Why Did It Happen? Cause and Effect in Reading

About This Resource

A free Grade 6 ESL reading worksheet on cause and effect: what causes and effects are, signal words such as because, so, as a result and due to, finding causes and effects in a nonfiction text, matching causes to effects, building cause-and-effect chains and writing sentences with linking words. Includes a timed lesson plan, a six-activity worksheet, an editable Word version and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that a cause is why something happens and an effect is what happens. They identify cause and effect in short sentences, learn the signal words that introduce each one (because, since, due to for causes; so, as a result, therefore for effects), and read a nonfiction text about a town that turned an empty lot into a community garden. They find causes and effects in the text, complete a cause-and-effect chain, choose the correct linking word and write their own sentences.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Cause and Effect in Reading
Category: Reading
File Type: PDF
File Size: 290.2 KB
Published: 01 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 6 (ages 11–12), pre-intermediate ESL 50 minutes Reading comprehension text structure vocabulary sentence writing

Student Task

Start with a quick demonstration: drop a book on the desk and ask, "What happened? Why did it happen?"
Teach the signal words and model finding a cause and effect in two sentences, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Students read the text and complete activities 3 to 6. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

Domino chain: each student adds one effect that becomes the next cause (It rained, so the field flooded, so the game was cancelled...).
Signal word hunt: students highlight because, so, as a result and due to in a newspaper article for children.
Cause and effect cards: students match cause cards and effect cards, then join them aloud with a signal word.

Differentiation

Support: give a two-column organizer (cause | effect) and a list of signal words, and read the text aloud. Challenge: find a cause with more than one effect in the text and write a short paragraph explaining a chain of three events.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 5 check identifying causes, effects and signal words (answer key included). Activity 6 checks writing cause-and-effect sentences.

Learning Objectives

Explain the difference between a cause and an effect.
Use signal words to find causes and effects in a text.
Write sentences that show cause and effect with linking words such as because, so and as a result.

Teacher Tips

Teach students to ask two questions: "What happened?" (effect) and "Why did it happen?" (cause). Remind them that the cause does not always come first in the sentence: in "The game was cancelled because it rained", the effect comes first.

What's Included

7-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Editable Word version of the worksheet
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)