According to Marzano (2003) one of the major instructional categories that affect student achievement is identifying similarities and differences. We therefore should assign in class and as homework tasks that involve comparison and classification.
One of the greatest graphic organizers to help students analyze and sort is the Venn Diagram. Once a label is given each circle then a great deal of analysis is done to compare and contrast.
To use this formation from the inside out with the labels missing is also an effective strategy that has not been used as often. Try this one: from the language arts literature curriculum.
lived in an attic Jewish lived in fields
story published and ghettos
perished young girl survived
kept a diary suffered anti
semmatism
If you are familiar with the Novels Alicia and Anne Frank then the labels are relatively easy.
An amazing cross over into mathematics is how the Venn Diagram can be used for sorting factors of numbers Consider the numbers 21 and 30.
21 30
7 3 5 2
Look in the center and you will see the greatest common factor. Multiply all the factors for the least common multiple.
Using the Venn sorts the factors and makes the terminology come to life. Prime Factors of a number are the building blocks of that number. Factors that are in common are called the greates common factors and the Least common multiples are found by multiplication of all factors.
Venn and Time Lines ....Connecting Literature and Math
