Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs- Cause and Effect Activity ... - Free Printable

Let’s go step by step to match each cause with its correct effect — or each effect with its correct cause — based on the story “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”

We know:
- Cause = why something happens.
- Effect = what happens because of that cause.

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First row:
> Cause: The townspeople ate too many cream cheese and jelly sandwiches.
→ What would be the effect? In the story, eating too many sticky sandwiches made their mouths stuck shut! So the effect is:
✔ *Their mouths got stuck shut.*

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Second row:
> Effect: When the townspeople went outside, they carried their plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives and napkins with them.
→ Why would they do that? Because food was falling from the sky! They needed to catch it. So the cause is:
✔ *Food started falling from the sky.*

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Third row:
> Effect: The townspeople glued giant pieces of stale bread together.
→ Why? To make boats! Because when the food stopped falling, they had to leave town using bread boats. So the cause is:
✔ *They needed to escape the town after the food storm ended.*

Wait — let’s think again. Actually, in the story, they built bread boats because there was no more food coming down, and they were hungry and needed to find new land. But looking at the last row…

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Fourth row:
> Cause: No food fell from the sky in the new land.
→ What happened next? They had to build boats out of bread to get back home (or to find food). But wait — actually, in the story, they left Swallow Falls because food stopped falling, and they used bread boats to sail away. Then they found a new land where no food fell — so they had to eat normal food again.

But let’s look at the third row again:

Effect: “The townspeople glued giant pieces of stale bread together.” → That’s how they made boats. Why? Because they needed to leave town when the food stopped falling.

So for row 3, the cause should be:
✔ *The food stopped falling from the sky.*

Then for row 4:

Cause: “No food fell from the sky in the new land.”
→ Effect: They had to eat regular food like we do. Or maybe they missed the food storms? Actually, in the book, they realize they prefer normal meals. But since this is a simple worksheet, likely the effect is:
✔ *They learned to enjoy regular food again.*

But let’s check standard answers for this common worksheet.

Actually, here’s the most accurate matching based on the original story and typical classroom use:

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Row 1:
Cause: Ate too many cream cheese & jelly sandwiches → Effect: Their mouths got stuck shut.

Row 2:
Effect: Carried dishes outside → Cause: Food was falling from the sky (so they needed to catch it).

Row 3:
Effect: Glued bread together → Cause: They needed to build boats to leave town (because food stopped falling).

Row 4:
Cause: No food fell in new land → Effect: They ate normal food / didn’t need dishes anymore.

But since the worksheet gives us fixed boxes, we must pick the best fit.

Looking again:

In row 3, the effect is “glued giant pieces of stale bread together” — that’s definitely building boats. Why? Because they had to escape after the food stopped.

So cause for row 3: *The food stopped falling from the sky.*

Then row 4: Cause = “No food fell from the sky in the new land.” → Effect = ? Probably: *They had to eat regular food.* OR *They didn’t need to carry dishes anymore.*

But let’s see if there’s a better fit.

Actually, in some versions, the effect for row 4 is: *They realized they liked normal food better.*

But to keep it simple and match the story:

Final Matching:

1. Cause: Ate too many sandwiches → Effect: Mouths stuck shut.
2. Cause: Food fell from sky → Effect: Carried dishes outside.
3. Cause: Food stopped falling → Effect: Built bread boats.
4. Cause: No food in new land → Effect: Ate normal food.

Now, writing the answers in the blanks:

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Row 1 Effect:
Their mouths got stuck shut.

Row 2 Cause:
Food started falling from the sky.

Row 3 Cause:
The food stopped falling from the sky.

Row 4 Effect:
They ate regular food instead.

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Let me double-check with the actual plot:

- Eating sticky sandwiches → mouths stick → yes.
- Food falls → people run outside with dishes → yes.
- Food stops → they build bread boats to leave → yes.
- New land has no food falling → they eat normally → yes.

Perfect.

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Final Answer:

Row 1 Effect: Their mouths got stuck shut.
Row 2 Cause: Food started falling from the sky.
Row 3 Cause: The food stopped falling from the sky.
Row 4 Effect: They ate regular food instead.