A very important part of any story is the cause and effect relationships that come out of events in the plot. Get students predicting and problem-solving, by demonstrating their understanding of chain reactions in The Cay. Have them create a T-Chart storyboard depicting causes on the left and their effects on the right. To alter or shorten the activity, consider providing students with some cells already filled in and ask them to infer the logical contents of the empty cells.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| The Germans start bombing the oil refineries in Curaçao. | Phillip and his mother board the S.S. Hato to return to the United States where it is safer. |
| A piece of debris hits Phillip on the head after the S.S. Hato is torpedoed. | Phillip goes blind. |
| Timothy cares for Phillip and teaches him how to survive. | Phillip becomes friends with Timothy and cares for him when he is sick. |
Note: teachers may want to explore the T-Chart definition before assigning this activity.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows cause and effect relationships in The Cay. Each cause and effect pair will be shown in the same row.
Prompt students during read-alouds or group readings to identify events and ask what caused them or what might happen next. Encouraging open discussions helps students practice identifying cause and effect in context and deepens comprehension.
Invite students to share examples of cause and effect from their own lives, then relate these to events in The Cay. This makes learning relevant and helps students internalize the concept by applying it beyond the text.
Try graphic organizers like flow charts or comic strips to visually represent sequences of events. These alternatives can engage diverse learners and support those who benefit from different visual formats.
Challenge students to invent short stories or paragraphs where a clear cause leads to an effect, inspired by themes from The Cay. Writing their own examples strengthens understanding and creativity.
A cause and effect T-Chart activity for The Cay helps students analyze how events in the story lead to specific outcomes. Students list causes on one side of the chart and corresponding effects on the other, showing their understanding of plot relationships.
To teach cause and effect using The Cay, have students identify key events and their results, create a T-Chart or storyboard, and discuss how actions drive the plot. This encourages prediction, inference, and deeper comprehension.
Examples include: Germans bombing Curaçao causes Phillip and his mother to flee; Phillip being hit by debris causes his blindness; Timothy caring for Phillip leads to their friendship. Illustrating these pairs helps students connect story events.
Understanding cause and effect is important in The Cay because it reveals character motivations, the impact of choices, and how events shape the story. This skill deepens comprehension and critical thinking.
The best way to modify a cause and effect lesson is to provide partially completed T-Charts, offer sentence starters, or work in pairs. This scaffolding helps struggling students make connections and succeed.