About the Project

The Venn Diagram is a classic visual organizer for comparing and contrasting two or more things. Google Drawing is a marvelous tool for developing and completing Venn Diagrams. While this lesson is focused on language arts applications, it can easily be adapted to any subject area.

Lesson Overview

Have your class make a list of all of the characters from a book they recently read. This activity is great for a simple book review! Ask students which characters would be fun to compare with each other. Characters can be matched based on having strong similarities or strong differences.

Once your pairs have been identified, assign groups of two to three students to perform character analysis of a pair using a Venn Diagram. If this is the first time your class has ever used a Venn Diagram, you will need to spend some time explaining what it is and how to use it.

Have students list the distinguishing characteristics about their matched characters. Using this information, have them create a Venn Diagram in Google Drawing (younger students may need a template). What do their characters have in common? What traits are unique to each one? Were there any surprises?

Tips and Suggestions

If you have access to a printer, print out the finished diagrams and hang them in your classroom.

Lesson submitted by Debra Nichols, Music & Technology Teacher, Milan Area Schools, Michigan

Lesson Resources

• Venn Diagram Template
• Finished Student Example