THE CLAFLIN IMPERATIVE
PREPARING STDUENTS FOR LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE IN A
MULTICULTURAL, GLOBAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Claflin University
School of Education - - - EDUC 450
Reflective Lesson Plan Model
Name: Karah Brown
Date: February 3, 2012
PART I: PLANNING
Analyzing Cause and Effect Relationships
Title of Lesson
Is this lesson original idea? If not, from what source did I borrow this lesson?
Source
Sources:
BBES 4th Grade Pacing Guide
This is an original idea; however the content information was supplemented with
information from a Power Point presentation found at Pete’s Power Point Station
(http://www.pppst.com/index.html)The worksheet can be found at
http://havefunteaching.com/worksheets/reading/cause-and-effect/cause-effectworksheet.pdf).
English Language Arts
Subject Area (s)
4th
Grade Level
Standard 4-1, “The student will read and comprehend a variety of
literary texts in print and nonprint formats.
Indicator 4-1.10: Analyze cause and effect relationships in literary
texts.
Curriculum Standards
What will students experience during the lesson? What is the content to be taught?
Description and
Background
Information
Students will begin by reading and defining the word ‘analyze’ as it relates to the
indicator. Expected synonyms in response to the question, “What does it mean to
analyze” are: look for, find the meaning, compare, contrast, etc.
Content
Students have already met this indicator. The following information should primarily be
review:

A cause is something that happens. When trying to determine the cause in a sentence one
should think, “What happened first?” An effect is the result of the cause. When trying to
determine the effect in a sentence one should think, “What happened second?”

Cause and effect relationships often contain ‘signal words’. These words connect the
cause and effect. Examples of the most common signal words are because, so,
consequently, therefore, due to the fact, since, as a result, the reason for, thus, and
nevertheless.
LESSON OUTLINE:
Essential Question
What does a cause and effect relationship look like?
Warm Up

Anticipation Guide; the guide will be used as a pre-assessment activity. These
questions will also spark students’ interests in lesson content.
Direct Instruction

PowerPoint presentation, “Cause and Effect” (http://www.pppst.com/index.html)

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” Written by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Illustrated by
Felicia Bond (video narration provided by ETV Streamline)
Guided Practice

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” (Two Column Note Strategy)
Independent Practice

Students will a worksheet entitled, “Cause and Effect”. The WS asks students to identify
the cause in the sentence by underlining with a blue crayon and the effect in red. Signal
words were to be circled.
Closure
Students will orally answer questions about key information from the lesson (informal, oral
assessment)
What will I need to teach this lesson? What do students need to participate?
Materials
Teacher’s Needs:

Power Point lesson entitled, “Cause and Effect”

Cause and Effect WS (http://havefunteaching.com/worksheets/reading/cause-andeffect/cause-effect-worksheet.pdf)

Star Board
The Star Board will be used to display the lesson and the video narration of the literary text.
Student’s Needs:

ELA notebook (for note taking)

Dry Erase Paddle Boards (for Varying Objectives purposes)
What will students be able to do at the conclusion of this lesson?
Lesson Objectives
Varying Objectives for
Individuals Needs
“STWBAT”

Identify (ANALYZE) cause and effect relationships in texts.

Identify (ANALYZE) the components of a cause and effect relationship.

Construct (CREATE) their own examples of cause and effect relationships.

Classify (APPLY) the cause, effect, and/or signal word present in said relationships.
How will I vary these objectives for students who do not understand the material?
Peer-to Peer Instruction
How will I vary these objectives for students who have already mastered the
concept?
Students who have mastered the concept will be paired with a student who does not understand the
material can work together to complete the WS. Another option would be for the pair to play an
identification game on the paddle dry erase boards. Revised Objective: STWBAT Investigate the
parts of a cause and effect relationship.
Part II: IMPLEMENTATION
How will I find out what students already know about this topic?
Pre-assessment
Motivation
Statement of Purpose
Teacher Modeling or
Demonstration
Guided Practice
Checking for
Understanding
Students will complete an Anticipation Guide prior to beginning the lesson.
What will I do to make a connection between students and this lesson?
Before beginning the lesson students will be instructed to use their notes to do a review.
What will I say to explain the importance of learning this lesson?
“We use cause and effect relationships daily without realizing it. For example, if I get in trouble then
I know that my parents will be upset with me when I get home. In my example the cause is ‘I got in
trouble’ and the effect is ‘my parents will be upset with me when I get home’.”
What will I do to show students what is expected?
During the lesson presentation the teacher will redefine key words and use the definitions to explain
how to identify specific parts of the sentence.
Example of Teacher Modeling:
“The cause is what happens first, so when I go back I need to figure out which event happened first
in the sentence. When I reread this sentence, which part would I identify as the cause?”
What will we do together as they learn how to succeed at the new task?
We will take notes on the book while reading using the “Two Column Note Taking Strategy”.
Pauses will be taken upon cues from the students, indicating that they heard a relationship in the
text. (STWBAT: Classify (APPLY) the cause, effect, and/or signal word present in said
relationships; STWBAT: Identify (ANALYZE) cause and effect relationships in texts.)
What will I ask to know if students understand so far? What techniques or
strategies will be used to determine if students understand so far?
The class will summarize and analyze the text. Students will be expected to explain their individual
responses from listening to the story. For some questions I may ask students to respond to a few of
the relationships I heard by responding with either a Thumbs up or Thumbs down.
Independent Practice
Assessment
(attach to lesson plan)
Closure
Extension Activities
Technology
Connection Across the
Curriculum
What will students do to internalize the knowledge?
Students will complete a worksheet entitled, “Cause and Effect”. The WS asks students to identify
the cause in the sentence by underlining with a red crayon and the effect in blue. Signal words are
to be circled in pencil.
What will students do to demonstrate what they have learned?
We will go over the correct answer choices for the worksheet. Students will be called to read their
answers.
How will I conclude the lesson and relate it to future experiences?
Students will be asked to respond to questions orally before leaving the class, noting one thing that
they learned. Naturally some students will make mistakes or leave bits out. The other students in
the class should note the mistakes and be able to respond correctly.
What can students do at home or in the classroom to apply the knowledge or skills?
How could you use your colleagues or community agencies to improve student
performance?
For homework students will have to construct 10 cause and effect relationships (sentences) using
some of the words from their vocabulary list. This will reinforce their spelling skills as well as help
them retain information from the lesson.
Another great option would be for students to complete the correlating activities on Study Island.
This resource is directly linked to SC State Standards and even provides teacher-generated
assessments for students to complete at the close of each session.
How is technology meaningful to this lesson?
Technology is present with the use of the classroom Star Board and Power Point presentation.
Without the this technology the lesson would be ineffective as it is used in
How could this lesson connect other content area across the curriculum?
Science uses cause and effect relationships to explain why something happens; this is especially true
for writing hypotheses (“If, then” statements).
Several students wrote sentences that reflected what they were currently learning in Science to the
content in ELA.
An example: A cloud is the result of water vapor that has condensed into water droplets. (The cause
in this sentence is ‘water vapor has condensed into water droplets’. The result is a ‘cloud’.)
PART III: REFLECTION
Describe the strengths of my instructional techniques, strategies and classroom management.
Describe the strengths of student engagement.
Strengths
The lesson went well, with the exception of technological difficulties. I over planned for this lesson.
I taught on a day where students spent most of their time in Related Arts that morning. The fact that
this happened shows that I need to work on my time management. This proved to be helpful because
I had technological difficulties during the video display of the book. I was unable to locate a
tangible copy of the book at the exact moment of the lesson. Gratefully I was prepared to move on
with another activity.
Describe the weaknesses of my instructional techniques, strategies and classroom
management. Describe the weaknesses of student engagement.
Weaknesses
I should have prepared for possible technical difficulties. It would have been wise for me to have a
concrete version of the book ready for such purposes. Student engagement was not a weak point in
this lesson. What I can do is add more variety to my methods of encouraging students to participate
in the lesson. Students are seated in groups, which I could use in assessing student comprehension. I
noted that as time progressed in my lesson I began to see the same students raising their hands to
answer the questions. I could call on the whole group rather than individuals to encourage
teamwork, class effort and accountability.
What specifically can I do to improve?
Suggestions for
Improvement
I believe that over planning may not necessarily be a negative thing. However I do need to keep in
mind that when using technological resources I should be prepared for any difficulties that may
arise.
Revised 1-2012