Cause & Effect
Complete unit · Grades 3–5 · 46-page PDF
5 lessons · 8 leveled passages · pre- and post-assessment
Explain what happened and why, using the passage.
View the full unit from Milestone Teachers · Try the free lesson from Milestone Teachers
What's inside
- Teacher guide: unit at a glance, measured levels, grouping
- Pre- and post-assessment in parallel forms + class tracker
- Illustrated anchor chart: cause = why, effect = what happened
- 5 lesson plans in gradual release (I do, we do, you do)
- 8 original passages at Levels A, B and C, readability printed
- Match cards, sort, one-cause and chain organizers
- 24 task cards + exit tickets for Lessons 1-4
- 3 small-group reteach cards and every answer key
Lessons at a glance
| When | Focus | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Before | Pre-assessment, Form A (about 15 minutes) | 4-5 |
| Lesson 1 | Cause = why, effect = what happened I can find the cause (why it happened) and the effect (what happened) in a story, even when the effect is told first. | 7-13 |
| Lesson 2 | Signal words are clues, not rules I can use signal words as clues, check whether one thing really makes the other happen, and find causes that have no signal word. | 14-19 |
| Lesson 3 | One cause, many effects I can find several effects of one cause, and copy the words that show each one. | 20-23 |
| Lesson 4 | Chains of causes and effects I can follow a chain where each effect becomes the next cause, in a history text. | 24-27 |
| Lesson 5 | Show what you know: one topic, three levels I can find causes, effects and a chain on my own, with a passage at my level. | 28-32 |
| Review | 24 task cards + recording sheet (centers or small groups) | 33-36 |
| After | Post-assessment, Form B; compare on the tracker | 37-38 |
| Any day | Reteach cards for small groups | 39-40 |
Passages and levels
| Passage | Used in | Level | Grade (FK) | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ana's Lemonade Stand | Lesson 1 (guided) | Level A | 3.3 | 155 |
| Nico's Bird Feeder | Lesson 1 (on your own) | Level B | 4.4 | 210 |
| Why Leaves Change Color | Lesson 2 (guided) | Level A | 3.0 | 156 |
| Earthworms at Work | Lesson 3 | Level B | 4.1 | 206 |
| The Dust Bowl | Lesson 4 | Level C | 5.4 | 258 |
| Sea Otters and Kelp | Lesson 5 | Level A | 2.9 | 154 |
| Sea Otters and Kelp | Lesson 5 | Level B | 4.0 | 206 |
| Sea Otters and Kelp | Lesson 5 | Level C | 5.6 | 257 |
Standards
Common Core codes and wording as printed in the unit.
- RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
- RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
- RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
- RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
- RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Ontario Language (2023): direct matches
- C1.3 (Grade 3, 5). Grade 3 wording: identify some text patterns, such as order of importance and cause and effect
- C3.3 (Grade 4, 5). Grade 4 wording: analyze various texts...sequencing the events of multiple plots, and explaining cause and effect