Cause-and-Effect Relationships

Comprehension Lessons »

Explain Remind students a cause is why something happens and an effect is what happens as a result of a cause. Ask students to listen for cause and effect as you read the following paragraph: Much of the energy we use comes from coal, natural gas, and petroleum. These types of fossil fuels are not renewable. That means that once they are used up there will be no more of these fuels. Many people are working to conserve fuel. Some people use less fuel because they have solar panels on their homes. Some power companies use less fossil fuel since they operate windmill farms to generate a portion of electricity. Explain that one effect is that many people are trying to conserve fuel. The cause is that some types of fuel are not renewable.

Guided Practice Guide students to find another cause-and-effect relationship about solar panels. Ask: Why are some people using less fossil fuel? (They have solar panels on their homes.)

Practice Read the last sentence of the passage again. Have students describe the cause-and-effect relationship in the sentence. (Because some power companies operate windmill farms, they use less fossil fuel.)