Lesson Plan Outline
University of Richmond
SmartBoard Lesson Plan Outline
Introduction
 Lesson topic: Cause and Effect
 Length of Lesson (estimated): 60 minutes
 VA Standards of Learning:
SOL 2.8—Students will read and demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts
Cognitive Objectives
Students will …
 Make and affirm predictions about a fictional text.
 Label the problem and solution (cause and effect) and be able to predict the effect when given a
cause.
o Demonstrate knowledge of cause and effect by labelling and generating examples.
o Order a sequence of events in fictional sentences that
Assessment
Introduction:
 Formative – The student should be able, when asked, to predict the first few sets of cause and
effect that relate to everyday life. Students will be able to predict an effect when given an
illustrated cause—they will be able to rely on illustrations for the effect.
Lesson Development:
 Formative—The student should be able to order three-step stories using cause an effect
relationships. They should be able to identify an effect with using an illustration.
 Summative—Students’ predictions for the cause and effect scenarios will be noted for those who
are struggling with the concepts. Those who have trouble odering three-step stories using their
manipulatives will also be noted.
Conclusion:
 Formative—The student will be able to identify the effect when given the cause with no illustration
hint for the effect. Likewise, they should be able to order a three-step story without need for
illustration at each step.
 Summative—The student will demonstrate their ability to generate cause and effect relationships
with their graphic organizer activity and worksheet activity, which will be turned in for completion
and evaluated for correctness.
Materials/Technology and Advanced Preparation
SmartBoard Notebook presentation and accompanying slides of the presentation in printed packets,
graphic organizer for illustrating cause and effect, markers or crayons and pencils, cause and effect
homework worksheet.
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Introduction/Anticipatory Set—
 The teacher will…
o Begin the SmartBoard presentation with general examples of cause and effect that
students may relate to: “What happens when you throw a ball up in the air?” (It falls back
down) “What do you do when you are hungry?” (You get something to eat);
o Ask student to predict the effect for the three examples of everyday scenarios; (A glass
falls…A person falls down…Going out in the rain without an umbrella).
o Ask students to answer questions for a general consensus and then ask for a student to
tap for the answer on the SmartBoard.

The students will…
o Relate the scenarios to personal experiences and then predict the effect.
o If asked, the student will answer verbally or come to the board to offer their own example.
Lesson Plan Outline
University of Richmond
Lesson Development –
 The teacher will…
o Use sample fictional texts (sentences) that are illustrated with causes and effects in
order to build students’ confidence in predicting.
o Allow for students to rely on pictures for cues of the effect—for example, the cause
would be a foot stepping on a banana peel labeled with the text “I stepped on a banana
peel” and the effect would be an unlabeled picture of a person falling down.
o Call on students to answer the question and have one of them (not necessarily the one
who answered) come to the board and write the class answer below the illustration.
o Eventually move from group answers and on to students answering individually on their
printouts before writing the final answer on the board for the entire class.
o Briefly touch on how to order three-step stories by applying cause and effect strategies.
These will be lightly to heavily illustrated.

The students will…
o Use pictures to predict the effect of a scenario.
o Manipulate printed out lines of a one-sentence story and order them if they are
kinesthetic learners.
o If asked, write the class answer or personal answer on the SmartBoard.
Closure –
 The teacher will…
o Ask students to create their own cause and effect sentences using the graphic organizers
provided in class.
o Walk around the room and look and listen to at students’ work to check for
understanding.
o Offer assistance to those who are having difficulty with the lesson material.
o Collect the illustrated student examples at the end of class for assessment, both which
will be graded on completion and accuracy.

The students will…
o Generate and illustrate personal cause and effect examples.
o Share their examples with the class and turn them in by the end of class.
o Raise questions and ask for help from the teacher when necessary.
Homework
Complete the cause and effect worksheet.
References
Scholastic
Red.
(2002).
Graphic
Organizers
[Print
Photo].
http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/sr_allegro.pdf
Retrieved
Super Teacher Worksheets. (2013). Cause and Effect [Print Photo]. Retrieved from
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/causeeffectfactopinion/causeeffect2_WBMBD.pdf
from
Lesson Plan Outline
University of Richmond
Lesson Organizer
Prior Knowledge and Instructional Content
In first grade, students became familiar with retelling stories with a beginning, middle and end. They also
learned how to make and affirm predictions about a story, usually based on pictures and personal
experience (SOL 1.9). Students were also able to give and follow two-step directions in first grade (SOL
1.3).
By second grade, they became more familiar with story structure and sequence as they read more texts
at higher reading levels (SOL 2.6). Students are now accountable for giving and following three to fourstep directions (SOL 2.3).
Instructional Modifications to
ASSIST Students
Illustrations for cause and effect
(two-step) stories and three-step
stories to aid students in their
predictions.
Manipulatives (sentence lines
print outs) for students to order
three and four-step stories
physically on their desks.
Main Events of Instruction
1.) Introduce relatable, everyday
examples of cause and effect.
2,) Define the two terms (cause
is what makes something
happen and effect is what
happens).
3.) Predict illustrated and lightlyillustrated cause and effect
scenarios.
4.) Order illustrated three-step
stories using cause and effect
prediction strategies.
Instructional Modifications to
CHALLENGE Students
Little or completely unillustrated
cause and effect scenarios (twostep stories).
Little to unillustrated three-step
stories.
One unillustrated five-step story
at the end of the lesson for a
challenge, if the class has time
and seems prepared.