Unit Plan 28 (Grade 3 ELA): Reading for Cause and Effect

Focus: Text structure connections

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading, Speaking & Listening)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This week, readers learn to spot and explain cause-and-effect relationships in informational texts and to describe how sentences and paragraphs connect logically. Students practice using signal words (because, so, therefore, as a result, leads to), map chains of events/ideas, and explain how a later sentence or paragraph builds on an earlier one. They also listen to short presentations and ask and answer questions to clarify causes, effects, and supporting reasons. By Friday, each student will read a new passage, identify key cause–effect links (including multi-cause or multi-effect), explain connections between sentences/paragraphs, and respond to an oral mini-presentation with accurate questions and answers.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Identify and explain cause–effect relationships in informational text at the sentence and paragraph level, using signal words and evidence.
2. Describe relationships among events/ideas/steps (sequence and cause/effect) and map them using chains or webs.
3. Explain the logical connection between particular sentences/paragraphs (e.g., cause/effect, reasons/support), citing linking words or details.
4. During a short oral presentation, ask and answer questions that clarify causes, effects, and supporting details.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3

• Reading Informational: RI.3.3 (describe the relationship between a series of events/ideas/steps using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect)
• Reading Informational: RI.3.8 (describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text—e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence)
• Speaking & Listening: SL.3.3 (ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail)

Success Criteria — student language

• I can mark the cause and the effect and point to the signal words.
• I can show how a later sentence/paragraph adds a result, reason, or next step to an earlier one.
• I can create a cause–effect map or chain that explains what happens and why.
• I can ask and answer clear questions about a speaker’s information.