Cause and Effect ChartBuild Background About the Text (5–10 minutes)
1. Preview the Text
Point to the cover of Truly Tall Trees.
We are going to read this book today. Who can tell me the title? Give students time to respond. Who is the author of this book? (Farah Farooqi) Ask students to describe the cover photo.
Turn to the table of contents.
A quick way to find out what a book is about is to read the table of contents, because it lists the book's chapters and chapter titles. It also helps you find the first page of a chapter, in case you want to jump around the book to find a certain answer or look something specific up. Read the chapter titles aloud, or have volunteers read them.
Now let's quickly review the book by browsing through the pages, but without reading it.
Cite any photos, captions, charts, and diagrams as helpful text features that contain useful, topic-based information. As you reach the glossary page:
A glossary is a great tool to use to better understand the text, as it lists the book's key and important words with their definitions. These text features usually indicate the book is nonfiction and contains only facts, as opposed to being make-believe, like a fiction book.
We took a quick peek at our books, so let's guess what this book is about. Record students' predictions to discuss later
2. Introduce the Vocabulary
Turn to the glossary page. Read the words and meanings aloud. Ask questions to help students determine the meanings of the academic vocabulary words presented in the glossary.
Let's see if we can find these words in our book. It won't be too hard because they are in bold, which means the words will look darker than the rest of the words. Often, bold words are a special text feature that helps readers notice a word’s importance right away.
Assign a word or two to each student to locate. Once the student finds the word(s), ask them to read the line that uses it. Then, ask the student to read the definition of the word from the glossary, as these are topic-based academic words that might require further reinforcement. Offer support with pronunciation of difficult words.
3. Introduce the Comprehension Strategy: Understanding Cause and Effect
Since we previewed the book and learned some of the vocabulary, I want to teach you something that will help you understand what you read. Write the words Cause and Effect on the board or a chart. Point to the words. I'm going to share an example of cause and effect with you. Cause and effect is when one thing makes another thing happen. When I was in second grade, I had a hard time with multiplication. Then I began studying very hard, and practiced the times table every day. The next time I took a math test, I got an A. What would you say helped me get a good grade? Allow students to respond.
Explain that study and practice caused an effect, which was an improved math score. Share other grade-appropriate examples to model cause and effect, if further support is needed.
While we read our story, I want you to think about cause and effect. Later, we will see if we find examples of cause and effect in the book.
Read the Text (20–25 minutes)
1. Read Interactively with Students
Read the text, engaging students in group activities that promote reading comprehension. For example, prompt students to use details from the text to answer text-dependent questions
Now that we read the book once. I will reread certain parts, and ask you questions along the way. Pay attention to when I read, because the answers to the questions are hidden inside the book’s text. If further support is needed, allow students to review their copies of the books to help find the answers.
Read pages 1-2.
What story is mentioned in the first chapter? (Jack and the Beanstalk) Discuss why the author might have mentioned “Jack and the Beanstalk” in this nonfiction book. (He wants to show how the fiction book talks about giant beanstalks and magical houses on trees, and how it's possible that really tall trees also exist in the real world, and how there can even be special houses on tree tops.)
Read page 6.
When living things such plants, humans, and animals breathe in to get fresh air, what is this called? (Respiration) When the chlorophyll mixes with sun, air, and water to make sugar, what is it called? (Photosynthesis)
Read page 8.
What are the tallest trees on Earth? (The California Redwoods) The tallest California Redwood is the Hyperion. How tall is it? (379 feet tall) It’s even taller than which famous structure? (Statue of Liberty)
Read page 12
Who created the invisible tree hotel? (Architects Tham and Videgard) Where is this special hotel located? (Sweden, 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle)
Model Application of the Reading Strategy to the Text
Earlier in this lesson, I used my second-grade math story as an example of cause and effect. Now, using what we learned about cause and effect, let’s find good examples of it in our book. Post the Cause and Effect Chart on the board or a projector. As we find each one, we will write it on our Cause and Effect Chart. Ask text-dependant questions that help students respond with examples from the book.
Turn to page 3. Read the text aloud.
What do people need to grow and stay healthy? (food, nutrients, energy, water, fresh air, play/exercise) Explain that these things cause a great effect — they help people stay healthy and grow. Record on chart.
Review pages 4-5. Ask students to look first look at only the photos associated with the four steps to growing a plant.
By looking at just the pictures alone, can you name some of the things that help, or cause, a plant to grow? (planting the seed, good soil, sun, water, clean air) Help students read and comb through these two pages to confirm the text matches what they guessed about the photos and how a plant grows, and cite this as another example of cause and effect. Record on the chart.
Have students read page 12 silently.
As you read, I want you to find an example of cause and effect on this page. Allow students to read, locate, and respond. (The thing that causes the house to have an invisible effect is the mirrors.)
3. Focus on Vocabulary in the Text
To understand some of these words better, let's play a game called Guess the Word. Divide students into pairs. In this game, your partner will open to the glossary page on the book, and you will keep your copy closed. Your partner will read just the definition of the word, and it will be your job to guess which word. Then you will swap, and your partner will guess the word, while you read the definition. To help students recall the vocabulary word itself, write them on the board or a separate piece of paper. Feel free to model one of the words, by asking a student to read you a definition from the glossary.
Assess Understanding (10 minutes)
Choose one or more assessment strategies to determine student comprehension.
1. Identify the Main Purpose of a Text to Show Understanding
Today we learned about plants, people, and even some special hotels. What do you think was the main purpose of this book? Give students time to respond. (To show that there can be extremely tall trees and even invisible structures on top of trees in the real world, things we usually only hear about in fairy tales.) What was the main purpose of Chapter 3? Allow students to take a few minutes to browse the chapter to refresh, guiding them to examine things such as bold words, photos, and even the chapter titles, to come to their conclusion. Use students' answers and explanations to determine individual understanding.
2. Use Images and Text Details to Show Understanding
Ask students to look at the four photographs in Step 1 on page 4. Ask them to read the captions for each picture. Now ask them to explain in full sentences, using the photos and captions as reference, what steps they need to take to start growing a plant at home. Incorporate text- and image-related cause-and-effect scenarios, such as pointing out that placing the seeds into the soil, as shown in the picture, will cause an effect — a plant to grow.
Extend Reading Into Writing (5 minutes)
Today, we learned there are very tall trees on the earth, but we also learned both people and plants need certain things to grow and stay healthy. Write a paragraph that tells me what you do to stay healthy and keep growing big and strong. After they finish writing, conclude by explaining how their good habits help them to stay healthy, folding in the cause-and-effect strategy. If time permits, encourage students to share and discuss their work.