Transcript Positive/Negative Graphs - UNT's College of Education

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 http://www.nmsa.org/news/positionpapers/
integrativecurriculum.htm
 Rief, L. (1992). Seeking Diversity. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.