Marzano Lesson

I know this is a simple lesson that i should have learned a long time ago. I read in the Marzano book about the different uses for the Venn Diagram and decided to put the suggestions to use in my classroom. Earlier in the school year, we used Venn diagrams to find differences between several groups of Native Americans. I had the thought that it was nice but the answers didn't have much depth and, although students were able to see many differences, there were not as many similarities noted.

Marzano suggested that teachers get very specific with the scope of the diagram. For example, instead of having them find general characteristics of Utes and Navajo, for example, have the students complete separate diagrams for similarities and differences in dwellings, clothing, food sources, or customs specifically. I had my classes revisit the activity using more specific topics for their diagrams, and i really enjoyed seeing the outcome. Students were forced to dig a little deeper, looking at very specific details. I was thrilled to see that many of them actually enjoyed the more focused diagrams. this is something that i will continue to use in the future.