Positive/Negative Graphs Jennifer Mitchell North Star of Texas Writing Project Summer 2004

Objective  Students will plot events of their life on a graph that will be used as a tool for prewriting and building community within the classroom.

Getting Started  Take out a sheet of paper and divide it into two sections: + --

Brainstorming  Brainstorm the best things that have happened to you  Brainstorm the worst things that have happened to you  Star the 3 most significant  Share as a class.  Allow time to make additions

Selecting  Choose the most significant positive and negative events.  Choose at least 5 positive and 5 negative to include on their graph.  It is okay to have more positives than negatives or vice versa.

Graphing  Pass out graph paper to create a rough draft.  As a class, create the x and y axis.  Label the x and y axis.  Teacher plots his/her positive and negative life events.  Students graph their positive and negative points on the graph.

Publishing  Take “graph drafts” and publish a final copy to be posted in the room.  Provide Positive/Negative Graph Checklist as a guide.

Positive/Negative Graph Checklist  Clearly display name on the paper  Neatly draw graph on white paper  Use ruler to maintain consistent scale.  Draw lines using dark ink  Label points with neat, legible printing and correct spellings  Label “x” and “y” axis

Checklist Continued  Connect points using a straight edge  Include 5 specific events for both high and low points  Include a picture for each high and low point

Reflecting  Invite students to share completed graphs.  Students write a reflection of their lives based on their graphs.  Post graphs around the room.

Example Rief (1992)

Writing from the Graph  Students choose 4 topics from their graph that they would like to talk more about.  Students fold two sheets of paper lengthwise.  Students list a different topic at the top of each column.

Prewriting  In each column, students list every Word Phrase Sentence Question Idea Image That comes to mind when they think of their topic.

Initial Writing Activity  Students choose one of the topics to take through the writing process.  The other prewriting remains in the students’ writing folders for future use.

Positive/Negative Graph Advantages  Cross-curricular connections  Provides a source of writing topics  Creates classroom community  Builds student/ teacher connections

Cross-Curricular Connections  “Students participating in fully integrative programs tend to exhibit high levels of commitment, energy and performance, while assuming greater responsibility for their learning and their actions” (National Middle School Association).

Source of Writing Topics  Rief (1992) says, “Getting students started writing isn’t getting students writing. It is getting them thinking about themselves: what they know and what they want to know” (page 38).  “It starts them out writing from their own point of view” (page 51).

Student/Teacher Connections  Rief (1992) explains the importance of these charts in her classroom by stating, “As teachers of adolescents, we can’t avoid our kids’ self-esteems. From these charts I have an instant visual cue as to how each student feels about himself or herself. I know what their lives have been like. I can talk to them as people” (page 49).

References  National Middle School Association Position Statement on Curriculum Integration (2002) Retrieved June 4, 2004 from integrativecurriculum.htm  Rief, L. (1992). Seeking Diversity. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.