Get ideas for lesson plans that teach cause and effect at www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/a/causeandeffectl.cfm. Assignments often ask students to explain the causes and effects of something. Here is an example of a writing topic asking for causes of a particular phenomenon: In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth's population lives in urban areas. Explain
. the causes of this phenomenon. Be sure to give specific details and reasons in your explanation. ?Cause/effect paragraphs generally follow basic paragraph format. That is, they begin with a topic sentence and this sentence is followed by specific supporting details. For example, if the topic sentence introduces an effect, the supporting sentences all describe causes. Here is an example: "In recent decades, cities have grown so large that now about 50% of the Earth's population lives in urban areas. There are several reasons for this occurrence. First, the increasing industrialization of the nineteenth century resulted in the creation of many factory jobs, which tended to be located in cities. These jobs, with their promise of a better material life, attracted many people from rural areas. Second, there were many schools established to educate the children of the new factory laborers. The promise of a better education persuaded many families to leave farming communities and move to the cities. Finally, as the cities grew, people established places of leisure, entertainment, and culture, such as sports stadiums, theaters, and museums. For many people, these facilities made city life appear more interesting than life on the farm, and therefore drew them away from rural communities." ?Notice how each supporting sentence is a cause that explains the effect mentioned in the topic sentence. Cities have grown very large. ?Notice also how the topic sentence is followed by the "focusing" or "prediction" sentence, There are several reasons for this. Such sentences help the reader anticipate the organization of the paragraph or essay. ? lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/cause.html library.thinkquest.org/CR0210124/cause&effect.html www.ask.com/questions.../Lesson-Plans-for-Teaching-Cause-Effect ProTeacher! Lessons and activites including lesson plans for ... www.readwritethink.org/.../lesson-plans/exploring-cause-effect-using-925. html lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/cause.html or www.readwritethink.org/.../lesson-plans/exploring-cause-effect-using-925. html
