Cause and Effect -- What Comes First?

Everything we do in life has an effect! 

If, for example, your alarm doesn't go off, you will get up late.

To determine the cause, answer the question "why" something happened. Why did you get up late? Your alarm clock did not go off. This is the cause! The cause happens first!

The effect is the result of an action. It answers the question: What happened because of this?
You would ask: What happened because your alarm clock did not go off? The answer, and the effect, would be: You got up late. The effect happens second!

When you think about cause and effect, imagine the order in which they occur. This is known as a sequence of events. 

Which of the following actions do you think happened first? Let's try a few together!

1) Fran got up early. Fran showered and ate breakfast before 7 a.m.

2) Nelson received his high school diploma in June. Nelson passed every HiSET test with high grades.

3) Steva celebrated her birthday with her immediate family only. A pandemic had hit the United States earlier in the year.
                                                          NEXT, TRY THESE WITH A PARTNER! 
Directions: Decide which sentence is the cause (and happened first) and which sentence is the effect (and happened second).

1) The internet was not working because of the storm. Students could not use their computers for class.

2) Kam received the Academy Award for Best Actress. Kam starred in a movie and had a performance that critics agreed was the best of the year.

3) Sara knew her son needed a companion and bought him a dog. Sara's son seemed lonely after they had moved to a new neighborhood.

​4) Johnny was hungry. Johnny ate a huge breakfast.

                                   NOW SEQUENCE THREE EVENTS IN THE SENTENCES BELOW!

5) Tommy switched to a new football team. Tommy became unhappy with his teammates. Tommy had played on the same team for many years. 

6) Halloween will be different this year. Children will have to be extra careful if they are allowed to visit neighbors' houses for treats this Halloween. The rules for Halloween may change for the first time in many years because of our pandemic. 

7) Sylvia received her paycheck on Thursday. On Wednesday, Sylvia was unable to buy the new coat she wanted because she needed more money. Sylvia was able to buy her new coat on Friday. 

8) Paul figured he would talk about how he loved Sunday afternoons. Paul told the class how he enjoyed watching sports on TV and having a nice family meal during that time. During class, Paul was asked which part of the week he enjoyed most. 

9) Sandra needed a good night's sleep. Sandra worked extra hard that day and was exhausted by 7 p.m. Sandra's coworker had called in sick, leaving Sandra to do twice as much work. 

10) The lights went out and the heating system turned off. A storm caused a lot of problems in Boston. People spent hours in the dark and were cold for most of the evening.

        NOW CREATE YOUR OWN CAUSE AND EFFECT STATEMENT FOR OTHERS TO SOLVE!

​YOU MAY USE TWO OR MORE SENTENCES, AND YOU CAN DECIDE WHETHER YOUR CLASSMATES WILL HAVE TO PROVIDE CAUSE AND EFFECT ANSWERS OR SIMPLY SEQUENCE YOUR SENTENCES.

                                                                           ENJOY!!