LAE 221 Cause and EffectLAE 221 Cause and EffectLAE 221-Recognizes or explains in writing cause-and-effect relationship within or across informational and/or literary texts.A cause is why something happens.An effect is the end results.

Cause and EffectCause and Effect

A cause is the reason why something happens. An effect is the end result. Example-A lost pacifier might cause a baby to

cry, while the effect of not brushing your teeth might be cavities.

The “Why” FactorThe “Why” Factor

The best way to identify a cause and effect question is that it contains the word “why”. If a question ask you “why”about anything in the text, you can bet that it will be a cause and effect question. If you come across this type of question, you should try to find the “because” answer in the passage.

Short Responses: Short Responses:

A “why” short-response question is relatively easy to answer. Use the same strategy as above, and first go back to the passage to find the “because” answer. However, do NOT begin writing your short-response answer with the word because. Instead, restate the question and then give your answer. You should also include a minimum of one supporting detail along with your answer; if you have room, include tow details. Think in this manner: one point for correct answer and one point for one or more supporting details.

Top-Score Response:

A top-score response will use details and information from the narrative to explain “why.”

Other Types of Questions:Other Types of Questions:

What is the reason…? What were the effects of…? What are the causes…? What was the outcome…? What result…?

Questions:Questions:Why did the author’s mother urge her son to sell magazines?

  What attracted the hammerhead sharks to the driver?

According to the author, what is the most likely reason that a great white shark might attack a diver?

         Why did General Grant want to seize the Memphis & Charleston Railroad?

         Which of the following events was an effect of the first day of the battle?

           What are some of the qualities that make sharks effective hunters? Support your answer with details and information from the reading.

Why is so little known about some species of shark?

OrganizerOrganizerCause-Effect Order

Details are arranged to show connections between a result and the events that preceded it. It is also know as “problem-solution” order.This organization is used in all types of paragraphs.

Effects/Solutions

Cause/Problem

Response Attributes:Response Attributes:

Distracters may include, but are not limited to, the following:

        incorrect causes or effects        incorrect rationales for cause-and-effect

relationshipsplausible but incorrect responses based

on the text

Cause-Effect Order:Cause-Effect Order:

In a cause-effect paragraph, the writer establishes a logical relationship between a cause or causes and one or more effects. Sometimes a writer explains the effect first and then offers information about the causes. Other times, the writer begins with the causes and then explains the effects.

“The Story of My Body” by Judith Ortiz Cofer“The Story of My Body” by Judith Ortiz Cofer

I started out life as a pretty baby and learned to be a pretty girl from a pretty mother. Then at ten years of age I suffered one of the worst cases of chicken pox I have ever heard of. My entire body, including the inside of my ears and in between my toes, was covered with pustules which in a fit of panic at my appearance I scratched off my face, leaving permanent scars. A cruel school nurse told me I would always have them—tiny cuts that looked as if a mad cat had plunged its claws deep into my skin. I grew my hair long and hid behind it for the first years of my adolescence. This was when I learned to be invisible.

Cause & Effect AnswersCause & Effect AnswersI started out life as a pretty baby and learned to be a pretty girl from a pretty mother. (Cause)Then at ten years of age I suffered one of the worst cases of chicken pox I have ever heard of. (1) My entire body, including the inside of my ears and in between my toes, was covered with pustules which in a fit of panic at my appearance I scratched off my face, leaving (2) permanent scars. A cruel school nurse told me I would always have them—tiny cuts that looked as if a mad cat had plunged its claws deep into my skin. I grew my hair long and hid behind it for the first years of my adolescence. This was when (3) I learned to be invisible.

Organizing InformationOrganizing Information

terrible case of the chicken pox

1) covered with pustules

2) permanent scars

3) learned to be invisible