Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 44006
Cause and Effect
In this lesson (part one of two in a unit), students will be able to identify the cause and effect relationship in text through a series of interactive
activities while working together within a cooperative learning environment. Students will discuss various topics using informational text and write an
explanatory essay using this text structure.
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 7
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD
Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 3 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: cause, effect, informational text, groups, discussion, cooperative learning, text structure, reading
articles, writing, essay, assessment
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
tally sheet.doc
answers One Pricey Book .doc
matching game.doc
paragraphs.doc
sentence strips.doc
writing rubric revised.doc
cause and effect.ppt
GameCards.doc
Word Sort.doc
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will:
use text at varying complexities to identify the cause and effect text structure and analyze its relevance to the passage.
collaboratively discuss and explain the author's use of the cause and effect text structure, how these ideas were developed and their significance to the overall
passage while cooperatively interacting in a small group.
write a three paragraph explanatory essay utilizing the cause and effect text structure, a topic, graphic organizer, and writing rubric to produce a completed
product.
be able to discuss and support their decisions with evidence from the text.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should be able to:
Work in cooperative learning groups.
page 1 of 5 Identify cause and effect relationships.
Understand part to whole organizational structure in a text.
Understand and analyze how parts (sentences, paragraphs, chapters, or sections) contribute to the whole (development of ideas).
Introduce a topic in a student-created essay.
Develop the topic with relevant facts.
Use appropriate transitions to clarify relationships between concepts and ideas.
Use precise language and domain specific vocabulary to inform or explain.
Establish and maintain a formal writing style.
Provide a concluding statement.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
What is the text structure of the passage and why is it important?
How does the text structure contribute meaning to the passage?
What is the main idea?
What are the supporting details?
What is the cause and effect of this passage and how do they relate to each other?
How does the author use cause and effect to organize the passage?
How does each paragraph or section of this article contribute to the whole article?
How is the text structure used to support the author's position?
What is your opinion about this article and why?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
The "Hook" and Activation of Prior Knowledge
The formative assessment also serves as the hook. Please see the formative assessment section for instructional steps.
Introducing/Modeling the Concept or Skill
The teacher will show the PowerPoint to the students at this time. The teacher will refer to the notes in the PowerPoint for further directions. The teacher may opt to
have students take notes during the PowerPoint, as some students are kinesthetic learners.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
The teacher should number each group and have students number themselves (1 - 4) within each group. The teacher can use the numbered heads protocol to ensure
maximum participation.
Teacher Actions during the activity:
1. The teacher will distribute one copy of the article "One Pricey Book!" to each student. The students will silently read the article and follow along as the teacher
reads the article out loud.
2. The teacher will ask a guiding question and then allow students a few minutes to discuss the question within their cooperative learning small groups. The teacher
will walk around the room and monitor groups to ensure students discussions are on task. The teacher will choose one student from a few of the groups to share out
the group's answers. The teacher will provide corrective feedback as needed.
3. The teacher will continue this process choosing different students to share answers until all guiding questions have been discussed. After each question the teacher
will clarify any information for the students as needed and use the four finger rule (see rubric) to check for understanding before proceeding to the next question.
Student Actions during the activity:
Students will discuss each guiding question within their small groups as prompted by the teacher and share the group's answer when called upon. Students should be
using the following skills as listed below. Consequently, teachers may also further assess these skills more formally to ensure that a more cohesive and collaborative
group discussion exists.
Students should be prepared having read the text.
Students should follow discussion rules specified by their instructor.
Students should be able to elaborate on the answer and support it with text.
Students should be able to summarize the group's findings in a logical manner with a complete thought.
Support Materials: A timer and one copy of this article for each student. This article has a Lexile of 1090. Also, an answer key is provided for the teacher to reference.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Teacher Actions during the activity:
The teacher will distribute a different set of articles for each group.
The teacher will write the above guiding questions on the white board.
The teacher will monitor student's understanding and clarify information as needed.
The teacher will use the four finger rule to assess students understanding (see rubric).
The teacher can also rotate the articles from group to group if more practice of the concept is needed; this will be limited to an oral discussion only.
The teacher will collect the written answers to the guiding questions for the various articles and provide a grade and written feedback on each assignment. The
teacher will compile a list of any misunderstandings and review them as a whole class activity prior to the summative assessment.
Student Actions during the activity
The students will read one article, write the answers to the guiding questions and discuss their findings within their groups. Students should use the same groupdiscussion skills as in the guided practice section:
Students should be prepared having read the text.
Students should follow discussion rules specified by their instructor.
page 2 of 5 Students should be able to elaborate on the answer and support it with text.
Students should be able to summarize the group's findings in a logical manner with a complete thought.
Links to Articles to Copy for Students:
A Slick Spill (Lexile 1190)
Space-Storm (Lexile 1050)
Big-Drinks Are Back! (Lexile 1280)
An Attack in Pakistan (Lexile 1130)
Ready Set ... Woof (Lexile 950)
The Gassy Dinosaur Effect (Lexile 1270)
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
Lesson Review Activity
1. The students will be numbered from one to four. All number one students of each group will rotate clockwise, and number two students will rotate counter
clockwise to the next group. Students will collaboratively read, listen and analyze each student essay for the appropriate elements within their cooperative groups
while discussing the author's use of the text structure, as well as choose the strongest essay to represent their group.
2. Selected essays will be read, analyzed and discussed as a whole class activity, using the writing rubric, to cement the concept. However, when presenting the final
essays, the teacher may opt to make them anonymous or allow the student who wrote the essay to read the essay to the class.
Summative Assessment
Students will write a 3-paragraph explanatory essay using cause and effect text structure to explain the reasons for and results of a given topic.
Students should be able to independently choose a topic and use the appropriate cause and effect graphic organizer (refer to notes) and planning sheet to organize
their ideas. Students should be able to independently use the writing rubric guidelines to produce a three paragraph essay.
Topics:
Why are some books so expensive?
What are some reasons that force people to evacuate their homes?
Why do you think space storms occur and what are their effects?
Why were big drinks banned and what was the impact of this decision?
What motivates a person to bully and what can be done about it?
Why are some dogs such accomplished athletes?
What effect did the dinosaurs have on the earth and why?
Note: This lesson is part 1 in a 2-part unit on text structures.
Formative Assessment
The teacher will facilitate activities by clarifying instruction, monitoring student's data recording, assessing students' understanding and providing individual verbal
feedback as warranted. The teacher will collect the activity worksheets for data analysis. This activity should take 15 minutes.
Assessment Activity Steps
1. Place students in cooperative learning groups of at least four students per group. Ideally, groups should include two boys and two girls of various ethnic diversities.
Mix high, medium, and low students based on standardized assessments like FCAT.
2. Assign a number to each group and provide each student with a tally score sheet. The tally score sheet is a worksheet designed for each student to effortlessly
track their results as they transition from game to game.
3. Place one cause and effect activity with instructions at each group's station.
Matching Game - Students alternate turns to match words, pictures and definitions.
Paragraphs Students use a graphic organizer to write down the cause and the effect.
Sentence Strips - Students use word parts (cause, signal word, effect) to create a coherent cause and effect statement.
Game Cards Students use multiple choice to select the correct cause or effect answer.
Word Sort Students place an assortment of words under the correct categories.
4. Allow students 3 minutes on each activity, and then rotate groups to the next station.
5. The teacher will use the collected data to help determine student's overall strengths and weaknesses in regards to understanding cause and effect text structure.
The teacher can use the data to focus on and re-teach students that require assistance when applying the skill to informational text of various complexities.
Feedback to Students
The teacher will walk around the room to monitor group activities (see formative assessment section) and orally assess student's understanding within their
cooperative learning groups using the four finger rule: "I understand the concept well enough to teach it to my peers = 4 fingers. I fully understand the concept, but I
could use some help = 3 fingers. I feel like I am on the right track with this concept, but I would feel nervous if I had to take a test = 2 fingers. I do not understand the
concept, please teach me again = 1 finger. (see rubric).
Note: The teacher may take a 10-second pause before groups switch stations to do the 4-finger check, and can provide more attention to "1" and "2" finger
students as they work in groups. Teachers can also track this anecdotal data throughout the lesson in a grade book or class list with boxes to keep track of student
progress.
Upon completion of all activities the teacher may perform a whole class oral assessment of student's understanding using the three finger rule and collect all the tally
score sheets. The teacher will analyze the data on the tally score sheets by individual student and by cooperative learning groups. The feed back provided based on
this data will help teachers target students weakness as they teach the lesson and prepare them for the summative assessment by evaluating their current ability to
identify the core concept and use strategies as needed to make application with various texts while explaining it to others.
Note: The tally score sheet is a worksheet to accompany the game for each group as the students rotate so they can track their success and complete the activity.
Once collected at a later time the teacher can analyze the data. The data will help the teacher target the appropriate students and emphasize imperative
page 3 of 5 information to understand the standard based concept.
Summative Assessment: Students will receive feedback based on the writing rubric, through peer review, and through teacher facilitated guidance.
Informal assessment will be done throughout the lesson using the four finger rule (see rubric).
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
Strategies for Comprehension
Build any missing background knowledge for your student
Use a dictionary to define content specific vocabulary
Reread and summarize short sections of information
Study any pictures or illustrations
Strategies for Writing
Use a graphic organizer to plan and organize your ideas
Use structure: Intro, body and Conclusion
Go back through your writing and add adjectives to describe the things that you are writing about
Extensions:
Students might conduct research and write a cause/effect essay on one of the below prompts as a follow-up, or even later in the year as a review activity:
1. The effect of a parent, teacher, friend, coach on your life
2. The effects of cramming for an examination
3. The effects of peer pressure
4. Why some students cheat
5. The effects of growing up with a personal computer
6. Why more and more students are taking online classes
7. The effects of computers on our everyday lives
8. The effects of pressures on students to get good grades
9. The effects of stress on students in middle school
10. The effects of moving to a new town or city
11. Why growing numbers of people shop online
12. The influence of a book or a movie on your life
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Formative Assessment
Index cards
Class set of tally score sheets (attached)
One activity set for each numbered group (attached)
Assessment rubric (attached)
Summative Assessment
Writing rubric (attached)
Article (one for each group) - included in the lesson content section
Further Recommendations:
Classroom management tips
There are many ways to facilitate the actual group discussion and express the answer as summarized by the group. For example: in a group of four students using
numbered heads (student 1) read or repeat the question to the group members and ensure that everyone understands what the question is asking. (Student 2)
answers the question with support from group members, (student 3) proves the answer from the text with support from group members and (student 4) agrees or
disagrees with that answer with support from group members. While students may be assigned individual tasks the entire group is responsible to work together and
determine the correct answer. So that any student can be called upon to report, the agreed upon group should answer as a complete logical statement in this same
format: restate the question, add the answer, tell why with proof from the text, and finally reiterate position by agreeing or disagreeing. The teacher can have a
student report, a group report, or one person from each group using number heads.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
The second lesson in this unit has been attached as a related CPALMS resource.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
page 4 of 5 Contributed by: Dr. Terry
Name of Author/Source: kathy terry
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Seminole
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.7.RI.1.1:
LAFS.7.RI.2.5:
LAFS.7.SL.1.1:
LAFS.7.W.1.2:
Description
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and
to the development of the ideas.
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners
on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation
by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as
needed.
c. Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations
and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies
such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
page 5 of 5