Educational worksheet explaining the cause and effect of leaves changing color in fall.

Let's solve the Cause and Effect problem based on the passage titled *"Why do leaves change color?"*.

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🔍 Step 1: Understand the Passage

The passage explains why leaves change color in the fall. Here's a summary:

- During summer, leaves are green because they contain chlorophyll, which helps plants make food using sunlight.
- Chlorophyll is stored during the summer.
- In the fall, the weather gets colder, and there is less sunlight.
- With less sunlight, it becomes hard for plants to make food.
- Plants save energy by stopping chlorophyll production.
- As chlorophyll fades, other colors (red, yellow, orange, brown) that were hidden become visible.
- This color change signals that fall has arrived.

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🔄 Step 2: Identify Cause and Effect Relationships

We need to fill out a cause-effect diagram. Since the diagram isn't shown here, I'll create one based on the logical flow of the passage.

#### ✔ Cause:
- The weather changes in the fall → air becomes cold
- There is less sunlight during the day
- It becomes difficult for plants to make food

#### ✔ Effect:
- Plants stop producing chlorophyll
- Chlorophyll begins to fade
- Other pigments (reds, yellows, oranges, browns) become visible
- Leaves change color

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🧩 Completed Cause-Effect Diagram (Text Version)

```
CAUSE:
1. Cold weather in fall
2. Less sunlight
3. Difficulty making food

→ EFFECT:
1. Plants stop making chlorophyll
2. Chlorophyll fades away
3. Hidden pigments (yellow, red, orange, brown) appear
4. Leaves change color
```

Or visually (if drawn):

```
[Cold Weather & Less Sunlight]
↓
[Plants can’t make food easily]
↓
[Chlorophyll breaks down]
↓
[Other colors become visible]
↓
[Leaves change color]
```

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💡 Explanation of Why This Happens

Leaves are green in summer because of chlorophyll, which is essential for photosynthesis (making food). But in fall, shorter days and colder temperatures reduce sunlight, so plants slow down food production. To conserve energy, they break down chlorophyll. Once the green disappears, other pigments—like carotenoids (yellow/orange) and anthocyanins (red)—show up. These colors were always present but masked by the dominant green.

This natural process helps trees survive winter by shedding leaves and conserving resources.

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✔ Final Answer (for the diagram):

Cause:
- Fall brings cold weather and less sunlight
- Plants cannot make food efficiently

Effect:
- Chlorophyll breaks down
- Hidden colors (yellow, red, orange, brown) appear
- Leaves change color

This shows the cause-effect relationship between seasonal changes and leaf color transformation.

Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable diagram!