New York State Elementary Test Prep- ELA 4- 2nd Grade Grade

Graphic organizers are a great way to help us organize information
while we read.

Have you ever read a story and when you are finished you are a little confused about what the characters did or what they are like?

Using a venn diagram is one way to help you keep the information
about each character straight.

Read the story below about two friends, Marie and Jill.
The two friends are very similar, but have some differences too.
Using a Venn Diagram will help you keep all the information organized.

   One day Marie was outside playing when she saw some new neighbors moving in. She was very excited when she saw they even had a girl almost the same age as her. Marie quickly ran into the house and told her mom, "I think I finally have someone to play with." Marie's mom couldn't figure out what she was talking about until she looked out her kitchen window and saw Jill's family moving in. Marie asked her mom if she could go over and introduce herself to the new neighbors and to ask Jill if she wanted to play with her while her family was unpacking. Marie's mom said it would be ok and it would probably help the family out if Jill had something to do.   Marie and Jill hit it off instantly.
   Marie and Jill were so much alike people would get them confused. They both liked sports and even played on a sports team. The one difference was that Marie was a cheerleader and Jill was a gymnast. They almost laughed when they saw each others room. They were both so organized and everything in their room had a place. The one difference they noticed in their rooms was the computer. Marie had a Gateway and Jill had a Dell! Marie and Jill both had brothers and sisters. Marie had two brothers and one sister and Jill had one brother and one sister. "Wow," they would say to each other, "we are so much alike."
   The first day of school came and Marie and Jill were so excited to find out they were in the same classroom. They knew this would be the start of a great friendship!

Using a venn diagram like the one above gives you a way to organize all the information you learned about Marie and Jill.