PencilGo

Grade 2 · Reading · Informational

2nd Grade Cause and Effect worksheets

6 printable versionsOn LevelAbout 6 minutes eachFree · no account

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

★
Version
Print

Cause and Effect

Grade 2 Reading Worksheet

NameDate

Read the text. Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    How a Seed Sprouts

    A seed may look dry and lifeless, but a tiny baby plant is inside. The seed also holds stored food to help the plant start growing. A hard coat protects the seed until the time is right.

    A seed needs water to sprout. When a seed is planted in damp soil, it soaks up water and swells. The seed gets so big that its coat splits open.

    Warmth matters too. Many seeds will not sprout until the soil is warm enough. That is why gardeners often plant seeds in spring, after the cold weather ends.

    First, a tiny root pushes out of the seed. It grows down into the soil, because roots grow toward the pull of the earth. The root takes in water so the plant can keep growing.

    Next, a small shoot grows up toward the light. When the shoot pokes out of the soil, its first leaves open. Now the leaves can use sunlight to make food. The little plant no longer needs the food stored in the seed.

    If a seed stays dry, it will not sprout.

  2. Why does a seed's coat split open?

    • The seed soaks up water and swells.
    • A tiny root pushes it open from inside.
    • The new leaves pull it apart from outside.
  3. What happens when the shoot pokes out of the soil?

    • Its coat splits open again.
    • Its first leaves open.
    • A root grows down into the soil.
  4. Which sentence uses because the right way?

    • Because the soil is cold, the seed sprouts.
    • Because the seed soaks up water, it swells.
    • Because the seed swells, it soaks up water.
  5. What happens right after the seed's coat splits open?

    • The seed soaks up water.
    • The first leaves open.
    • A tiny root pushes out.
PencilGopencilgo.com

2nd Grade Cause and Effect worksheet 1 – printable PDF
Download PDF: 123456

About this worksheet

Cause and effect help readers explain how events connect. A cause tells why something happened, and an effect tells what happened because of it. Second graders may reverse the two, especially when both ideas appear in the same sentence. They may also choose an event that is in the text but is not connected to the target event. This worksheet uses one text, printed once above the four questions that use it, with clear relationships, then asks students to identify causes, effects, matching pairs, and unrelated events.

Encourage your child to use the words because and so as a test. If the sentence makes sense with because, the cause is probably in the right place. Watch for a child who picks a true fact from the text simply because it sounds important, even though it plays no real part in causing the event in question.

What your child will learn

  • Identify causes in a text
  • Identify effects in a text
  • Match connected events
  • Avoid reversing cause and effect

Common Core standard: RI.2.3

Worked example

The sun warms the ice cube, so it melts. The warm sun is the cause; melting is the effect.

Common mistake

Choosing an event from the text that is not the reason for the target event.

Helpful hint

A cause answers why. An effect answers what happened.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with cause and effect?

Choosing an event from the text that is not the reason for the target event.

How can I help my child with cause and effect?

A cause answers why. An effect answers what happened.

Are these 2nd grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

Similar: Main Topic in Paragraphs · Use Text Features

More 2nd grade informational

See all informational

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records