STARS: Strategies to Achieve Reading Success

Lesson 4 Recognizing Cause and Effect What happens when a car runs out of gas? Tell why it happens.

Why something happens is the cause. What happens because of the cause is the effect.

Cause and Effect A cause is the reason that something happens. An effect is the result, or what happens because of the cause.

Cause and Effect Clue words such as, so, so that, since, because, therefore, and reason often signal cause and effect. Other words are as a result, if….then, and in order to.