*Cause and Effect*

Another mini-unit we are working on in class is the relationship between cause and effect and how this strategy helps us with comprehension. We have completed many lessons on what a cause is and what an effect is and how we can tell the difference. This is something that the students have grasped quickly as well and they have said that they have been using this strategy in their reading, but they just didn't know! They were excited to know that they have been using something without actually knowing it!

To further our cause and effect development, we read the "If you Give a Mouse A Cookie" books and the students picked out cause and effect relationships from their stories.

The students then created their own cause and effect books as a group following the same format as the books they read! They were so excited to complete this activity. The students received a graphic organizer to help with the organization of their books.

When everyone completed their stories as a group, I put the book together for them to read whenever they had free time. I read a few of them out loud to the class, but I did not want to spoil all of the surprises!!

Some of the books that they created were:
-If you give an elephant an egg...
-If you give a monkey a marshmellow...
-If you give an ant an apple...
-If you give a whale a watermelon...
-If you give a sheep spaghetti..

I took a picture of a student I saw reading the class book, and it was so exciting for me to see him smiling as he read their own creations. I think it is very important for the students to see their work published because it helps them see that what they do actually has a purpose.

The students had the opportunity today to create cause and effect sentences and play an activity where they matched the cause and effect relationships of others. Here are some examples of what they created: