Cause & Effect text Structure

Another text structure

 Sometimes, a writer will want to explain

how one event leads to another
 This kind of text structure is called cause
and effect
Cause and effect signal words

 cause
 effect
 as a result
consequently
 so
More Signal Words
 Cause                                Effect

 Because                        As a result

 The reason for            Outcome
 On account of              Finally
 Bring about                  Consequently
 Give rise to                  Therefore
 Created by                   For this reason
 Contributed by             Hence
 Led to                          Effect
 Due to                         Then
 Since                           So
Can you find the signal words?

The night’s snowstorm had many effects.

People were out shoveling snow from their
sidewalks. The power lines were draped with
ice. Snow plows drove down every street.
Children were the happiest of all. The
unexpected snow caused school to be
cancelled!
Can you find the effect words?

The night’s snowstorm had many effects.

People were out shoveling snow from their
sidewalks. The power lines were draped with
ice. Snow plows drove down every street.
Children were the happiest of all. The
unexpected snow caused school to be
cancelled!
Use signal words to identify which is the
cause and which is the effect.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!
More with cause and effect

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!

This is the
cause
Use the signal words to identify the cause
and effect in this paragraph.

Baby painted turtles spend all winter in

their nests. They have special chemicals in
their blood that can keep their blood from
freezing. As a result, baby painted turtles
can survive freezing temperatures!
This is the
effect
But sometimes it’s not so simple
 Cause/Effect is not  In the following
always written in the passage from a New
sequence format. York Times column
entitled "The Pump
 Cause and effect on the Well," Tom
also analyzes why Wicker considers the
something happens. effects of a
 Cause-and-effect technological
essays examine advance on a village
causes, describe in India.
effects, or do both.
See if you can identify the Causes &
Effects.
When a solar-powered water pump was provided for a
well in India, the village headman took it over and sold
the water, until stopped. The new liquid abundance
attracted hordes of unwanted nomads. Village boys
who had drawn water in buckets had nothing to do,
and some became criminals. The gap between rich
and poor widened, since the poor had no land to
benefit from irrigation. Finally, village women broke the
pump, so they could gather again around the well that
had been the center of their social lives. Moral:
technological advances have social, cultural
sentence   and economic consequences, often
unanticipated.
See if you can identify the Causes &
Effects.
CAUSES: When a solar-powered water pump was
provided for a well in India, the village headman took it
over and sold the water, until stopped. The new
liquid abundance attracted hordes of unwanted
nomads. Village boys who had drawn water in buckets
had nothing to do, and some became criminals. The
gap between rich and poor widened, since the poor
had no land to benefit from irrigation. Finally, village
women broke the pump, so they could gather again
around the well that had been the center of their social
lives. Moral: technological advances have social,
cultural sentence   and economic consequences, often
unanticipated.
See if you can identify the Causes &
Effects.
When a solar-powered water pump was provided for a
well in India, the village headman took it over and sold
the water, until stopped. The new liquid abundance
attracted hordes of unwanted nomads. Village boys
who had drawn water in buckets had nothing to do,
and some became criminals. The gap between rich
and poor widened, since the poor had no land to
Effects:
benefit from irrigation. Finally, village women
broke the pump, so they could gather again around
the well that had been the center of their social lives.
Moral: technological advances have social, cultural,
and economic consequences, often unanticipated.
 Cause-and-effect analysis explains why
something happened--or is happening---
and it predicts what probably will
happen.

 Sometimes many different causes can

be responsible for one effect.
 Similarly, many different effects can be
produced by a single cause.
 For Example:

 Many elements may contribute to an

individual's decision to leave his or her native
country and come to the United States.

 Causes                                    Effect
Political repression             Immigrants come to US
Desire to join family members
Desire for economic opportunity
Desire for religious freedom
 Immigration, for instance, has had a variety of effects
on the United States.

 Cause                                      Effects
Immigrants come to                 Diverse culture
the United States                     New goods and services
                                                 Housing shortages
                                                 Challenges to education
                                                 New political agendas
Review
 Which text structure tells about how things are
similar and different?
 Compare and contrast
 Which text structure introduces a main idea and
several supporting details?
 Description
 Which text structure discusses a problem and
possible solutions?
 Problem/Solution
 What does the cause/effect text structure
explain?
EXIT SLIP

 How do you determine whether or not an

article is an example of the cause/effect
text structure?
 This presentation was adapted from the Power Point
presentation, “Understanding Text Structures,” by Emily
Kissner.

 Follow the links to find the original information:

 http://www.slideshare.net/elkissn/understanding-text-stru
ctures

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Understan
ding-Text-Structure-Powerpoint