Plotting Identities

Algebra 1 Part 2 students started the fall term by creating vibrant graphs that reflect their personalities, interests, and experiences. Inspired by the school’s theme of Seeing and Being Seen, math teacher Christina Berthelsen designed this activity to help students get to know one another while refreshing their math skills.

Christina began by discussing the school year’s theme before explaining the task. Each student received a coordinate plane with 26 statements, each tied to an ordered pair. If a statement was true for them, they plotted the corresponding point. For example, students marked points for statements like “I play an instrument,” “I’m afraid of bugs,” “I’ve broken a bone,” or “I can speak multiple languages.” As students plotted their graphs, it sparked conversations and storytelling, fostering camaraderie and connection in the classroom. “It can be challenging to find ways to express yourself in math, but we do projects like this and the line design project throughout the year to create those opportunities,” Christina explained.

The activity not only gave Christina insights into her students’ personalities but also revealed their level of mathematical understanding. “It gave me more information than I expected about their conceptual understanding, which was really helpful,” she noted.

After plotting their points, students connected the dots to form closed shapes, which they colored in, creating personalized mathematical representations of themselves. Their work is now displayed in the Root hallway on a bulletin board titled “The Graph of Me!”