Everything that happens in the world is a result of cause and effect and because of this, even non-fiction literature and articles often have these cause and effect references. These concepts are important for readers to understand what they’re reading and think about the causes and effects the author presented. To help students understand this, allow them to practice using cause and effect worksheets.
Cause and Effect Worksheets
What is cause and effect?
Cause and effect is a relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other – a combination of action and reaction. In literature, cause and effect reading passages are a common method of organizing information. For instance, paragraphs with a cause and effect structure can explain the reasons behind an occurrence.
Cause and effect exercises are commonly used in persuasive and expository writing styles. For instance, when an author gives the reasons for something happening, he is simply providing an explanation of the cause of an effect – the reason is the cause and what happened is the effect.
When an author provides an explanation for the results of a specific action, he is also explaining the effects of the cause – the result is the effect and the thing that happened is the cause. This structure is very common even you would have probably composed your own paragraph with it.
Why do you need cause and effect worksheets?
Cause and effect worksheets include situations where an event occurs and a cause why it happened. There is always a relationship between a cause and an effect. For students, learning through cause and effect activities can help them understand the structures of stories and situations.
There are several cause and effect exercises and worksheets you can use for different grade levels. You can easily download these worksheets from there, customize them as needed. Encourage your students to learn more about this concept through constant practice by reading cause and effect reading passages.
Cause and effect is an essential element of reading comprehension. Sadly, even students who attend grammar school sometimes struggle to understand its meaning. As a teacher, you can help your students perfect this essential skill through cause and effect activities and worksheets.
Cause and Effect Exercises
Other methods of teaching cause and effect
Aside from using cause and effect worksheets, you can introduce to your students, other simple ideas or methods to help students master cause and effect 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and so on. Here are some methods to consider:
Use concrete examples
Gather some good cause-and-effect examples you can use in class. Use examples that demonstrate the concept clearly. Use these to make cause and effect exercises so students can easily identify which is the cause and which is the effect.
Make sentence strips for matching
On long strips of paper, write the causes and the matching effects. You should make enough of these for the entire class. Give a sentence strip to each student that contains either an “effect” or a “cause.” When you give the “Go” signal, the kids start walking around the room until they locate their match.
When everyone finds their partner, they can then quickly share their combined answers. This cause and effect activity will pique the students’ interests as it will get them out of their chairs.
Play a pairing card game with cause and effect passages
Cut out cards from two construction paper of two different colors. After arranging your students into pairs, give each of them two cards of each color. One of the colors is for the causes and the other color is for the effects.
Next, the pairs should work together to think of different cause-and-effect events that they will write down on their cards. Once they have finished their events, they mix them up, place them inside an envelope and write their names on the front.
The next day, set the envelopes around the room as if having a scavenger hunt. Have pairs of students go around the classroom to open the envelopes then match the cause and effect cards.
Use pictures cards for your students to infer cause and effect
This would be a good exercise for students who have already mastered the basics. First, collect a lot of interesting pictures from magazines or download them online from royalty-free sites. Make sure that the pictures generate interest so your students can find several cause-and-effects using them.
Paste the pictures on a piece of chart or construction paper. Underneath each of the pictures, divide the space in half. Write “cause” at the top and “effect” at the bottom. Your students can have a brainstorming session and jot down as many different causes and effects for a single picture by looking at it in different ways.
Read picture books
You can find many wonderful picture books that show the cause-and-effect concept. Some of these may be a bit outlandish but students always enjoy and find something memorable in such wild scenes.
Play a cause-and-effect game
One effective way to reinforce a lesson is through games. Such activities are also very interesting for students of all ages. As an added incentive, you can even play these games independently. When one of your students finishes his assignments early and has some free time to spare, let him test his mastery of cause and effect by having him play cause-and-effect games that could both challenge him and reinforce what you have taught.
For instance, if you have a student who is an ice cream fanatic, let him “scoop” the cause and place it on a cone where you’ve written an effect. This is a fun game you can create using an ice cream scoop, paper cones and “ice cream scoops” made of ping pong balls. If your students play by group, let them compete in a game of cause-and-effect Jeopardy!
Conduct experiments
Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the cause-and-effect concept is through an experiment. Make a quick list of simple experiments to do in class. Then in small groups or as a whole class, work together to think of a simple hypothesis. Help the students to see that the setup you have created for the experiment is the cause and what happens as a result of the experiment is the effect.
