Teacher Facilitated Mini Literacy & Visual Art Lesson

Students Name: ___Ally Brosnan_

Subject Area(s): Reading/Writing__________
Grade Level: 3rd____
Concept/Topic: Cause and Effect___
Desired Results:
PA State Standards:
1.1.3.D. Demonstrate comprehension / understanding before reading, during reading, and
after reading on grade level texts through strategies such as retelling, summarizing, note taking,
connecting to prior knowledge, supporting assertions about text with evidence from text, and
non-linguistic representations.
1.2.3.D. Make inferences from text when studying a topic (e.g., science, social studies) and
draw conclusions, citing evidence from the text to support answers.
1.2.3.E. Read, understand, and respond to essential content of text in all academic areas.
1.5.3.B.1. Gather and organize information, incorporating details relevant to the topic.
Arts Standards:
9.1.3.E: Demonstrate the ability to define objects, express emotions, illustrate an action or relate
an experience through creation of works in the arts.
Objectives:
Students will:

Strengthen comprehension skills by identifying cause-and-effect relationships from short

stories and student comic strips.

Formulate cause-and-effect relationships using comic strip organization

Enhance sequencing and narrative writing skills by creating an original story based on the
provided writing prompt

Develop oral presentation and listening skills through comic strip presentation

Identify cause-and-effect relationships of peer comic strips

Big Ideas/Key Concepts:

This lesson is designed to increase reading comprehension, understanding of the relationship
between events in a story, and to solidify story sequencing on a deeper level. The teacher using
this lesson should come prepared with several cause and effect examples with a real world
perspective, and that students can relate to. This will help students recognize the effects of events
in the world around them, as well as from their own actions. The teacher should also point out
that understanding the effects of an event is a skill that will transcend their reading skills, but
also aid their understanding of math operations, motivations of historical events, and scientific

ideas.
Students have been working with sequencing words, (beginning, middle and end), in their
writing. This lesson builds on to that knowledge, and helps students see the relationships
between events. This will enhance their comprehension of a storys sequencing on a deeper level,
rather than a surface, chronological understanding. This lesson could relate to any subjects, and
could be modified to be integrated with a math, science, or social studies lesson. Understanding
the causes and effects of ones behavior is also a useful tool in helping students understand the
consequences of their actions, and that the decisions that they make do not exist in a vacuum,
and effect other people and events.
LEARNING PLAN:
Differentiation: -Worked examples in the intro of the lesson may be provided, rather than asking
students to invent their own. Students may participate this way by continuing to circle the cause
and effect sentences.
-Students may borrow examples of cause and effect for their comic strip from the book, or from
the modeled examples.
Materials and Technology:
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Blank comic strips
Colored Pencils, Markers
Step-By-Step Procedure:
1. Launch:
a. Hook/Lead-in: Introduce cause-and-effect using simple sentences. Write the following
sentences on the board:
Marcus wore his hat and mittens.
It was snowing when he left for school.
Explain that cause of something is what happens first, and the effect is the result, or outcome
(what happens next). Ask for student volunteer to circle the event they think happens first (to
identify the cause). Write CAUSE next to sentence B and explain that Marcus wore his hat and
mittens as a result of the snow, and is therefore the effect.
Ask for a student volunteer to write a new, action sentence on the board (provide subject of a
sentence as differentiation as needed). Ask another student to write an effect to go along with the
first sentence.(Active Learning)
ex: Mrs. G bought the class a pizza We had perfect attendance for two weeks.
Allow students to create at least 3 sets of sentences.
2. Instruction:
a. Explicit Instruction or Worked Example: Explain that causes and effects are all around
them. They are used to explain science concepts and experiments, and events in history, and are
used in stories all the time (Real World Connections). Cause and effect are also related to
sequencing, because they happen in a specific order, and impact what will happen next

(Coherence & Continuity).

Do a picture walk through of If You Give A Mouse a Cookie which students have read
previously. Explain that because they are familiar with the story, we can identify the cause-andeffect relationships within the story.
b. Modeling: Use a think-aloud strategy after each cause-and-effect relationship in the story.
I gave the mouse a cookie, and this caused him to want a glass of milk. So, Im thinking that
eating the cookie caused him to get thirsty and getting the glass of milk was the effect. Ask for
student contributions as you read as well (Deep Content Understanding).
Next test student understanding of cause and effect using familiar visual examples. Using
printed illustrations from the story, have several volunteers sort images into the correct sequence,
and point out which images are CAUSES and what happens as an EFFECT.
c. *Guided Practice: Introduce a comic strip as just one of the ways one can write and show
the cause and effects of actions. Model with a comic strip on the board using the prompt, If you
give a teacher a and create three cause-and-effect relationships (6 panels) using suggestions
from the students.
3. Independent Practice: Students will then have the opportunity to create their own comics,
using their choice of the following prompt, If you give me a../If you take me to, or another
they develop on their own with the approval of the teacher (Critical & Creative Thinking).
Before students begin, review the Comic Strip Checklist with them, and ask that the check each
step before they are done.
4. Application: Students will trade comics with their neighbor, and share their finished
products. Students will then describe the cause and effects within the comic to the author.
5. Closure: Each student pair will choose one comic to share out with the group, and students
from the other groups will volunteer cause and effect examples in the comic.
Evaluation: Student comic strips will act as an assessment of student mastery of the lesson
objectives. The rubrics attached below will act a the criteria for evaluation. Based on student
products, the teacher will be able to engage in reflective thinking to evaluate student
understanding and their own success in the lesson objectives.
EVIDENCE:
If the student circles It was snowing when he left for school during the first example, the
student demonstrates their understanding that the cause occurs first, and that there is an outcome
based on this action. As students and teacher take a picture walk through If you Give a Mouse a
Cookie, students will evidence their understanding by identifying cause and effect within the
narrative. Their individual comic strips will act as a final measure of evaluation, and their
interpretation of their neighbors comic will evidence whether or not they are able to apply the

concept to new material.

Attachments:
Comic Strip Checklist
___ My comic strip has a title.
___ My comic strip has an author.
___ My comic strip has three cause-and-effect relationships.
___ My comic strip has six panels.
___ My comic strip has an illustration on each page.
___ All illustrations are colored or decorated.
___ My comic strip has a caption on each page.
___ All captions are written in complete sentences with appropriate punctuation and grammar.
___ Ive rehearsed my completed comic strip and am ready to share with my peers.