Character Graphs

Today the ASPIRE 5 class tried another one of the activities that I learned from Ian Byrd at the TAGT conference last December.  Character Graphs use the coordinate plane to analyze literary characters.  After choosing two variables, the students are required to plot a point where their character falls on the graph.  This is obviously a great way to integrate math and reading.  Even though my students have already learned to use a coordinate plane with four quadrants, it was still a fun way to review how they work and how they can be used outside of the math classroom.

We started the lesson by creating an example together.  I chose "prideful" and "talented" for the two variables.  The students were instructed to plot points for three characters from our latest Junior Great Books story, The Bat Poet.  What I thought would be a 5 minute warm-up that would help them create their own Character Graph transformed into the most engaging class discussion of the year.  After calling on one group to plot their point for one of the characters on the coordinate plane, the unexpected debate began.  Every table could not wait to give their opinion.  They passionately defended even the slightest change of position, citing evidence from the text, and using logical reasoning.  The only thing I had to do was occasionally redirect the conversation so three people wouldn't talk at the same time.  It was a great opportunity for me to sit back and enjoy listening to all of their opinions and disagreements.

We could have ended the lesson there, but I knew we were onto something they were excited about, so we cut into our Social Studies and Science time.  The students launched the Doceri app and imported a coordinate plane background.  Their instructions were to choose two variables of their own, find four characters to plot on the graph, and illustrate them with pictures as Ian Byrd did in his sample.  They also had to defend their placements in a written summary, which they didn't mind because they knew that everyone would disagree with them after our trial run.  For bonus points, the students could make a generalization for the characters in each of the four quadrants, a tip from Byrd that offered great depth and complexity.

I have rarely seen such passion for an activity as I did today.  The class even gave up their weekly read aloud time in the library because they wanted to continue working.  It was obvious that the students cared deeply about the characters they chose, and had strong opinions about how they related to variables such as honesty, strength, morality, courage, intelligence, and athleticism.  We didn't get to present the final products today, but most of them are complete, and show evidence of higher-level thinking.  I am sure they will have time to put them in their digital portfolios before student-led parent conferences next week.  I hope you enjoy hearing about them as much as I have.

For more information, be sure to visit Ian Byrd's Character Graph site here.