Make a Venn Diagram

Curriculum Goal

Collect, organize, display, and interpret data to solve problems and to communicate information, and explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts (#19).

Show students the sorting materials (e.g., buttons, shapes, coins, beads, etc.).
Ask students to choose one material they want to use for the activity.
Then ask students to decide on two different sorting attributes (i.e., colour, size, kind).
Provide students with the Venn Diagram template and a handful of their chosen material.
Ask students to sort the provided materials by the two characteristics they selected (e.g., colour and size).
If students come across a material that has both chosen characteristics, they need to put it in the middle section of the Venn diagram.
Once students sort all the materials take a picture and print it.
Continue the activity by asking students to explain their Venn diagram by completing the written prompt explaining which characteristics they sorted by (Appendix B).

Do children understand the idea of sorting by multiple attributes?
Can children explain their sorting decisions?
What techniques do children use when sorting? Can they easily sort by more than one characteristic?

Practice sorting two distinct characteristics with an explanation about their decision.