Take It or Leave It
Refusing to Wear a Coat:
On a chilly day, the teacher reminds students to wear their coats before going outside. One student insists they are not cold and refuses to put on their coat, despite the teacher's encouragement. This behavior shows a disregard for the teacher's guidance and a lack of awareness of their own comfort.
Consequence: The child feels cold and uncomfortable during playtime, which may lead them to reconsider their choice next time.
LEAVE IT!
Disorganization:
Sophia's desk/locker is a chaotic mess of crumpled papers, broken pencils, and random items. Loose papers spill out when she opens her desk, and she can never find her materials quickly.
Consequence: Sophia frequently loses or misplaces important materials and assignments, resulting in lower grades and increased stress.
Natural
Communication Frustration: Liam, who has a speech delay, becomes frustrated and throws equipment/games when he can't express what he wants during playtime.
Other children move away from Liam, leaving him isolated during play.
Not Paying Attention During Lesson: A student daydreams and doesn't listen during a math lesson on fractions.
Consequence: The student struggles to complete the practice problems and homework because they missed key information.
Explanation: This is a natural consequence because the difficulty in completing the work is directly related to not paying attention. if this is the first time it happens, the struggle to understand and complete the work serves as a learning experience.
Repetitive Behaviors: Ethan, who has autism, becomes fixated on lining up toys and gets upset when others disrupt his lines during free play.
Consequence: Ethan struggles to engage in cooperative play with peers.
Take it: add something!
Teacher Response: "Ethan, I see you like your toys in a line. Let's find a special place where you can make lines without others bumping them."
Behavior: Ethan is on another tab watching videos/looking up off-task pictures during chromebook time without permission.
For younger learners: Ethan is using another center without permission.
Consequence: Teacher uses GoGuardian to block access to anything on chromebook and student loses chromebook for the whole day.
For younger learners: Teacher redirects student to the center that they need to be in and teacher states that they can’t be in that center tomorrow. You went to the wrong one today, you will not be able to use it.
Extra (a.k.a. Petty)
Playing Instead of Working: A student plays with toys (or things on desk or reads) instead of completing their assigned classwork during independent work time.
Consequence: The student does not finish their work and has to take it home, which makes them feel rushed later on.
Explanation: This is a natural consequence because not completing work leads directly to having more homework at home, encouraging better focus during class.
Running in the Hallway: Michael runs in the hallway despite being reminded to walk.
Natural consequence: Michael trips and falls, scraping his knee.
Explanation: The natural consequence of falling may be sufficient to remind Michael of the importance of walking safely in the hallway.
Difficulty Sharing: Zoe refuses to share the toy kitchen items (or playground equipment for older students) with other children, becoming upset when others try to play.
Consequence: Other children stop asking Zoe to play, leaving her to play alone.
LEAVE IT!
Disruptive Behavior: Alex is the class clown who makes random sound effects, makes faces, and tries to make other students laugh. His disruptions range from animal noises to exaggerated movements; his behaviors consistently derail classroom learning.
Consequence: The teacher ignores Alex for the whole class period, especially when student is raising hand, sitting at learning space, etc.
Extra (aka petty)
Refusing to Participate in Group Activities: A student chooses not to join their group during a team game or activity in class.
Natural Consequence:
The student feels lonely and misses out on fun experiences with classmates, also does not earn their participation points (if participation is part of their grade).
Explanation:
This is a natural consequence because feeling left out results from choosing not to participate. This can encourage future involvement in group activities. If class participation is part of the grade, then the student does not earn those points.
Pushing in Line: Sophia pushes her way to the front of the line at the water fountain.
Natural consequence: Classmates become upset and don't want to play with Sophia at recess or there is student discord (a.k.a. fight).
Explanation: The natural consequence of social isolation may be enough to teach Sophia about respecting others and waiting her turn