Cause and Effect Sort
Match causes to their effects using picture cards.
Words
Match
How to run it
Ask for the connecting sentence after every match, not just the pairing. It rained so I got wet is the language target; putting two cards together is only the reasoning step. Then run it backwards — give the effect and ask for a different cause, since got wet has several plausible ones and generating an alternative is harder than recognising the given one. Twelve minutes covers the six pairs in both directions.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
- HintReread the key sentence, or point back to the clue in the text or picture.Log as cued
- Two choicesOffer two answers, the right one not always second.Log as cued
- ModelThink aloud: say how you worked it out, then the student says the answer and why.Log as cued
Adjust it
Read it aloud to the student and offer two choices from the start.
Ask the student to say which words gave them the clue, not just the answer.
Matching IEP goal
Given short texts or spoken prompts, Student will make an inference and say which clue they used in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Six cause-and-effect pairs to match: it rained with got wet, she fell with got hurt, he was tired with fell asleep, it snowed with wore coat, dog barked with felt scared, read a book with learned something. Causal reasoning underpins inference, and a student who cannot link these obvious pairs will struggle with the far subtler links a story asks for.
What to listen for
Watch the direction. A student who says I got wet so it rained has matched the pair and reversed the causality, which is common and easy to miss when you are only checking the pairing. Listen for the connector they choose — so and because point in opposite directions, and using the wrong one is a grammatical error that reveals a reasoning one.
Carrying it home
Cause and effect is the easiest thing to narrate in a day. The floor is wet because the cup spilled; you're cold, so put a coat on. Saying both halves in one sentence is what makes the connection audible.
What's in this activity
- it rained got wet
- she fell got hurt
- he was tired fell asleep
- it snowed wore coat
- dog barked felt scared
- read a book learned something
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Second through fifth, and it sits under inferencing and comprehension as much as under vocabulary.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No, all six pairs play free with no account.
- How does this connect to reading comprehension?
- Directly. Most comprehension questions that a student gets wrong are inference questions, and inference is largely causal reasoning applied to text — the same skill this board practises on obvious pairs first.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.