Mini-Lesson

Cause and Effect

Mini-Lesson: Grades 2-3

Objective: Students will identify cause and effect.

1. Start a discussion about cause-effect relationships. Remind students that a cause is the reason something happens, and an effect is what happens as a result.

2. Pass out copies of the Cause-and-Effect Chart. In the first Cause box, have students write, I spent three hours studying for my science test. Then, discuss possible effects. (Examples include: I got an A on the test and I was tired the next day.) In the second Effect box, have students write, We won the big basketball game.. Then, discuss possible causes. (Examples include: We practiced a lot and We worked together as a team.)

3. Next, pass out copies of the timeforkids.com news story, Weather Woes. As students read the article, have them jot down effects of the powerful storms in the last space of the graphic organizer.