Scott Foresman Reading Street

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Cause/Effect
Story Structure

Test

Selection Test:
Unit 3
Benchmark Tests: Units 4, 6

Reteach/
Review

TE: 3.3 303b, 315, DI•52; 3.4 35b, 49, 71, DI•52; 3.6 293, 331b, 373, DI•53

PB: 3.1 103, 107, 108, 116; 3.2 3, 7,
8, 16, 26, 106, 113, 117, 118, 136

Practice

TE: 3.3 280–281, 3.4 12–13,
3.6 304–305

Introduce/
Teach

Cause and Effect

	Identify causes and effects.
	Use story structure to understand cause and effect.

INTRODUCE

Write the topic "Late for School" on
the board. Below it, write "Causes"
and "Effects." Jot down overslept
below "Causes." Ask students what
might be some of the effects of being
late for school because of
oversleeping. Then let students
suggest other cause-and-effect
scenarios about being late for school.

Have students read the information on
p. 280. Explain the following:

When we look for causes, we
look for why something
happened. When we look for
effects, we look for what
happened.
Recognizing cause and effect
can help us understand why
things happen in the text.

Use Skill Transparency 11 to teach
cause and effect.

TEACH

SKILL Use paragraph 1 to

model using clue words to find
causes and effects.

MODEL When I come across
words like because and so in
a selection, I know the author

is writing about causes and
effects. If I ask myself what
happened, I will find the effect,
and if I ask myself why it
happened, I will find the cause.

STRATEGY Use paragraphs 1

and 2 to model how to use clue
words to see how the author has
organized the selection to show
cause and effect.

MODEL When I see the word
so in the second paragraph, I
know the author is signaling

an effect. The author has used this clue word before. One thing seems to affect another.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

SKILL Causes: It was January

and the ground was frozen; Margo
wondered how to grow flowers in
her house. Effects: No flowers
could grow in the yard; she went
to the library for a book.

STRATEGY The clue word in the

second paragraph is so, like the
second clue word in the first
paragraph. Students should
recognize the second so and be
able to follow the chain of events.

WRITE Have students complete

steps 1 and 2 of the Write to Read activity. You might consider using this as a whole class activity.

then… use Practice Book 3.1, p. 103, to provide additional practice.

If… students are unable to complete Write to read on
p. 280,

Cause and Effect

Available as Skill Transparency 11

An effect is what happened.

A cause tells why something
happened.

Cause and Effect

Strategy
Story Structure

Sometimes a cause has more than
one effect.

Skill
Cause and Effect

Strategy: Story Structure

Effect

Cause

Effect 1

Cause

Effect 2

Words such as because and so are clues
that can help you figure out a cause and
its effect.

She read the book carefully so she would
know how to make flowers grow in her house.
The book had a list of what she needed for an
indoor garden, so she went to the garden shop to
buy some supplies. The book said flowers grow
best near a window because they need plenty
of sun. So, she set her new green plants on her
kitchen windowsill. The book also said that flowers
need water. Margo put the watering can near the
sink to remind her to water the plants often. She
looked at her dreary yard and then at her cheerful
pots of plants. She hoped they would bloom soon!

Margo loved flowers. They made her think of
spring. There were no flowers growing in the yard
now because it was January and the ground was
frozen. Margo wondered how to grow flowers in
her house, so she went to the library for a book.

Skill There are
some clue words
in this paragraph
—because and so.
What causes and
effects can you find
in this paragraph?

Strategy Here’s
another clue word.
This sentence is
like the one in the
first paragraph.
This pattern should
help you recognize
that events are
happening in order
and that they affect
one another.

2. Use your graphic organizer to
    write a paragraph that explains
    three effects of Margo reading
    the book. Use clue words.

1. Read “Winter Blooms.” Make
    graphic organizers like those
    above. Note at least three
    causes and their effects.

A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
This means that events happen all along the
way. One event leads to the next. Good
readers use this structure to find causes and
their effects.



	Close
	Access Content Beginning/Intermediate For a Picture It! lesson on cause and effect, see the ELL Teaching Guide, pp. 71–72. Advanced Before students read "Winter Blooms," have them discuss where they have seen flowers or other plants growing. Cause and Effect Have pairs of students set up a T-chart on a sheet of paper. They should label the right column "What happened?" and the left column "Why did it happen?" Then have pairs go through "Winter Blooms." Ask them to write down all the information in the selection that answers the first question and then all the information that answers the second question. After pairs finish, tell them to write "Effects" above the right column and "Causes" above the left column. Finally, have pairs complete the Write activity on p. 280. Practice Book 3.1 p. 103 with \| without Answers