Cause and Effect Prompt for in Class Essay.

At a recent conference at the University of Chicago , David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family presented a paper titled “ Video Game Violence and Public Policy.”

The paper stated that “79% of American children now play computer or video games on a regular basis. Children between the ages of 7 and 17 play for an average of eight hours a week.”

“The growth of electronic games has not been without controversy, however. The subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior has raised concern among parents, educators, child advocates, medical professionals, and policy makers.”

According to Walsh, research shows reason for concern:

“Exposure to violent games increases physiological* arousal. . . .Heart rate . . . and . . . blood pressure all increase when playing violent games. . . . These are the same types of physiological reactions bodies have when engaged in a fight.”
“Exposure to violent games increases aggressive emotions.” In one study, “students who were more ‘addicted’ to video games were significantly more likely to be in a bad mood before, during, and after play than were non-addicted students.”
“In a study of 8th and 9th graders, students who played more violent video games were also more likely to see the world as a hostile place, to get into frequent arguments with teachers, and to be involved in physical fights.”

*physiological: relating to the body’s normal functions and processes.

Using the information presented in the paper, experiences from your own life, and/or other information you have read, write an article for your school newspaper about the negative effects of playing violent video games.

As you write your article, remember to:

Focus on the negative effects of children playing violent video games.
Consider the purpose, audience and context of your article.
Organize your ideas and details effectively.
Include specific details that clearly develop your article.
Use standard grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Cause and Effect Prompt for in Class Weekly Assessment.

Writing Prompts

DIRECTIONS Choose your own topic for your cause-and-effect explanation, or use one of the following prompts.

WORKPLACE

Your employer has announced that anyone who does not carpool will have to pay $25 a month for parking. What do you think caused your company to make such a rule? Write a cause-and-effect explanation of the effects (positive or negative) that you think this policy will have on employees’ attitudes and behaviors.

SCHOOL

Your school has decided that the school dress code should be expanded to regulate what kinds of jewelry are acceptable to wear to school. Write a cause-and-effect explanation of the effects the proposed “jewelry rule” would have on students.

JOURNALISM

Technology allows photographs to be altered to substitute one person’s face for another, to change backgrounds, and to create many different effects. Some newspapers have made a promise that they will not publish altered photographs. What might some causes be for creating this policy? Write a cause-and-effect explanation of this subject.

HISTORY

New information often causes people to view history differently. For example, the diary of a Mexican soldier who served under Santa Anna reported that Davy Crockett and others at the Alamo were executed after surrendering. This changed some traditional views of the battle. Imagine that a significant piece of new information has been discovered about a historical event you have studied recently. Write a cause-and-effect explanation of possible effects of

this discovery.

SCIENCE

Thousands of species of animals on Earth are endangered: they are expected to disappear in less than 20 years if special measures are not taken to protect them. Select an endangered animal, and write a cause-and-effect explanation showing why the animal is endangered and what might happen if the animal becomes extinct.