Cause and Effect
Lesson 1
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to determine cause and effect in a series of statements.
Lesson Plan:
Discuss what is cause and effect:
A cause is why an event happens. The effect is an event that happens because of a cause. For example, slamming the door might cause a loud noise. Brainstorm different examples together. You may want to name a cause and have children identify an effect and vice versa. What can cause you to wake up late? What is the effect of walking in the rain? Discuss together.
One event can cause a chain of events to happen. For example, forgetting to set an alarm clock can cause you to wake up late, which means you might be late to school, which can cause you to get in trouble with the teacher. Discuss other examples together. Also explain to children that one event can have many causes. For instance, staying up late the night before and forgetting to set an alarm clock can both cause you to wake up late. Likewise, one event can have multiple effects. What are the effects of arriving late to school? Have children brainstorm different effects.
Discuss how cause and effect can be in a sequence and often create a snowball of events that happen after the initial event.
Students watch one of the Direct TV ads:
More than likely, they will need some background knowledge on a few of the ideas. I had students watch the video one time through then talked with them and clarified any misunderstandings. The second and third time they watched it, they filled out flow chart for cause and effect, noting signal words the commercial used.
Discuss how doing one thing lead to another and it was all because...you have paid too much for cable. Ask them to begin thinking of a cause and effect sequence story for next time.
