Behavior Detectives

cmitchell

Tier 2

Lesson Plan

Investigating Behavior Mysteries

Students will be able to identify the components of a behavior (what, when, where) and hypothesize potential functions (why) through structured observation and discussion.

Understanding the reasons behind behaviors empowers students to develop effective self-management strategies, fostering a more positive and productive learning environment.

Audience

7th Grade Group

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Through detective-themed activities, students will analyze behavior scenarios.

Materials

Whiteboard or projector, Markers/pens, Handouts: FBA Fact Finder Worksheet, and Notebooks or paper for journaling: My Behavior Hypothesis Journal

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

Review the Investigating Behavior Mysteries Lesson Plan and all generated materials, including the The Case of the Missing Focus Slide Deck, FBA Fact Finder Worksheet, and My Behavior Hypothesis Journal.
Prepare whiteboard or projector for the The Case of the Missing Focus Slide Deck.
Print copies of the FBA Fact Finder Worksheet (one per student).
Ensure students have notebooks or paper for their My Behavior Hypothesis Journal entry.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Behavior Brainstorm (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Begin by asking students: "What is a behavior? Can you give some examples of behaviors you see every day, both good and bad?"
Discuss their responses and guide them to understand that behavior is anything a person says or does.

Step 2

Introduction to Behavior Detectives (10 minutes)

10 minutes

Introduce the concept of being "Behavior Detectives" using the The Case of the Missing Focus Slide Deck.
Explain that just like detectives solve mysteries, they will learn to investigate why people behave the way they do.
Introduce the idea of Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) in simple terms: figuring out the function or purpose of a behavior.

Step 3

The Case File: ABCs of Behavior (15 minutes)

15 minutes

Using the The Case of the Missing Focus Slide Deck, explain the A-B-C model: Antecedent (what happens before), Behavior (what happens), Consequence (what happens after).
Present a few simple, anonymized scenarios (e.g., "During math, Maya taps her pencil. The teacher reminds her to stop. Maya stops for a moment, then starts tapping again.").
Have students work in pairs to identify the A, B, and C for each scenario.
Distribute the FBA Fact Finder Worksheet and guide students through the first example together.

Step 4

Hypothesis & Discussion (10 minutes)

10 minutes

Introduce the concept of a "behavior hypothesis": a best guess about why the behavior is happening (e.g., seeking attention, avoiding a task, getting something).
Using the scenarios from the FBA Fact Finder Worksheet, discuss possible hypotheses for each behavior.
Emphasize that there can be multiple reasons, and a detective looks for clues.

Step 5

Cool-Down: Journal Entry (5 minutes)

5 minutes

Have students complete a short entry in their My Behavior Hypothesis Journal.
Prompt them to reflect on what they learned today about being a behavior detective.

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Slide Deck

Behavior Detectives: The Case of the Missing Focus

Welcome, Junior Detectives!

Today, we're becoming Behavior Detectives to solve some intriguing mysteries.

Welcome students and set a positive tone. Ask them to think about what a 'behavior' is before diving into the slides. This helps activate prior knowledge as per the lesson plan's warm-up.

What's the 'Why'?

Every behavior has a reason, a purpose, a 'why.'

As Behavior Detectives, our job is to uncover that 'why' to help ourselves and others.

Explain that detectives don't just see a crime; they look for why it happened. Connect this to behaviors – it's not enough to just see a behavior, we want to understand its purpose.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

Our Detective Tool: FBA

Functional: It's about the job or purpose of the behavior.
Behavioral: It's about what we see or do.
Assessment: It's about gathering clues to understand.

Introduce FBA in simple, student-friendly terms. Emphasize that it's about understanding, not judging. Ask students for initial thoughts on what 'functional' might mean in this context.

The ABCs of Behavior

Our Clue-Gathering System

A - Antecedent: What happened BEFORE the behavior?
- The setup, the trigger, what was going on?
B - Behavior: What was the ACTION?
- What exactly did you see or hear?
C - Consequence: What happened AFTER the behavior?
- What was the immediate result?

Introduce the A-B-C model. Spend time defining each term clearly. Provide a simple, non-classroom example first, like 'Eating a cookie.' Antecedent: Hunger. Behavior: Eat cookie. Consequence: Full/happy.

Case File 1: The Tapping Mystery

Scenario:

During independent reading time, Alex starts tapping his pencil loudly on his desk. The teacher walks over and gently reminds him to stop. Alex stops tapping for a few minutes.

Your Turn, Detectives:

What is the Antecedent (A)?
What is the Behavior (B)?
What is the Consequence (C)?

Present the first scenario. Have students discuss in pairs or small groups to identify the A, B, and C. Guide them to be specific, especially with the behavior. Refer them to the FBA Fact Finder Worksheet.

Case File 2: The Loud Whisperer

Scenario:

During group work, Maria frequently whispers to her friends, distracting her group. The teacher moves Maria to a different table to work alone.

Your Turn, Detectives:

What is the Antecedent (A)?
What is the Behavior (B)?
What is the Consequence (C)?

Present the second scenario. Again, have students apply the A-B-C model. This is a good opportunity to discuss how sometimes the consequence might be something the student wants (like attention) or avoids (like a difficult task).

Forming a Hypothesis: The 'Why'

After we gather our ABC clues, we make a Hypothesis.

A hypothesis is our best guess about the function or purpose of the behavior.

Possible Functions:

To get something (attention, a toy, a break)
To avoid something (a task, a person, a sound)

Introduce the concept of a hypothesis. Explain that once we have the ABCs, we try to guess why the student did it. Use the scenarios from the previous slides to brainstorm possible hypotheses.

Detective's Debrief

Today, we learned to be Behavior Detectives!

We can identify the ABCs of a behavior.
We can start to think about the "why" behind behaviors by forming a hypothesis.

This helps us understand ourselves and others better!

Review the day's learning. Emphasize the importance of understanding behavior to help ourselves and others. Transition to the journal activity as a cool-down.

Worksheet

FBA Fact Finder: Your Detective Log

Name: _________________________
Date: _________________________

Welcome, Junior Behavior Detective! Your mission is to observe behaviors and uncover the clues that help us understand why they happen. Remember the ABCs:

A - Antecedent: What happened BEFORE the behavior?
B - Behavior: What was the ACTION?
C - Consequence: What happened AFTER the behavior?

Case File 1: The Chatterbox

Scenario:

During a quiet independent work time, David repeatedly starts talking to his neighbor. The teacher then moves David to a desk away from his friends.

Your Investigation:

Antecedent (A): What happened right before David started talking?
Behavior (B): What exactly did David do?
Consequence (C): What happened immediately after David talked?

Case File 2: The Homework Houdini

Scenario:

It's time to start a challenging math assignment. Sarah puts her head down on her desk and says, "I don't get it." The teacher comes over and provides one-on-one help, breaking down the first few problems for her.

Your Investigation:

Antecedent (A): What happened right before Sarah put her head down?
Behavior (B): What exactly did Sarah do and say?
Consequence (C): What happened immediately after Sarah's behavior?

Case File 3: The Restless Reader

Scenario:

During silent reading time, Liam constantly fiddles with his pencil, drops it, and looks around the room. The teacher eventually tells him, "Liam, if you can't focus, you can take a five-minute break in the calm-down corner."

Your Investigation:

Antecedent (A): What happened right before Liam started fiddling and looking around?
Behavior (B): What exactly did Liam do?
Consequence (C): What happened immediately after Liam's behavior?

Journal

My Behavior Hypothesis Journal

Name: _________________________
Date: _________________________

Great job being a Behavior Detective today! We learned that understanding the ABCs (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) helps us guess the why behind behaviors. This why is called a hypothesis.

Think about one of the behaviors we discussed today, or a behavior you've observed in a TV show, book, or even yourself.

Journal Prompt:

Describe the Behavior (B): What was the specific action you observed?
What happened right before? (Antecedent - A): What do you think triggered this behavior?
What happened right after? (Consequence - C): What was the immediate result of the behavior?
Form your Hypothesis: Based on the ABCs, what is your best guess about why this behavior occurred? (Was it to get something, to avoid something, or something else?)
Detective Reflection: Why do you think it's important to try and understand the why behind behaviors, instead of just reacting to the behavior itself?