Students will
Learning objectives
- Sort details about two things into what only one has and what both share.
- Use alike and different signal words in a sentence.
- Write a two-part summary that states one likeness and one difference.
Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer
Students sort how two things are alike and different in a three-part Venn diagram, then sum up both sides using signal words.
Format
- Colour PDFThe full-colour resource, ready to print or projectAvailable
- PrintablePrinter-friendly, uses less inkAvailable
- Fillable PDFStudents type answers right into the fileAvailable
- Google ClassroomAssign and share digitallyComing soon
Only the colour PDF is ready for this resource so far. The other formats are on the way.
At a glance
- Grades
- 2–5
- Pages
- 2
- Type
- Worksheet
- Includes
- Filled-in model
Last updated
Page 1 of 2
A Venn diagram for comparing two things
Any two things can go in this organizer: two characters, two animals or two places from a text. Students name their pair and fill a two-circle Venn diagram, following three numbered steps above the circles. Below, a strip of alike words (both, also, similarly) and different words (but, however, unlike) helps them finish "They are alike because" and "They are different because". There is no answer key, since students choose their own pair. Instead, a filled-in page comparing a library and a museum shows what a finished organizer looks like.
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From the creator
Teaching tips
1
A common slip is writing a shared idea on one side only. Have students read each side note and ask, "Is this true of the other thing too?" If it is, it moves to the middle.
2
Point to the model's difference sentence, "you can take library books home, but not museum items": it compares the same feature for both things. Students often write two unrelated facts instead, one about books and one about fossils.
3
Have students circle the signal word in each summary sentence; the direction asks for one word from each side of the strip.
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Skills covered
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Differentiation
Meet every learner.
Ways to adjust the Venn diagram page for different students.
Support
Start from the model
- Cover the model page's answers, compare a library and a museum together, then uncover and check.
- Fill three lines in each part instead of seven.
- Choose the two signal words with students before they write the summary.
On level
Teach as written
- Students choose a pair, or take one from the six on the model page.
- Both summary sentences use a signal word, one from each side of the strip.
Extension
Compare by feature
- Pick three features, such as size, use and where it is found, and cover each one on both sides.
- Turn the two summary sentences into a short paragraph using however or similarly.
- Compare two characters or two texts from current reading.
Curriculum alignment.
Each one is checked against the official document. Where the resource covers only part of a standard, the note says so.
Ontario Language (2023) · Grade 3
C3.3Compare and contrast
Students name two things, sort what only one has and what both share in a Venn diagram, and sum up how they are alike and different using signal words. The organizer works with any topic and does not itself include a text to read, and main ideas and sequencing are not covered.
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