1 - 45 minutes to 1 hour

1. The teacher will introduce the concept of cause and effect by showing the children four different demonstrations.

2. First, the teacher will tell the children to watch very carefully at what happens as the teacher performs the demonstration.

3. The teacher will show the children an egg, break the egg on the side of a bowl, and empty the yolk into the bowl.

4. The teacher will call on students to tell him/her exactly what the children saw happening.

5. After several students have reported what happened, the teacher should then relate the demonstration to the concept of cause and effect by saying, "This demonstration is a good example of something we're going to learn about today called cause and effect.  Cause and effect means that one thing can make something else happen.  For example, because I broke the egg against the bowl, the egg cracked open and yolk came out.  The cause is my breaking the egg against the bowl, and the effect or what happened is that the egg cracked open and yolk came out.

6. The teacher will tell the children that he/she will perform another demonstration that will have a cause and effect and that they should watch very closely to see of they can recognize the cause and effect. 

7. The teacher will set up a line of several dominos, and then he/she will push the first domino down.

8. The teacher will call on students to see if they can recognize the cause (pushing down the first domino) and the effect (all the other dominos fell down). 

9. After a discussion of this demonstration, the teacher should again make a statement similar to the following: "Great!  You're right!  BeCAUSE I pushed down the first domino, all the others dominos fell down, too.  The cause is my pushing down the first domino, and the effect of what happened is that all the other dominos fell down, too!"

10. The teacher should tell the students that he/she will perform another cause and effect demonstration and to watch carefully.

11. The teacher will show the children a balloon (not blown up), will blow into the balloon several times, and then show the children the blown up balloon.

12. Again, the teacher will ask the children what is the cause (blowing into the balloon) and the effect (the balloon became larger) in this demonstration. 

13. After a discussion, the teacher should say, "Great!  BeCAUSE I blew air into the balloon, the balloon grew larger.  The cause is by blowing air into the balloon and the effect or what happened is that the balloon grew larger!"

14. The teacher will tell the children to watch what will happen now.  The teacher should release his/her fingers from the balloon, while still holding on to the balloon, and let out all the air.

15. The teacher will call on the children to recognize the cause (letting go of the end of the balloon) and the effect (the balloon getting smaller and/or making a noise).  After a discussion, the teacher should make a cause and effect statement related to this demonstration to ensure student understanding of the concept.

16. The teacher will tell the students that many of the stories they read or hear will have causes and effects and that when they read or hear a story, they should listen and look at the illustrations very carefully in order to find the causes and effects in stories.

17. The teacher will then tell the children that he/she will show the film (or read the story) The Napping House by Audrey Wood and that the children should pay attention very carefully and look for the cause and effect in the story.

18. After reading or showing the film, the teacher will call on children to identify the cause (the grandmother, the grandson, the dog, the cat, and the mouse all get on the bed) and the effect, (the bed breaks, and they all fall out of the bed).

19. Then, the teacher will review the concept of cause and effect by asking the children to explain and give an example of cause and effect.

20. The teacher will tell the students that they will continue with more cause and effect activities the next day.

Day 2 - 45 minutes

1. The teacher will review the concept of cause and effect by asking the students to give some cause and effect examples that they saw in the demonstrations from the day before. 

2. The teacher will ask the students to come up with other cause and effect examples different from the ones they discussed in class the day before.  As each child provides a cause/effect example, the teacher will record his/her ideas onto a cause and effect chart on the board or on the overhead projector.

3. After several suggestions have been made and discussed, the teacher will tell the children that they are going to play a game called "Cause and Effect Match-Up".  The teacher will tell the children that it is important to pay attention to the game because they will be given an assignment to complete for a grade after the game.  The class should be divided into 2 teams.  The teacher will have a set of teacher made magnetic cause and effect cards already on the board (see Resources for more information).  Each child is to come up to the board, choose a cause card and its matching effect card, explain why it is a "Cause and Effect Match-Up," and place the cards in a cause and effect chart on the board.  Each correct match-up earns 1 point for the team.  The game should continue until each child gets at least one turn.

4. After the game, the teacher will divide the class into groups of two and explain the culminating assessment.  Each group should be given a set of their own "Cause and Effect Match-Up" cards, a piece of construction paper already labeled "cause" on the left side and "effect" on the right side, and a glue stick.  Each group is to match up each cause and effect correctly and glue them in the correctly labeled columns side by side.  The teacher will explain the rubric at this time. 

5. Any group that finishes early should draw and explain cause and effect examples from their own life on another sheet of construction paper.

6. When all groups are finished, the teacher will collect the work and then ask children what they learned about cause and effect over the past two days. 

7. Then, the teacher will assess the work using the rubric, and post the work in the classroom and on the school's website.