Lesson 24: Cause and Effect with the Historical Fiction piece "Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl"

The Target Skill in this lesson is Cause and Effect

Concept Question: Do the causes and effects you found make sense in this sentence? "(Effect) happened because of (Cause)."  or "Because of (Cause), (Effect) happened."

From Journeys:
Cause and Effect As you read “Rachel’s Journal,” identify events that are related by cause and effect—one event leading to another. Causes might include natural events or the decisions that characters make. Look for more than one effect for each cause. Also look for how each cause and effect helps to build the plot and structure of the story. Use a graphic organizer like the one shown below to record these causes and effects.

“Rachel’s Journal” describes how Rachel’s actions lead to adventure on the Oregon Trail. In historical fiction, as in real life, events are often related as causes and effects. A cause is an event that makes something else happen. An effect is something that happens because of an earlier event. Some causes lead to more than one effect. Some effects have more than one cause.

Recognizing causes and their effects can help readers see connections between events, better understand characters and themes, and even predict what might happen next. Look back at the scene on page 726. The dust from the trail causes Rachel to travel on the cut-off path. This effect—traveling on the cut-off—then causes other events to happen, shaping the story’s structure.

Genre:

Historical fiction is a story whose characters and events are set in a real period of history. As 

you read, look for:

     -a setting that was a real time and place in the past

     -details that show the story took place in the past

     -realistic characters

Spelling List 21 – Unit 5 Lesson 24

Word	Verb Root	Part of Speech	Definition
veer		v.	To change direction suddenly
coddle		v.	To treat someone in an over-protective way
abrupt		adj.	Sudden and unexpected
stampede		n./v.	n. A sudden panicked rush of cows, horses, or another herd of animals v. To rush suddenly and wildly in a mass panic
lectured	lecture	v./n.	v. To give a long, scolding talk in order to teach against bad behavior OR To give an academic speech n. An academic speech, usually given by a teacher or professor in high school or college
torment		v.	To cause very serious physical or emotional suffering or pain
fretted	fret	v.	To be very worried or anxious about something
diagonally		adv.	(From the adj. diagonal meaning neither straight forward, backward, left, or right) Done in a diagonal direction
cowered	cower	v.	To crouch down or hide in fear
fierceness		n.	(The noun form of the adjective ‘fierce’ meaning having or showing violent aggressiveness) The thing of being fierce