LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Classroom » Reference

Learn more about Venn diagram

Comparing and contrasting careers
This lesson for grade six will help students understand comparing and contrasting. Students will conduct career surveys with adults and will use the results to create Venn diagrams.
Format: activity (grade 6 English Language Arts)
By Jennifer Brookshire and Julie McCann.
Is it a duck? Is it a chick?
Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of a chick and a duckling by using a Venn Diagram.
Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)
By Debbie Beeson.
Comparing/Contrasting Characters (A Taste of Blackberries)
This lesson is designed to use with Chapter 1 of the novel A Taste of Blackberries. Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the two main characters and then relate the material to their own lives.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
By Denise Caudle.
Introduction to Venn Diagrams
Students will learn how to use a Venn diagram to categorize data. This activity is done as an introduction to Venn diagrams.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Mathematics)
By Melissa Bancroft.
Comparing & Contrasting Real & Make-Believe Bears.
Student pairs create a Venn Diagram in their Bear Research Journal listing things that are the same and different about real and make-believe bears.
Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Mathematics)
By Susan Lovett.

Find all 79 resources in our collection.

Visual tool composed of two or more overlapping circles used to show relationships between items.

See also graphic organizer.

Additional information

In the classroom, Venn diagrams are most often used to show similarities and differences between two or more items. When used to compare two items, they may be referred to as double bubble charts.

An example of a three-part Venn diagram follows:

Venn diagram

Examples and resources

Higher order thinking with Venn diagrams
Graphic organizers are powerful ways to help students understand complex ideas. By adapting and building on basic Venn diagrams, you can move beyond comparison and diagram classification systems that encourage students to recognize complex relationships.
By David Walbert
Basic Venn diagrams
An overview from The Graphic Organizer.
Blank Venn diagrams
Printable blank diagrams are available from 2learn.ca.

In addition, web tools to create your own Venn diagram are available through