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
Immigrants come to
the United States
Effects
Diverse culture
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/Understand
ing-Text-Structure-Powerpoint