Cause & Effect RC 2.3: Analyze text that uses cause- and-effect organizational pattern.

 Text structure refers to the way information in a text is organized.  A cause shows a reason why something happens.  An effect shows the result of the cause.

Cause and effect is especially useful when you want to show what happened and why – for example, why an earthquake happened and what occurred as a result of the quake.

 Cause-and-effect organization may be presented in different ways.  The author may present causes and effects throughout the article.  The author can explain or state the cause or causes first, and then explain the effect or effects.  The author can explain the effect or effects first, and then explain the cause or causes.

Cause Effect Rocks beneath the earth’s surface shift. The earth trembles in an earthquake.

Cause Effect The earth trembles in an earthquake. Rocks beneath the earth’s surface shift.

One way authors organize material is by giving causes (what happened) and effects (what happened as a result). Point out that each cause can have one or many effects.

What happened first? What happened as a result? What happened last, as a result?

In the mid 1930’s, a severe drought hit the dry grasslands of Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, and Colorado. As a result, hundreds of dust storms destroyed the land. Farmers had worked hard to grow wheat and corn, and to raise cattle. Now, because the lives of most of the population were threatened, many farmers picked up and headed west, hoping for a better future.

A severe drought hit. Hundreds of dust storms destroyed the land. Many famers headed west.