CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAYS

1. What are reasons for something occurring?
2. What are the consequences of something occurring?

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CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY

USE THE CORRECT SIGNAL WORDS!

• Example of the bison extinction problem – page 124-129

CAUSE/ EFFECT SIGNALS – P. 127-129

• In winter, the sun is lower in the sky; thus, there are fewer hours of daylight
• Since some breeds of dogs have a stronger desire to perform a service than other breeds, they are more suitable as search-and-rescue animals.
• Seals and other aquatic mammals can see when they are hunting for food in the dark ocean depths at night due to their very large eyes.
• Metals have many free-moving electrons; consequently, they are good conductors of heat.

CAUSE/ EFFECT SIGNALS – P. 127-129

• My company began offering employees flexible working hours; as a result, productivity has increased and absenteeism has declined.
• The Fukushima nuclear reactor was flooded with cool seawater; hence, the temperature of the reactor cooled down.
• The pumps lost electricity and stopped working because of the damage of the earthquake to the connection to the power grid.

CAUSE/ EFFECT SIGNALS – P. 127-129

• During an El Nino, the jet stream blows in a different pattern; therefore, weather around the world changes.
• In some areas of the world, heavy rains cause devastating floods and mudslides (to happen).
• In other parts of the world, thousands of people suffer starvation as a result of drought.
• The reason for the dramatic rise of food prices in 2012 was that the Midwest of the United States suffered the worst drought in more than 60 years.

THE STEPS OF A CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY

• Step 1: Start with a phenomenon or event (ask why or what)
• Step 2: Brainstorm for causes and effects of this phenomenon or event
• Step 3: Decide which causes and effects you want to use in your essay
• Step 4: Decide how to organize and present your information

TOPIC – INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

• PART 1: Brainstorm for a specific topic (listing more specific topic ideas based on the general topic)
• Hint: What types of interpersonal relationships are there?

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• Family, Close friends, Classmates, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Spouses, Professors, Bosses, Colleagues, Acquaintances, Online Friends, Social Media Followers, Children, Roommates, Strangers
• What are some phenomena that occur in these specific relationships?

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• Ex. (family) The causes and effects of sibling rivalry
• Ex. (online friends) The causes and effects of creating new online friendships

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• Brainstorm 2: List possible causes and effects:

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BRAINSTORM 2

MODEL OF A CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY

• Read the essay “Shyness” together.
• Analyze the thesis statement – how is it different from an expository or process essay?
• How are the causes and effects arranged in the body paragraphs?

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY �WITH A TRANSITION PARAGRAPH

Causes (or Effects)

TRANSITION

Effects (or Causes)

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One cause

TRANSITION

Other causes

THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Split Causes with Effects

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Introduction – What causes shyness?

1^st cause – biological

Transition paragraph – also environmental

2^nd cause – environmental

3^rd cause – environmental

4^th cause – environmental

Effects – positive effects of shyness

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Effect Focus

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Introduction – What are the effects of shyness?

1^st effect – good listeners

2^nd effect – high achievers

3^rd effect – long to make connections

4^th effect - often altruistic

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

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THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Cause Focus

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Introduction – What are the causes of shyness?

1^st cause – biological (from parents)

2^nd cause – biological (from ancestors)

3^rd cause – environmental (from personal experience)

4^th cause – environmental (from culture)

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

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THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Causes First

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Introduction – What causes shyness?

1^st cause – biological

2^nd cause – environmental

3^rd cause – environmental

Transition paragraph – there are also positive effects

1^st effect – good listeners

2^nd effect – high achievers

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

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THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Effects First

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Introduction – What are the effects of shyness?

Effects – positive effects of shyness

Transition paragraph – the causes of shyness

1^st cause – biological

2^nd cause – environmental

3^rd cause – environmental

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

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THE SHYNESS ESSAY

BLOCK Organization – Split Causes with Effects

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Introduction – What causes shyness?

1^st cause – biological

Transition paragraph – also environmental

2^nd cause – environmental

3^rd cause – environmental

4^th cause – environmental

Effects – positive effects of shyness

Conclusion – It’s okay to be shy.

THE ANATOMY OF A CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY

• The Introduction

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• causes

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• The transition paragraph

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• effects

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• The Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

• Introduce the main topic in a general way. (Shyness is a universal phenomenon.)
• Statistics on shyness (general population)
• Transition sentence: transition to CAUSES
• Thesis statement: Introduce causes

INTRODUCTION

• Introduce the main topic in a general way. (Shyness is a universal phenomenon.)
• Statistics on shyness (general population)
• Transition sentence: transition to EFFECTS
• Thesis statement: Introduce effects

TRANSITION PARAGRAPH

1. Refer back.
2. Look ahead.

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• Refer back: Refer back to the causes that were just mentioned. (part 1)
• Look ahead: Add a new thesis statement that introduces effects. (part 2)

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• As we have seen in history, the causes of the disappearance of bison on the plains were often inhumane and led to the near extinction of the species. The species did not die out, however, and surprisingly, some positive effects came from this tragedy.

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CONCLUSION

• Signal conclusion (Ex. “To sum up,…”)
• Restate cause subtopics
• Restate effect subtopics
• Final comments: (Writer’s opinion) What important information do you want the reader to take away based on learning about these causes and effects? Include the writer’s purpose – (Ex. “If you are shy, you have lots of company.”)

CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY REVIEW

• Where do we begin?
• Brainstorming from general topic to specific
• Then brainstorm for subtopics (causes and effects)
• Choose which information you want to use in your essay and how you want to arrange it.
• What is the purpose of a cause-effect essay?
• To write about reasons for something (causes) or results/consequences of an action (effects) or both – and a suggestion for what the reader can do with this information

CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY REVIEW

• What kind of paragraph separates causes and effects in one essay?
• The transition paragraph
• What are some cause signal words?
• Due to, because of, the effect of, as a result of
• What are some effect signal words?
• The cause of, the reason for, as a result, therefore
• Why is it important to use these signal words in a cause-effect essay?
• Because they signal cause-effect relationships clearly for the reader

CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY REVIEW

• What is block organization?
• When the causes or effects are grouped together in a set of paragraphs (called a “block”)
• What are three possible ways to write a cause-effect essay?
• Cause focus, Effect focus, or both

STEPS TO WRITING THE CAUSE-EFFECT ESSAY

1. Brainstorm for specific topic
2. Brainstorm for possible causes and effects
3. Rough outline (how to organize causes + effects)
4. Detailed outline (labeling type of support)
5. Write the essay