Venn Diagrams: Contrasts in Color

Do you wonder how to organize your thoughts for a compare/contrast assignment? Record the information on a colorful Venn diagram.

• 1.

  What two subjects do you need to compare? They could be two stories, cultures, animals, people, or almost any other material. Read the stories or research the topic. The sample shown here compares and contrasts Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" with "West Side Story."

• 2.

  Draw two intersecting circles on a large dry-erase board with a Crayola Dry-Erase Marker. This is your Venn diagram template.

• 3.

  With your classmates, discuss the similarities and differences between the two subjects. Write the unique characteristics of one subject in the left circle in one color. Unique aspects of the other subject go in the right circle in another color. Enter all the ways the two overlap (or are similar) in the center using a third color.

• 4.

  After the diagram is complete, you are ready to make an original Venn diagram comparing two other topics. You are also prepared to write a well-organized compare/contrast essay.

Benefits

• Students compare and contrast two topics.
• Students visually organize their information in a color-coded Venn diagram.
• Students are prepared to create their own Venn diagrams or to write an essay on the similarities and differences in the two topics.

Adaptations

• Students as young as second grade can grasp this compare/contrast tool. The variation is in the complexity of the subjects.
• For very young students or students with learning differences, introduce the concept of a Venn diagram by comparing two concrete objects. The more senses children use, the more kinesthetic learning takes place. Foods they can taste and/or smell are especi
• Assessment: Ask younger children to create a second Venn diagram comparing two things of their own choosing. Older children write an essay on the topic. Evaluate the accuracy of information and the clarity of presentation.