Before You Write

Worksheet Description

This worksheet is a planning tool for students to organize their thoughts before writing a cause and effect essay. It provides guidance on different approaches for constructing the thesis of the essay, such as focusing on a single cause-and-effect relationship or exploring a phenomenon with multiple causes. Additionally, the worksheet encourages the creation of a diagram to visually map out the cause/effect relationships that will be discussed in the essay, offering examples of a simple one-to-one diagram and a more complex tree diagram for multiple effects.

The worksheet is teaching students the importance of pre-writing organization in constructing a cause and effect essay. It helps them understand how to visually structure their ideas, which can make the writing process more efficient and their arguments clearer. By learning to create diagrams that map out their essays’ logical flow, students can better understand and communicate the complexities of cause and effect relationships. This skill is valuable for making their writing coherent and for helping readers grasp the connections between different parts of the essay.