Skip to content
Start free
Start My 3 Free Days $0 today · cancel anytime

3rd Grade Cause and Effect Resources

12 3rd grade cause and effect resources: 7 worksheets, 3 graphic organizers, 2 test prep and more. How teachers use these

3rd Grade Cause and Effect Resources

12 3rd grade cause and effect resources: 7 worksheets, 3 graphic organizers, 2 test prep and more. How teachers use these

Micro Lesson
Micro Lesson3rd GradeIdentifying Cause and Effect Micro Lesson

Lexy teaches kids how to find the cause and the effect, one step at a time. Kids practice with friendly hints, then show what they know in a 5-question quiz. Quiz scores go to HFT Classroom automatically.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectMicro Lessons
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeCause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet

This cause and effect graphic organizer worksheet has 3rd graders match causes to effects and write their own effect sentences. An answer key is included, making it easy to check understanding.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectGraphic Organizers
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeWrite Cause and Effect Worksheet

This Write Cause and Effect Worksheet has 3rd graders write the missing cause or effect, match five pairs, and compose their own sentence. Answer key included — no-prep practice that makes the skill stick.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectWorksheets
Workbook
Workbook3rd GradeSmarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook

A Smarter Balanced (CAASPP / SBAC) 3rd grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 24 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.

3rd GradeEnglishExpository WritingTest Prep
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeCause and Effect Graphic Organizer

This cause and effect graphic organizer worksheet helps 3rd graders read a short story and match each cause with its effect. Includes a complete answer key for quick, no-prep reading practice at home or school.

3rd GradeEnglishCause and EffectGraphic Organizers
Workbook
Workbook3rd GradeNew Jersey NJSLA-A 3rd Grade ELA Practice Test Workbook

A NJSLA-A 3rd grade ELA practice test workbook for teachers, with a pretest, skill practice for all 19 standards, mixed review and 2 full-length practice tests. Answer key included, so test prep is ready to go.

3rd GradeEnglishExpository WritingTest Prep
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet

A compare and contrast cause and effect graphic organizer where 3rd graders chart what happened and why in two texts, then write how the texts compare. Works with any pair of books.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectGraphic Organizers
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeHamster Cause and Effect Worksheet

This Hamster Cause and Effect Worksheet gives 3rd grade readers a short story, a six-row chart, and two written questions, with an answer key included, so children can explain why events happen.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeFind the Cause Cause and Effect Worksheet

This Find the Cause Cause and Effect Worksheet has 3rd graders match causes to effects, then write their own cause for four everyday events. Answer key included, so a quick reading review takes no prep at all.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectWorksheets
Activity
Activity3rd GradeWhy oh Why Story Details Activity

This why oh why story details activity lets 2nd-4th grade students match 12 effects to their causes and build paper chains. A practice page and answer key are included.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectActivities
Activity
Activity3rd GradeCause and Effect Sequencing Activity

Kids build trains of Effect, because, and Cause cards in this cause and effect sequencing activity for 1st to 3rd grade. Answer key included so checking each train is quick.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectActivities
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeWhat Happens? Cause and Effect Worksheet

This what happens? cause and effect worksheet has 3rd grade students match causes to effects and combine sentences with because or so. An answer key is included for easy checking.

3rd GradeReadingCause and EffectWorksheets
From our teachers' playbook

Why did it happen? Let's dig in!

What do 3rd graders learn about cause and effect?

Third graders learn that the cause is why something happens and the effect is what happens. "The hamster got out because the cage was open." The open cage is the cause, and the escape is the effect! Kids hunt for signal words like because, so, since and as a result, and they learn that one cause can lead to a whole chain of effects. They use this in stories and in science and history texts, too. The click moment is when a child spots an effect first and then works backward to find the cause.

Our favorite ways to teach cause and effect

Cause and effect is everywhere, so we teach it with clear models and lots of real examples.

Watch it, then try it

Start with a short lesson that walks through one example step by step, then pause before the next one and let kids predict the effect. When they can explain "this happened because..." in their own words, they are ready to find it on their own.

Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).

Identifying Cause and Effect Micro LessonTry it withIdentifying Cause and Effect Micro LessonMicro LessonsOpen it →

Map the chain

Have kids fill in an organizer with the cause in one box and the effect in the next. Then challenge them: "What happened because of that effect?" Watching one event set off another turns a simple pair into a story chain.

Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.

Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer WorksheetTry it withCause and Effect Graphic Organizer WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Find the cause

Give kids an effect and ask them to find the cause in the text. It is trickier than it sounds! A few quick ones each day, checked together, build the habit of rereading for the "why."

Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Find the Cause Cause and Effect WorksheetTry it withFind the Cause Cause and Effect WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Make it feel like play

Kids love a good "what if?" These keep cause and effect lively.

Cause and Effect Sequencing ActivityActivities

Domino stories

Line up picture cards in order and knock them down one by one, telling how each event caused the next.

Open Cause and Effect Sequencing Activity →Why oh Why Story Details ActivityActivities

Why, oh why?

Read a short story and take turns asking "Why did that happen?" The first to point to the clue in the text wins a point.

Open Why oh Why Story Details Activity →Hamster Cause and Effect WorksheetWorksheets

Runaway hamster

Read about a mischievous hamster and match every silly effect to its cause.

Open Hamster Cause and Effect Worksheet →

What's on this page

7 Worksheets3 Graphic Organizers2 Test Prep2 Assessments2 Workbooks2 Activities1 Micro Lesson

Teacher favorites right now: Identifying Cause and Effect Micro Lesson, Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet and Write Cause and Effect Worksheet.

Questions parents and teachers ask

What is cause and effect for 3rd graders?

A cause is why something happens, and an effect is what happens as a result. Third graders find cause and effect in stories and nonfiction texts, often using clue words like because, so and as a result.

What are cause and effect signal words?

Common signal words are because, so, since, therefore, as a result and due to. Kids can circle these words to help find the cause and effect in a sentence.

How do I teach cause and effect at home?

Point it out in daily life: "It rained, so the grass is wet." Ask your child "Why did that happen?" and "What happened next?" while reading or watching a show together.

Which comes first, cause or effect?

The cause always happens first, but writers don't always mention it first. In "The grass is wet because it rained," the effect comes first in the sentence, so kids need to read carefully.

Keep exploring

3rd Grade Reading ResourcesCause and Effect Resources2nd Grade Cause and Effect Resources

Written by the Have Fun Teaching team of elementary teachers and homeschoolers. Research: Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3). U.S. Department of Education, What Works Clearinghouse (2021). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).