Cause and Effect
What Is It & Why Is It Important?
A cause and effect analysis is an attempt to understand why things happen as they do. People in many professions—accident investigators, scientists, historians, doctors, newspaper reporters, automobile mechanics, educators, police detectives—spend considerable effort trying to understand the causes and effects of human behavior and natural phenomena to gain better control over events and over ourselves. If we understand the causes of accidents, wars, and natural disasters, perhaps we can avoid them in the future. If we understand the consequences of our own behavior, perhaps we can modify our behavior in a way that will allow us to lead happier, safer lives.
EXAMPLES:
Cause / EffectEarthquakes
Erosion
Heavy Rain
Poor Drainage
Deforestation
Steep Terrain / Mudslides
Mudslides / Flooding
Property Loss
Injury and Death
Understanding Cause and Effect
Understanding cause and effect relationships will help you develop the ability to analyze situations as they occur. Of course, analyzing situations, considering why they happen, understanding that one thing leads to another, realizing one single event can have multiple causes- and multiple consequences—where some consequences are intended and some are not, and reflecting on how to deflect the intended outcome by changing your behavior or making a different decision are not skills that you can master in a few days or weeks, they are skills that will naturally grow and evolve as you experience situations and mature. AS you explore public service announcements and begin constructing your own, keep the following in mind:
$ Always ask WHY
I Why do people smoke? Why is fast food so popular in America? Why do people continue to commit crimes after being released from prison? What are the causes and effects of bullying in schools?
$ After you consider WHY, ask HOW
I How do you know students suffer from bullying? What evidence do you have to prove bullying is occurring in your school?
I Research texts, interview people, create a survey, etc to justify your position or claim.
$ Consider MULTIPLE causes of events
I Make lists of possible causes of events, and then try to determine which are more likely, or important, than others….NARROW IT DOWN.
$ Consider multiple consequences
I How does bullying effect society? What happens when we litter? What are some of the likely consequences of animal abuse?
I What consequences does the behavior described (ex. Smoking) have on the lives of others?
$ Identify the Purpose. You have to have a concluding statement that restates the purpose of the PSA in an identifiable, clever way and makes the viewer want to make decisions in the future that will avoid the negative consequences or achieve the positive outcomes.
I Texting and Driving Kills…
I Arrive Alive, Don’t Drink and Drive….Above the Influence
I The price of silence is too high. Stick up for a victim, they will appreciate it FOREVER.
$ Use appropriate VOCABULARY to maximize the effects of your cause and effect PSA.
I Power Words: consequence, because, consequently, influence, and as a result.
I Qualifiers: partly responsible for and largely because of.
$ Use the language of cause and effect to inform, to persuade, and to provide your viewers with an understanding of the order of events…the chain of events and how they are related.
Public Service Announcement:
Cause and Effect with Technology
A PSA, or a public service announcement, is a type of informal media meant to persuade an audience to take action. Each group will choose a cause they feel strongly about (poverty, bullying, child hunger, etc.). Then, by utilizing a cause and effect analysis they will create a PSA to inform their classmates and encourage them to make take action.
Learning Outcome:
Students will be able to produce a Public Service Announcement by utilizing research, storyboards, cause-effect analysis, and technology.
Overview:
Students will be broken up into groups and will create a Public Service Announcement on a topic of their choice. The PSA will need to be at least 30 seconds long, but no longer then 2 minutes. Students will need to conduct research on their topic, create a story board, create a script, film the PSA, edit the PSA, and present the PSA to the class.
Due Dates:
Final Project - Due on Friday, May 11th
Graphic Organizer:
Each group will be required to create a graphic organizer that organizes the chain of events -cause and effect- addressed in their Public Service Announcement. Students can use the graphic organizer provided in the packet or create their own organizer approved by Miss. Dyksterhouse.
Storyboard:
Each group will be required to create a Story Board of their Public Service Announcement. Students can create their Story Board using the Microsoft Word Storyboard Template included in this packet.
Storyboard Sketch:
Each group will be required to create a sketch for the different scenes in their Public Service Announcement. Students can create the sketch by hand drawing or using pictures. Additionally, students can add their pictures to their Storyboard, or they can use any other creative method approved by Miss. Dyksterhouse. For example, since you need a scene by scene sketch, you could use the comic strip creator on ReadWriteThink: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/index.html
Script:
Each group will be required to create a script for any dialogue they have in their Public Service Announcement. You can type or write you script. It needs to correspond to the storyboard you created and must match what you say or type as well as what you show.
Video Transitions:
Use the article included in this packet to see the types of transitions that can be used for your PSA. For more information, type the link provided in the article in the URL on the back computer.
Useful Links for Video Audio:
$ http://www.soungle.com/ - Royalty Free Sound Effects
$ http://www.publicdomain4u.com/free-music-listings/- Copyright Free Music and Sounds
Rubric:
You will find the rubric for the Public Service Announcement included in this packet. The rubric breaks down each phase of the project. It is also a very good guide to follow when creating your Public Service Announcements.
Process:
The below outline should be used as a guide for creating your Public Service Announcement
$ Idea: Group discusses a particular topic they would like to create a Public Service Announcement about.
$ Research: Several public service announcements use specific data, statistics, and research to help strengthen the message they are trying to get across to the audience. This involves researching articles, collecting data, and conducting interviews. Data can be collected by creating a survey and having other classmates complete it.
$ Creative Development/Storyboarding: Students must come up with a creative idea for their PSA and create a storyboard that outlines their filming sequence.
$ Script: Groups are also required to complete a script for each scene
$ Filming/Creating: Students may begin filming/creating their PSA after they have completed a Graphic Organizer, Storyboard, Storyboard Sketch, and Script.
$ Video Editing: Students will use the program Windows Movie Maker to edit their PSA. The program is installed on all of the computers in the computer lab. Students can also download the program at home for free by going to http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=34
$ Class Presentation: Each group will present their Public Service Announcement to the class at the end of the semester. They will be responsible for reviewing each group’s PSA and for filling out a cause-effect chain as they watch it.
$ Group Scoring: Each group member will write a private evaluation of each member’s contribution and what they believe is a fair score.