Module 2: Section 4
Compare and Contrast: Organizing Your Ideas
One of the most common tools that you can use to help organize your ideas is a graphic organizer called a Venn diagram. You may be familiar with Venn diagrams from previous courses. This type of graphic organizer allows you to visualize similarities and differences between two or more things or ideas.
The first step is to examine the things or ideas and ask, “What do they have in common?" For this example, we’ll compare two sports: soccer, and basketball. Brainstorm what the two sports have in common. Your list might include things such as:
- Both are played using balls
- A formal game is divided into four, equally timed 'quarters.'
- Both are played on a rectangular field/court, with the object of the game being to penetrate the opponents' territory and "score."
Next, think about how these two sports are different. Now, instead of a single list, I need a list for each sport. Brainstorming each sport’s unique characteristics might develop a chart such as the one below:
| Soccer | Basketball |
| Played with feet | Played with hands |
| Ball kicked into net | Ball thrown into net |
| A goalie defends the net | A guard defends the net |
| "Dribbling" means kicking | "Dribbling" means bouncing |
Once you have created each list, you can create a graphic Venn diagram.
