Cause and Effect in Reading

Why and what

When you read, things happen — and there is always a reason why. Two words help you understand: cause and effect. 🔗

• A cause is WHY something happens. 🤔
• An effect is WHAT happens as a result. ➡️

A simple chain

Think of a row of dominoes. One falls, and it knocks the next. The first push is the cause. The falling dominoes are the effect.

The cat knocked the vase. The vase smashed.

Cause: the cat knocked the vase. Effect: the vase smashed. 🐈

Signal words 🔗

Some words tell you a cause and effect are coming. Watch for:

• because, since, as
• so, therefore, as a result

Mia was late because the alarm did not ring.

The word because links the effect (Mia was late) to the cause (the alarm did not ring).

Try it

Read this short passage:

It rained all day. The pitch turned to mud, so the football match was cancelled. The players went home, and the dog was happy to have them back early. 🌧️⚽

Now find the causes and effects:

Cause (why)	Effect (what happened)
It rained all day	The pitch turned to mud
The pitch was muddy	The match was cancelled
The players went home	The dog was happy 🐶

The two questions

To spot cause and effect, ask:

1. What happened?
2. Why did it happen?

The answer to "what" is the effect. The answer to "why" is the cause. 🔎

Play and practise

Play the matching game to pair each cause with its effect. Then flip the flashcards to remember the signal words.

Keep going

Try these next:

• Put events in order: Story Sequencing: Beginning, Middle, End
• Build the basics: Reading Comprehension Basics

Now you can follow the chain of why and what! 🌟