© Edgenuity, Inc. 1

Warm-Up Cause and Effect in An American Plague

Lesson Goals

Read from An American Plague by Jim Murphy.

.

Define cause and

Identify cause-and-e�ect

.

Determine

ideas in a text.

Words to Know

Fill in this table as you work through the lesson. You may also use the glossary to help you.

cause someone or something that produces an or result

effect a that occurs when something happens

relationship the state of being

central idea the most idea in a text; supported by key details

WK2

Lesson Question

?

© Edgenuity, Inc. 2

InstructionPart 1

2Slide

Cause and Effect in An American Plague

Yellow Fever in Philadelphia, 1793

Facts about the yellow fever epidemic of 1793:

• Yellow fever, which has no cure, is a disease carried by infected

.

• Caribbean refugees brought yellow fever into Philadelphia in July 1793.

• Mosquitoes that bit the infected refugees spread the virus to other people.

• The hot, dry and low water levels created excellent

breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

• An estimated people died.

• The virus ended with the cold weather in November.

Understanding Cause and Effect

Cause: someone or something that produces an effect or a

Effect: a change that occurs when something

A fierce hurricane strikes a coastal city.

Two million people are without electricity.

Without electricity, the food in many refrigerators spoils.

You eat dinner at a friend’s home that has not lost power.

Cause E�ect

© Edgenuity, Inc. 3

InstructionPart 1

Cause and Effect in An American Plague

5Slide

7

The Relationship between Cause and Effect

A relationship is the state of being .

: :

• A student studied hard for a math test.

• The student did well on the math test.

• It is raining outside.

• I am doing well on my math test.

Identifying Signal Words in Cause and Effect

Signal words tell readers that there is a cause-and-effect between words or phrases.

Signal words for a : Signal words for an :

• Because

• Since

• Led to

• The reason why

• If

• So

• Therefore

• After this

• As a result

• Then

© Edgenuity, Inc. 4

InstructionPart 1

Cause and Effect in An American Plague

Jim Murphy (b. 1947)

• Loves

• Has written more than thirty-five historical books

• Published his first book in

• Won a Newbery Honor in 2004 for An American Plague

9Slide

11

Drawing Conclusions between Cause and Effect

If there is strong between a cause and an effect, a conclusion can be drawn.

To find the cause, ask yourself why something happened.

To find the effect, ask yourself what happened.

If you have factual evidence and all other reasons have been eliminated, then you can draw a conclusion.

Cause E�ect

© Edgenuity, Inc. 5

InstructionPart 2

Cause and Effect in An American Plague

2Slide

Identifying a Central Idea

A central idea is the most important idea in a text. It is supported by key details.

To find the central idea:

• Read the text.

• Look for the subject of the text.

• Look for ideas that are .

• Ask yourself what the most important of the writing is.

• Look for details (facts, examples, reasons, and definitions) that support one idea.

Finding a Central Idea

Underline the phrases that show temperature had an effect on the disease.

Toward the end of October, Washington heard from Postmaster General Pickering

that the fever seemed to be on the wane. A cold spell had swept in and with it a cleansing rain.

Burials were falling in number . . . .

This good news was followed almost immediately by a contradictory report from

Comptroller Wolcott. After several good days in the city, he explained, warm weather reappeared

and deaths increased.

–An American Plague, Jim Murphy

© Edgenuity, Inc. 6

Summary Cause and Effect in An American Plague

?

Answer

Use this space to write any questions or thoughts about this lesson.

Lesson Question What were the effects of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793?