Superheroes on a coordinate plane

As a way of introducing my grade 6’s to coordinate geometry, I opted for a something different this time - superhero’s. Who doesn’t love it, whether it is DC or Marvel comics and superhero’s have captured our imagination and especially at this age.

I did the basic introduction of x- and y-axis and the origin and how the label - x before y, etc. We plotted a few points together to ensure everybody knew what to do and then gave students the following task sheet containing a list of instructions and coordinate points. 

Above: Instructions given to students

Taking inspiration from connect the dots, I asked students to connect the coordinate points as they are plotting it.

                                            Above: An example of work in progress

Above and right - examples of work in progress

The final product:

The verdict: Students loved this quick activity and you can easily differentiate it by connecting the coordinates to more complex superheroes - other than just a batman logo.

Suggestion: A sunny day works best to hold an image of the logo/superhero in the window and place grid paper over it with an axis already drawn on. If you are finding it difficult to 'plot the dots' plot some dots or your original superhero, it makes it a lot easier.