Graphic Organizer
Venn Diagram, 2 Circles
Grades
K - 12
Printout Type
Graphic Organizer
About this printout
Students use this graphic organizer to describe similarities and differences between two objects.
Teaching with this printout
Venn Diagrams will help students identify shared features of two objects. They can organize similarities and differences before comparing and contrasting:
- two characters.
- two different versions of the same story.
- a literary work and another piece of art work (song, painting, dramatic performance, or film).
- any two items that share some characteristics.
Where the circles overlap, students write shared characteristics (things that are the same). In the circles to the left and right, students will list features that are specific to each object (things that are different). Venn Diagrams may be used in any grade level or discipline. If this graphic organizer is new to students, practice with topics that have obvious similarities and differences.
More ideas to try
- For younger students and kinesthetic learners, use two hula hoops to construct a Venn Diagram. Have students write characteristics on cards (or use teacher-made cards) and place them in the appropriate areas of the diagram. As you do this activity, students can explain and discuss why they chose to place their card in a particular area of the circles.
- As a beginning of the year or introductory activity, have students choose a category (music, food, books, movies) and compare their favorites to those of a classmate. Students can work in pairs to complete the diagrams.
- Use information from completed Venn Diagrams to further practice writing compare and contrast statements with the Compare and Contrast Tool Kit.