Cause, Effect, and Sequence

• Expository text structures include cause and effect and sequence
• Cause and effect and sequence are methods of organizing information in writing

Comparing Cause and Effect with Other Structures

• Cause and effect is distinct from other organizational patterns
• Cause and effect explains why something happened (cause) and what happened as a result (effect)
• Other structures, such as description, comparison, or problem/solution, focus on different aspects

Cause and Effect

• Cause and effect explains relationships between events or phenomena
• Cause is the reason why something happened
• Effect is the result of the cause
• A single cause can have multiple effects
• A single effect can have multiple causes
• Cause and effect relationships are not always simple
• Recognizing cause and effect helps in understanding and analyzing events
• Cause and effect is used to explain historical events
• Cause and effect is used to analyze scientific phenomena
• Cause and effect enables logical reasoning

Sequence

• Sequence presents information in a specific order
• Sequence is chronological order
• Sequence describes steps in a process
• Sequence is used to describe events in time
• Sequence uses words such as "first," "next," "then," and "finally"
• Sequence is important in narratives
• Sequence is important in instructional texts
• Sequence helps the reader understand the order of events or steps