Comparison contrast writing

Fall Venn Friends

1-2-3 Come Make a Venn Friend With Me

Venn diagrams are a quick, easy & fun way to introduce the concept of comparison-contrast writing.

Years ago, I came up with the concept of students choosing a partner to make a "Venn Friend" with, as an interesting way for students to get to know each other.

I designed the fall "Venn Friends" packet, which feature apples, pumpkins, leaves, turkeys, Pilgrims & Native Americans.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts Introduce the lesson with the "What's a Venn diagram?" poster.

To help them do a thorough job completing their Venn diagram and jump start the writing process, I've included a list of 40 questions that they can choose from to discuss with their partner.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts Each student does their own "different" portion of the "circle", and then, once they glue their "circles" together, they take turns recording the similarities that they have with their Venn Friend, using the middle "same" section.

I used a "pumpkin seed" for the middle of the Pumpkin Venn Friends, and an acorn for the leaf ones.

You can see little boy & girl "toppers" in the pumpkin photo.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts I also incorporate the concept of “greater & less than” with this activity, as students decide who has the most or least number of letters in their name.

I’ve made a sample using an apple, as I do this in September, for a “Getting to Know You” activity for “Back to School”. There are 3 sets of letter tiles for your kiddos to choose from.

My Y5s enjoy this activity so much, I repeat it in October with pumpkins, and see quite a bit of improvement.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts As you can see by the photograph, colorful paper plates (smaller 8” size) provide a nice 3D effect.

I pre-cut these to expedite the activity. Besides yellow & red, I also buy lime green plates, giving my students an option.

Besides using paper plates, I've also included a wormy apple pattern.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts There’s also more than one option for November. Students have 3 choices for their Venn friend topper: a turkey, a Pilgrim boy or girl, or a Native American boy or girl.

You can have a turkey find a turkey partner, a boy Pilgrim find a girl Pilgrim, or a boy Native American find a boy Pilgrim, mixing and matching however you or your students wish.

fall bulletin board ideas, Apple activities, apple crafts, Venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, pumpkn crafts, turkey activities, turkey crafts, Pilgrim activities, Pilgrim crafts, Thanksgiving activities, native american activities, native american crafts, fall writing prompts I designed the Venn friends, specifically so students could get to know a classmate better, but you could certainly have students pretend to be "real" Pilgrims and Native American children, and then compare and contrast historical information as well.

Each seasonal Venn, comes with a graphing extension, so you can get some math practice in as well.

For that finishing touch, add a school photograph. Students could also make a green hand print "leaf" for their pumpkin.

Completed projects make awesome fall bulletin boards. Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to check out the super-fun, 51 page, Fall Venn Friend packet.

Since Halloween is just a week away, I thought a "Halloween Boo Boos" worksheet would be a fun FREEBIE. Students make corrections to the sentences that have mistakes in them.

Click on the link to grab a copy. It's certainly a little something fun, yet educational for party day.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

The winds have knocked a lot of leaves off the trees, so this afternoon the hubby, pup & I are going for a relaxing drive to see what's left of the gorgeous fall colors, before they become a distant memory, as barren trees dot the landscape.

I am so not ready for winter. Wishing you a pretty and peaceful day.

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." - John Burroughs

November Venn Friends

15 pages.

Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and interesting way to introduce and practice comparison and contrast writing. I designed Venn Friends, as an especially fun way to do that. These are also a great way for you and your students to get to know each other better.