MAKES SENSE HOME GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS HOME

Cause/Effect graphic organizers

Cause/Effect graphics provide effective visual scaffolds that can help students
recognize how different concepts or phenomena can have influence on one-
another. Several variations of webs, frames, circles, and loops can be used to
depict cause/effect patterns of thinking.

Using Webs to depict cause/effect

relationships
Cause/effect relationships can be illustrated using semantic webs. The lines used
to connect ideas are usually depicted as arrows so that the influence that one
factor has on another can be illustrated. For reciprocal or interactional
relationships where different factors impact each other, two-way arrows can be
used.

Basic
Causes Starburst Effects Starburst starburst
web
For less
sophisticated
learners, the basic
“star-burst” (see
figures below)
works well as
beginning point for
understanding Cause/Effect information structures. An outwardly pointing arrow
illustrates a divergent relationship whereas inwardly pointing arrows depict
convergent relationships.

As students gain in their understanding of cause/effect relationships and become

more sophisticated about webbing ideas, you can expand the basic starbursts
into semantic webs depicting multiple layers of information.

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

 Health
Poor Heart Science
circulation attack example
Lung The Divergent
Lip, Tongue, Cancer Addiction
Heart Cause/Effect
Throat
Cancer
disease Medical Web could be
Bills
Cancer
used to
Expensive
facilitate
Decreased Burn
athletic
understanding
holes in
ability Shortness Fire clothes of the effects
SMOKING
of breath hazard of specific life
Bed, styles or
Coughing Furniture,
Reduced
Personal Cars, behaviors....
sense of Home
appearance
taste burn-up
Food tastes Respiratory
Infections Stained teeth,
bland
hands
loss of
Smelly breath,
appetite
hair, clothes
Emphysema Bronchitis

The Convergent Cause/Effect Web could be used to facilitate understanding of

the different factors that influence a specific behavior....

teenagers easily
lot of profit in influenced by
cigarette slick ads
"Do as I say, sales
don't do as I do" girlfriends
(modeling) smoke
tobacco co.
Parents not
targeting want to feel
around much lack of girls peer "included"
lack of effective structure at
pressure told not to
education about home
hazards why so express
erroneous
feeling beliefs
many girls personal
invincible smoke power
want to be in
disposable seems control
parents don't want income grown up media
daughter to be female images of
deprived so loose indoc- desirable
with $$ -trination women
importance of older "successful"
saving not women smoke a lot
stressed female how women
exclusion are portrayed
from sports on TV &
movies

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

 The Reciprocal
Cause/Effect Web
This type of web shows how
two factors reciprocally
influence each other. The
second layer of information
(sub-topics) depicts ways
they were impacted as a
result of the interaction.

Psychology example
When teaching social concepts, Reciprocal Cause/Effect Webs could be used to
show how the behaviors of two individuals interact and influence each.

Gets more
animated & Asks more
interesting when questions if
students ask the teacher
questions makes them
Lightens up feel safe to Smiles more if
and uses more humor do so they think the
more when students teacher is really
smile interested in them,
personally
Is more helpful
when students seem to Tends to seek
appreciate help Interaction more help if they are
Teacher Student not embarrassed by
Tends to teach the teacher
in a boring way
when students act Tends to act bored
if the teacher is
bored
boring
Becomes hostile Tends
when students to act hostile
act hostile or act
when the teacher
out
seems hostile

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

The Interacting Ideas
Web As illustrated below,
webs can also be used to
depict Cause/Effect
interactions between two
concepts. The Interacting
Ideas Web below depicts the
outcome when two concepts
interact to produce a whole
new concept.

Earth Science example

The Interacting Ideas Web
could be used to depict how different factors combine to produce geological
outcomes...

crust pushed
over other parts glaciers
of crust smoothed out
some surfaces

melting ice
Collision of Ice sheet covered eroded top
folded the
Earth’s plates Interaction N. America, layers
crust
(INTERNAL) then melted
(EXTERNAL) sediment
deposited in
breaks in the
different areas
crust called
faults

Formation of plains,
regions, & mountainous Rocky Mts.
systems high, rugged
Canadian Shield-
range from Alaska
mineral rich region from to New Mexico
Canada to N.E. US Atlantic Coastal Appalachians
Plain - flatland & smooth mts. from
hills in south & east Canada to Ala
US

So what? What is important to understand about this?

Both internal and external factors effected the surface of earth

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

Health Science example

Negative Effects of Exposure to Radiation

Brief exposure to
Background radiation large amounts of Long exposure to
Radioactive is slight and present radiation is small amounts of
elements found in no health risks nuclear power radiation is
hazardous
all living things plant radiation hazardous
leak
Glow in the
Natural Unnatural dark
Interaction watches
levels of exposure
radiation to radiation

Serious health risk to humans

Damaged reproductive
cells may be passed Cell and organs in
from generation to Can result in cancer humans can be
generation damaged or destroyed

So what? What is important to understand about this?

We need to protect ourselves from both small and large amounts of radiation

The Sequence
What is this whole thing about?
Web The Sequence
web can be used to
depict cause/effect
patterns of thinking as
well. For example, the
figure below shows how
one set of circumstances
led to the next, which in
turn led to the next, and
so forth.
So what? What is important to understand about it?

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

American History example

What is this whole thing about?

Development of the Progressive Movement

How pressure from citizens forced the government to pass new laws for social progress

ol up ws
op ak la
W rig vo
W w p hr fe

ot ag 's
'n sta st

on re st
N an

om ht te
or

(v uffr men
ts te
e
or a s.

m o b i-tru
AA iz
lo ng sa

s
go ity & on

e) e
ke y,

ie
en to
lo un

C ed
c ish

s o

t t
rs

's

An
P

W
D

Citizens Citizens New laws

abused by taking action forcing social
government & to force U.S. progress in
business to improve U.S.
in ts ed
m righ imit
iti f
or o

C afe s
Fo a ed
es

ob bo rs

hi w
L

S w
re rks
pr e a ke
Pr on

& t'l P lish

ld o
le ut

U ov

la
ic op

t a

s
s
m

ni em

la rk
m

N tab
ro kr

st
m
e o

on e

bo pl
w uc
fix lie

Es

r & ac
M

a
in s
g
vi

n
a

e
So what? What is important to understand about it?
Even though a lot of social progress was made, there remained a lot of things that still needed
changing (e.g., establishing minority rights)
Citizens have more power to effect change than they realize

Here, the Sequence Web depicts how people’s reactions to social problems of
the time led to political action and subsequent change ...

What is this whole idea about?

Using Frames to
Start with.... Add (or substract) this... Now what?

depict cause/effect
relationships
or

Supporting points Supporting points Supporting points

Frames provide an additional

format for depicting cause/effect
relationships. Two variations of
frames are presented below.
The first variation depicts how
one set of conditions effects (or
So what? What is important to understand about this?

is effected by) another and the

resulting conditions. The second
variation presents the
cause/effect relationship from an “If-Then” perspective.

The Cause/Effect Frame presents a linear presentation of the main idea for each
component in a cause or effect relationship. This first main idea, labeled “Start
with,” depicts a situation before its impacted by another factor.

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

The second main idea, labeled “Add (or subtract) this...” addresses the factor
that is either added to or subtracted from the original main idea.

The last main idea, labeled “Now what,” addresses the result of the interaction.
Details that clarify each of the various main ideas can be depicted on the frame
as well.

American History example

Cause/Effect Main Idea Analysis could be used to explore the impact of historical
events...
Topic

Lousiana Purchase is about...

How America doubles its size without using warfare

Main Idea Main Idea Main Idea
Start with... Add this... Results...
Amer. farmers desire
& need Mississippi
River for transportation
+ Louisiana
Purchase = Exploration of new
territory & its benefits
to our nation
Esssential Details Esssential Details Esssential Details

Meriwether Lewis
&
William Clark

Was the purchase

Constitutional? ...President
has power to make treaties

So what? What is important to understand about this?

Jefferson tested the strength of the President's power by making the

Louisiana Purchase... results were acquisition & exploration of vast territory.

Developed by Kathy Thoresen, Simmons Middle School,

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

 Environmental Science example
Cause/Effect Main Idea Analysis could be used to facilitate understanding of the relationship
between man and the environment...

Key Topic
Endangered Loggerheads is about...

How beach development is endangering sea turtles

Main idea Start with... Main idea Add this... Main ideaResults
Turtles bury eggs in the
sand + Beach development &
tourists = Baby turtles die

Essential details Essential details Essential details

Sea Turtles crawl onto Houses & Hotels line the
beach and bury eggs water front for thousands
of miles
Sun incubates eggs; baby Street lights, Car lights,
turtles dig out of sand flashing signs, carnivals
Baby turtles attracted to
bright lights
Crawl toward bright
lights, away from sea

Attracted to movement & Tourists using the Babies get lost,

glimmer of light on water beaches disoriented

Crawl toward light to get Beach buggies Eaten by predators &

to the sea & swim away Dehydrated

IF we don't turn-off our lights at night

THEN the Loggerhead may become extinct

What is this whole idea about?

If/Then/Because
Frames Another way
If... depict Cause/Effect
Then... Because...
information structures is
Supporting points from the perspective of If-
Supporting points Supporting
points

Then relationships and why

these occur (e.g., “IF you
don’t balance your
checkbook regularly, THEN
you may bounce checks and
loose a lot of money
BECAUSE both the bank
So what? What is important to understand about this?

charges extra for bounced

checks and so do the
business that to whom you wrote a check”). The frame below shows how these
relationships can be depicted.

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

The If/Then/Because frame is designed to spell out the main ideas and details of
an “If-Then” relationship. The first main idea box denotes an If situation (i.e., “If
_____ happens...”).

The second main idea box addresses the Then resulting relationship (i.e., “If
____ happens, then ___ results.”

The last main idea box, Because, addresses the rationale for this relationship
(i.e., “If ____ happens, then ___ results because ____”).

Simple If/Then/Because frames are used to depict only the main ideas of a
lesson. For example, the figure below captures the essence of the cause and
effect relationship associated with use of sunscreen.

Health Science example

Simple If/Then/Because Frames could be used to teach basic health concepts....
What is this whole idea about?

Using sunscreen
If... Then... Because...

...you don’t put on ...you may eventually get ..UV rays from the sun
sunscreen skin cancer that could kill gradually accmulate over
you seveal years and cause
cancer

Sometimes its more advantageous to depict both the main ideas and specific
details associate with each. Thus, the complete Tf/Then/Because frames could
be used.

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

Political Science example
If/Then/Because frame could be used to explore concepts associated with facilitating social
change...
© 1999 E.S. Ellis
What is this whole idea about?

Using peaceful resistance to change unfair laws

If... Then... Because...
Large numbers of public Social policies/laws more Media builds public
peaceful protesters likely to change awareness & support

Civil Rights Movements - Civil Rights Act

1960's
Supporting points Supporting points Supporting points
media wants "exciting" video --
public speeches voting rights focuses on violent reactions agaist
ensure voting registration & opportunity protestors (police beatings, water
cannon, etc.)

going limp when arrested housing rights public wants to know why its
laws prohibiting sales based on race happening -- media reports

public revulsion to violence - --

equal opportunity - jobs sympathy for victims
sit-ins sing-ins prohibiting job discrim. "affirmative action"

integration of schools pressure on politicians to

protest marches (no more "separate but equal" policies)
change unfair laws

So what? What’s important to understand about this?

One of the ways to facilitate change of unfair laws is through peaceful resistance and protest
that is very public.

IF the overall problem is...

What is this whole thing about?

THEN the overall solution is.....

Using
Problem/Solution
Problem elements Basic problem Basic solution Solution elements

Frames to depict
Problem elements Basic problem Basic solution Solution elements
cause/effect
relationships
Problem elements
Understanding a problem and its
Basic problem Basic solution Solution elements

various components as well as a

potential solutions can be
What is important to understand about this?

depicted graphically as a
cause/effect relationship. In the
problem/Solution Frame below,
the problem is stated as an overall big idea, and then each of the major

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

components of the problems are stated as main ideas. The Frame also provides
space for depicting specific details about each problem component.

Social Studies
A Problem/Solution graphic could be used to clarify current events...

What is this whole thing about?

Enormous U.S. budget deficit

IF the overall problem is... THEN the overall solution is.....

Unnecessary Responsible
spending spending

Problem elements Basic problem Basic solution Solution elements

Congress spends BIG Presidential "line item"

$$ to get reelected Better veto
"Pork-barrel" legislative
Prof. lobbyists -- spending checks & Limited terms for
"wine & dine" balances congress

Excessive "military Close unnecessary

might" military bases
Military Downsize
Industrial/military Defense military Better monitoring
complex of contracts

Eliminate "most
Automatically go $$ for least-
up Create control good"
Entitlements mechanisms Every increase
Don't represent the
subject to
nation's needs
Congressional vote

What is important to understand about this?

There are solutions to the huge budget deficit, but they

will require politicians to act a LOT more responsibly
and work harder.

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

Social Studies
A Problem/Solution graphic could be used to clarify current events...

What is this whole thing about?

Restructuring Government

IF the overall problem THEN the overall solution is.....

is...
Imposing
Uncontrolled limitations via a
power of leaders constitution

Problem elements Basic problem Basic solution Solution elements

power seized via
candidates elected by
force; passed on from
popular vote
father to son Represen-
Inherited
tative
dynasties formed power limited terms of office
government

Unchallenged Disperse checks & balances

decision making
Centralized power by
dictatorial leadership power separating 3 branches of
government government

leader considered leadership

super-human or god- understood to be
like Separate human
Religious
must participate in church &
influence citizens allowed
ceremonies where state religious freedom to
leader as god-like choose

What is important to understand about this?

The less of centralized the leadership, the more likely

government will be effective and governed by the people

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

 Using Concentric
Circles to depict
cause/effect relationships
Cause/Effect relationships can also
be depicted using a series of
concentric circles and arrows
stemming out from the center. The
figure allows you to show how the
concept in the center influences
those listed in the second ring, and
in turn, how these influence those
in the next ring, and so on.

Health Science example

When studying health issues, Concentric Circles can be used to depict the ripple
effect of various unhealthy behaviors such as substance abuse.

Social
Outcast

Social
Withdrawal
Loss of Aggressive
Friends
Poor diet
Stealing Behavior
Changes Liver
Damage
Sell
Addiction
Expense

Jail
drugs to Drug Overdose Death
support Use
habit
Mind
Low self Changes Brain
concept Damage

Impaired
memory

Loss of
Intelligence

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com

 Using Loops to depict
cause/effect
relationships Simple loops
can be used to depict simple
reciprocal cause/effect relationships
between concepts.

Psychology example
This loop was used to depict the reciprocal relationship between dependency
personality types and behaviors.
MAKES SENSE HOME GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS HOME

© 2001 Masterminds publishing, ll ® graphicorganizers.com