Max Maths, Year 1, Learn together, Reading Venn and Carroll diagrams

In Year 1, students are introduced to the concept of sorting and categorising information using Venn and Carroll diagrams. These diagrams are visual tools that help children to understand sets and to identify how items can be grouped based on certain characteristics. Through a simple and relatable example, children learn about these diagrams with the story of Padma, who visits the park and observes various butterflies.

As part of the learning process, Padma begins to sort the butterflies by their colour, an attribute that young learners can easily recognise. To illustrate this, a Venn diagram is used, where a circle (or line) is drawn to represent the set of all blue butterflies. This circle encompasses all the butterflies that share the characteristic of being blue, creating a visual set for this specific group. Any butterflies that do not fall within this circle are not part of the set of blue butterflies. This exercise helps children to visually distinguish between items that belong to a certain set and those that do not, laying the foundation for understanding more complex concepts of categorisation and data representation.