Towns with more police officers report more crime. Ice cream sales and sunburns rise together. Two things moving together is a correlation, and these free printable worksheets ask the next question: why?
"Correlation or causation?" is the usual wording and it is a yes-or-no question wearing two long words. The version worth asking has three answers, because a correlation that is not a direct cause is not therefore meaningless — it is usually one of two other things. The first causes the second (more rain, a fuller reservoir). The second causes the first (more crime, so a town hires more police). Or something else causes both (hot days sell ice cream and burn skin).
Why this sheet works
The middle one is why the sheet exists. A student who has learned only "correlation is not causation" still reads the police sentence as the officers causing the crime; naming reversed causation out loud is what stops that, and it is the hardest of the three because every one of those sentences is written in the order that invites the wrong answer.
How this one works
One question from a sheet like this one, worked a step at a time — with a sentence saying what just happened and why.
Two things move together. Circle the best explanation for each.
1
Ice cream sales and sunburns rise and fall together.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
2
Towns with more churches also have more cafes.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
3
Towns with more police officers report more crime.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
4
Shops with more security guards report more theft.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
5
The more it rains, the fuller the reservoir gets.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
6
The longer a candle burns, the shorter it gets.
First causes secondSecond causes firstSomething else causes both
Reading a study · Why two things move togetherAnswer key
1. Ice cream sales and sunburns rise and fall together. → Something else causes both — Hot sunny days cause both. Ice cream does not burn skin.2. Towns with more churches also have more cafes. → Something else causes both — A bigger town has more of everything; one does not build the other.3. Towns with more police officers report more crime. → Second causes first — A town hires police BECAUSE it has crime — the crime came first.4. Shops with more security guards report more theft. → Second causes first — A shop that is robbed hires guards; guards do not attract thieves.5. The more it rains, the fuller the reservoir gets. → First causes second — Rain runs into the reservoir; the reservoir cannot make it rain.6. The longer a candle burns, the shorter it gets. → First causes second — Burning uses the wax up; being short does not make it burn.
