Create a small table with two columns and two rows.
Label, from left to right, the cells of the first row "x" and "y."
Insert vertically several values of the domain of the function into the first cell of the second row. The most commonly used values are the natural numbers starting with 1. For example, the first seven values would be the whole numbers 1 through 7.
Evaluate the polynomial or rational function at each value in the second row of the first column. The value returned is placed in the column directly to the right of the value being evaluated.
Plot the points generated by the table. The value in the left column of the second row is the x-coordinate and the value in the right column of the second row is the y-coordinate.
Connect the plotted points with a smooth, continuous curve. The curve generated by this step is the graph of the function.