Sociograms

Adapted from: "Reading Strategies Scaffolding Students' Interactions with Texts." Greece Central School District. February 20, 2005. http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/sociograms.htm || 1. Effectively uses distance and size effectively to show power, proximity, & other relationships. 2. Effectively uses labels, shapes, line types, color, and symbols to add depth and insight into characters, their conflicts, and their relationships. 3. Reflects good depth of thought and exceptional effort and neatness. 4. May have a creative flair or ingenious approach. ||
 * **What is it?** A //**sociogram**// is a visual representation of the relationships among characters in a literary text, which allows you to visualize the relationships and conflicts between and among the story's characters. You will make use of pictures, symbols, shapes, colors, and line styles to illustrate these relationships. Follow the **//guidelines//** below carefully to construct your sociogram - be sure to read through the entire process first so you have a good idea of what you are doing. Remember, these are your guidelines - you have room for adaptation and creativity here.* Place the central character/s at the center of the diagram.
 * Let the physical distance between characters reflect the perceived psychological distance between characters.
 * Let the size of the shape representing a character vary with (a) the importance, or (b) the power of the character.
 * Show the direction of a relationship by an arrow/line, and its nature by a brief label (the lines can be creatively applied: What might the following types of lines indicate? A jagged line? A wavy line? The thickness of the line? etc.)
 * Represent substantiated relationships by a solid line and inferred relationships by a broken line.
 * Circle active characters with a solid line. Circle significantly absent characters with a broken line.
 * Place the characters who support the main character on one side of a dividing line, and antagonistic characters on the other (goodies vs baddies).
 * Illustrate the tone and or theme of a piece by the use of color or visual symbols.
 * Explore creative ways to represent a character’s motivation. For example, inside each “character’s circle” might be one or more words that seem to capture the essence of that character. Immediately outside the circle could be a series of arrows that represent the forces that influence that character.
 * Helpful Hint**: You might find it is incredibly helpful to cut out little slips of paper for each character and place them on a sheet, moving them around till you get them right where you want them for your rough draft!
 * //Take a look at an example//** by clicking [|HERE].
 * **Sociogram Checklist and [|Rubric]**