Macmillan Education Australia 2012

Cause and effect wheel/map

The Cause and effect wheel/map is an organiser that assists students in
understanding the relationships between cause and effect, and action and reaction of
an issue. This tool enables learners to construct information in a non-linear format.
Remind students that there is no right wheel/map, and wheels/maps will take on a
variety of shapes depending on the learners focus, their level of inquiry and depth of
knowledge of the topic.

Students can complete an individual wheel/map or work in pairs or groups.
Concentric circles are drawn with the issue written in the centre. Further circles are
drawn around the centre for exploring the cause and effects in greater detail. The
organiser can be constructed on a large sheet of paper (enlarge template to A3 size)
and extra wheels added to include sub effects. Alternatively, have students reflect on
what might happen if the links were reversed.

This is a useful tool to help students get started with an inquiry or debate about an
issue or question.

Topic: Date: Name:

Cause and effect wheel


















Issue











Topic: Date: Name:

Causes





Effects





Sub effects





Cause and effect map