This powerful tool is designed to allow students to answer questions by interacting with a Coordinate Plane. You can ask students to do any of these actions:

• Plotting points
• Selecting points from ones that you've plotted for them
• Plotting lines

You can choose which type of coordinate plane the students will see. You can choose a "Mathematical Graph" that includes all four quadrants or a "Data graph" that includes only Quadrant I. In either case, you have full control over the extent of each axis, and can set labels for each.

To provide a question to be answered, you can either upload a PDF with instructions already on it or add the instructions yourself using our Teacher Text tool.

Setting Up the Coordinate Plane

If you chose one of the interactions under "Mathematical Graph," you will see these fields at the top of the editing dialog:

You can change the extent of each axis, and enter an optional label.

Since the "Data Graph" interactions only include Quadrant I, the Min value is fixed at 0.

Changing the interval on "Data Graph" interactions changes how often a line and label on the graph. Here is an example from a graph with the interval set to 2:

Plotting Points

The "Plotting Points" interactions allow students to click on the coordinate plane to draw the points you specify. You add points by clicking on directly on to the point of the coordinate plane.

The points you specify will appear on the plane, and in the list on the right-hand side.

You can edit the points in the list by entering new x and y values. You can remove points either by clicking the points on the coordinate plane or by clicking the "X" next to the point in the list.

If you check "Limit the number of student selections," students will be able to plot up to the specified number of points (two in the above example) and further clicks will be ignored until they first delete a point.

Plotting Points - Student View

Students will be shown an empty coordinate plane and will click specific points to plot them.

The students must plot all the requested points, and no other points for their answer to be considered correct. To remove a plotted point from the graph, the student will click the point a second time.

Selecting Points

The "Selecting Points" interactions allow students to choose from a set of points that you have already plotted on the coordinate plane.

To add a point to the set from which the student will choose, click the point on the coordinate plane.

A point will appear as a hollow circle to indicate that it is NOT to be chosen by the student as a correct answer. To set the point to be a correct answer, click the point a second time. It will change to a filled circle, indicating it is now a correct answer. Points that are considered correct will be indicated with a check in the list to the right of the graph. You can uncheck a point to indicate that it should not be considered correct. 

To remove a point, click it a third time. Alternately, you can click the "X" to the right of the point in the list on the right-hand side of the graph. 

Checking "Limit the number of student selections" prohibits the student for choosing more than the number of correct answers you have chosen. In the above example, the student would be able to choose at most two answers.

Selecting Points - Student View

Students will see a graph with all of your points already plotted on it as hollow circles. Students will click to select the correct points based on the question they are asked. 

Students will click any of the plotted points to select it as a correct answer. To de-select a point, they will click it a second time. To be scored correctly, the students must select all the correct points and none of the incorrect points.

Plotting Lines

The "Plotting Lines" interactions lets students draw lines on the coordinate plane to answer questions. You first set the answer key by drawing the desired lines.

To draw a line, click on the coordinate plane to place the first point. Move your mouse and click to place the second point. 

Click and drag to move any of the points to a new position.

Click and release on a point to delete the entire line.

As you create lines, they will appear in a list on the right side of the graph. You may edit the points in the list. You may also delete a line by clicking the "X."

Checking "Limit the number of student selections" will limit the student to drawing at most the same number of lines you created for the answer key.

Plotting Lines - Student View

Students will start with an empty coordinate plane.

They will click to place the first point of a line, then move their mouse and click to place the second point. They can click and drag an existing point to move a line, or click and release on a point to delete the line.

To be scored correctly, the student must draw all the required lines. The drawn lines must be mathematically equivalent to the answer key though not necessarily drawn using the same points. 

Conclusion

With a few clicks and a little thought, you can give your students auto-graded graphing questions using an interactive coordinate plane!