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William's Story Sample Pages

Sample Lesson Plan William's Story

3. Teaching Comprehension and Literary Skills

 The graphic organizers on the next several pages can be very useful in helping students look at a topic in an organized fashion.

 A) Cause and Effect

Turn off the lights in the room. Ask the class to explain why the room got dark. Write on the board:


What happened?/Effect

The room got dark

Why did it happen?/Cause

The teacher turned off the lights

Ask the class for more examples of cause and effect. Write their examples on the board under the appropriate column. Tell the class that when we can figure out what causes things to happen, we can make choices about changing or staying the same. Understanding cause and effect is valuable in real life and in enjoying books. Can the students think of any cause and effect relationships in books they have read? Can they see any in this specific book?

Have the children go back over the chapter or group of pages and find examples of cause and effect. Give the students these strategies for finding cause and effect relationships in their reading:

• As you read, ask yourself what happened and why.

• Sometimes you'll find the answer to "What happened?" first. Other times you'll find the answer to "Why did it happen?" first.

• Look for clue words like the following to help you find out what happened:





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