Rumours and checking facts: reading for causes and effects
A cause is why something happens; an effect is what happens because of it. Words that show cause and effect are because, so, as a result, therefore and this led to. In a text about a rumour, one wrong sentence can cause a chain of effects. To find causes and effects, ask: What happened first? What happened because of it? Then check the linking words. To find the writer’s message, ask what the writer wants the reader to learn or do, and look at the last paragraph. To summarise a paragraph in one sentence, find its topic sentence, keep the most important idea, and leave out examples and numbers. Use your own words and keep it short. A good summary does not give your opinion. Your book has a text on pages 44 and 45 about lies and trust. Read it after this lesson and look for causes and effects.
| Skill | Question |
|---|---|
| Cause | Why did it happen? |
| Effect | What happened because of it? |
| Message | What does the writer want me to learn? |
| Summary | What is the most important idea, in one sentence? |
Last Monday a rumour spread through the school: the canteen would stop selling cheese sandwiches. Nobody knew who started it. By break time, a long queue had formed, and some students bought five sandwiches each because they were afraid to lose their favourite food. As a result, the canteen ran out of bread by ten o’clock, and many hungry students had nothing to eat. The canteen manager, Mrs Hoda, was surprised. She explained that she had only changed the company that delivers the bread. The sandwiches would stay. The next day the school put a notice on the board with the true information. The head teacher reminded everyone to ask the right person before they believe a story.
Rumour tracker. Think of a harmless rumour you heard at school or in your family. Write the first cause, two effects and how it ended. Use as a result or so. Then write a one-sentence message that begins “Before we share a story, we should …”.