Reading Plus® Recognizing Cause and Effect | C-Taylor Associates COMPREHENSION SKILLS PRAC

When you read, things happen in a story. Everything that happens is

caused by something. When you ask yourself why something happened, you are looking for the cause. Read the following sentence. Think about what happened and why it happened.

Pete was late for school because he did not get up on time.

What happened? — Pete was late for school.Why? (What is the cause?) — Because he did not get up on time.

Now read this sentence. Think about what happened and why it happened.

Because Megan did not finish her homework, her mother would not let her watch TV.

What happened? — Megan’s mother would not let her watch TV.Why? (What is the cause?) — Because Megan did not finish her homework.

In the sentences about Pete and Megan, the author used the word because. This word answers the question Why? The word because leads you to the part of the sentence that is the cause. But you will not always find the word because in a sentence. Sometimes you have to read carefully and find the cause yourself.

Read this sentence. Ask What happened? and Why did it happen?

John wanted to buy a new video game so he went to his dad to ask for some money.

What happened? — John went to his dad to ask for some money.Why? (What is the cause?) — He wanted to buy a new video game.

Read the following sentences. One sentence tells of something that happened. The other tells why it happened. Look for the sentence that answers the question Why?

Mom and Dad were going to take their children to the beach for the first time. So they went out to buy swimsuits for the children.

The first sentence answers the question Why? So the first sentence is the cause.

What happened? — They went to buy swimsuits.Why? (What is the cause?) — They were going to the beach.

You will get more from your reading if you look for the causes of things that happen in the story.

Copyright © 2013 Taylor Associates/Communications, Inc.

Interaction of IdeasAnalyzing Cause and E�ect Level C-1

Reading Plus® Recognizing Cause and Effect | C-Taylor Associates COMPREHENSION SKILLS PRAC

Student Name_______________________________________________________________

Draw a line under the words that answer the question “Why?”

1. After Claire got glasses, she was able to see the blackboard more clearly.

2. Joe likes his work and does his best. Mrs. Reed, the teacher, is pleased with him.

3. Tony feels left out because he does not know how to play baseball.

4. Gina can not wait for the school day to end. After school she is getting a new kitten.

5. Ben stayed after school so he could get extra help on his math homework.

6. Jason has a cold today so he stayed home from school.

7. Meg wrote a letter to Grandma to thank her for the birthday gift.

8. Because they rode the bus together every day, the boys became good friends.

9. The children were well behaved all day, so they got an extra 15 minutes of recess.

10. Because of his hard work, Nico got an ‘A’ in science.

Copyright © 2013 Taylor Associates/Communications, Inc.

Interaction of IdeasAnalyzing Cause and E�ect Level C-1