Activity
Graphing concepts activity 2: Plotting points
Can your student plot points on a digital coordinate plane? Try this tactile activity that supports digital math skills.
The first post in this 3-part series, Graphing concepts activity 1: Attributes and coordinates, introduces graphing concepts, focusing on the coordinate plane, axes, quadrants, and ordered pairs. It provides instructional activities for teaching students, including those using tactile tools, to identify key attributes, count along axes, and understand positive and negative coordinates. These activities serve as both assessment and instructional tools to build foundational graphing skills.
In this second post, Students can use the APH graph board with pushpins to plot points and identify coordinates. They practice locating points using ordered pairs, connecting them to form shapes, and playing Battleship to reinforce graphing skills. These activities help build accuracy in plotting points and understanding the coordinate plane before advancing to graphing lines.
Note: If the math equations are not read correctly with a screen reader and braille display, download the accessible Word document version of the Graphing concepts 2 post here.
Plotting points
If using the APH graph board, a student can use pushpins to plot points on the coordinate plane. You may want to write the ordered pairs of each point in the student’s preferred medium for reference and reading practice.
Plot the following points on the graph board: (5,8), (-8,-5), (-5,8), (8,-5).
Students should be able to plot a point accurately, given its coordinates. They should also be able to determine the coordinates of a given point on the graph board.
Instruction
A point is another name for a set of coordinates or an ordered pair. For each point, there is an x-value and a y-value.
To locate a point on the coordinate plane:
- Begin at the Origin.
- Count the given value on the x-axis.
- From that point on the x-axis, count the given value on the y-axis.
For example, to locate the point (5,8).
- Begin at the Origin.
- Count positive 5 (to the right) on the x-axis.
- From that point on the x-axis, count positive 8 (up) on the y-axis.
To locate the point (-5,8):
- Begin at the Origin.
- Count negative 5 (to the left) on the x-axis.
- From that point on the x-axis, count positive 8 (up) on the Y-axis.
To locate the point (-8,-5):
- Begin at the Origin.
- Count negative 8 (to the left) on the x-axis.
- From that point on the x-axis, count negative 5 (down) on the y-axis.
To locate the point (8,-5):
- Begin at the Origin.
- Count positive 8 (to the right) on the x-axis.
- From that point on the x-axis , cunt negative 5 (down) on the y-axis.
To plot a point, place a thumbtack at the intersection of the lines.
Plotting points may require some support, until students get the hang of placing them directly at the intersection of lines.
After locating and plotting these four points, a student can stretch a rubber band (or other tool) around them. This may require support initially. This is the equivalent of drawing lines between the points or connecting the dots.
Students can identify the shape (quadrilateral, trapezoid). If the student misidentifies the shape (often misidentified as a square), you can present them with manipulatives of a trapezoid and a square to show how one side of a trapezoid is shorter and the square has all right angles. The student can count the distance between the top two points on the graph board and the distance between the bottom two points to confirm that it is a trapezoid.
Battleship
Battleship is a very popular game in Short-Term Programs at TSBVI and has been played by many students who have been practicing graphing skills. It requires a few additional materials, primarily extra thumb tacks and two different types of tactile stickers (dots work best). Here are the instructions:
- Establish a “seascape.” The graph board is far too large for a game of Battleship, so we need to set some boundaries. The traditional version of the game calls for a 10 by 10 grid, so the corner boundaries for that would be (5,5), (-5,5) (-5,-5), (5,-5). Plot those points and stretch a rubber band around them or wrap a piece of string along the boundary. A smaller region of play makes for a speedier game, so the boundaries can be adjusted to make that possible.
- Plot ships using thumb tacks horizontally or vertically in the seascape. The traditional version of the game has five ships of varying sizes, but we typically use only three. A carrier is 5 units in length, a battleship is 4 units, and a submarine is 3 units. More ships mean more “hits,” and the number of ships can also be adjusted.
Note: Students may need a reminder about horizontal and vertical and may need support plotting their first ship. If you are playing the student, this is not exactly fair, so a student may benefit from having an example of a horizontal and vertical ship plotted outside the seascape.
- Play the game!
- Take turns calling out ordered pairs within the seascape.
- Mark your hits with a push pin and your misses with a tactile sticker.
- Mark hits on your ships with a different tactile sticker.
- When one of your ships has been sunk, call it out (e.g., “You sank my battleship!”).
- The first player to sink all of the opponent’s ships wins the game.
Next Steps
After all that practice plotting points, students should have a good understanding of the coordinate plane. They are ready to move on to Activity 3, Graphing a Line.
Resources
In this series:
- Graphing concepts activity 1: Attributes and coordinates
- Graphing concepts activity 2: Plotting points
- Graphing concepts activity 3: Graphing a line
Additional math resources by TEAM Initiative:
- Digital math: Introducing skill level checklists
- Digital math: Workflows from teacher to student and student to teacher
Additional resources
- Math resources: XY Coordinate Pegboards
- Blindfold Sea Battle: Accessible iOS Battleship game that reinforces grid concepts
This post was created as part of the TEAM Initiative to assist Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TSVIs) in teaching foundational tactile skills, which are essential before introducing students to digital math concepts. Written by John Rose. If you would like more information about the TEAM Initiative, contact Leslie Thatcher at [email protected].
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