Field Tool 81

Discover

Gather Observations

See What Is Actually There

Observation Checklist

Train your eyes to see what the text says before deciding what it means.

Observation asks: What does the text say? Read repeatedly, slow down, and record details that another careful reader could verify directly from the passage.
Look Closely

Words, Relationships, and Movement

Words & Phrases

  • Repeated words or phrases
  • Key terms and unusual vocabulary
  • Synonyms and related ideas
  • Pronouns and their antecedents

Commands & Warnings

  • Commands and prohibitions
  • Promises and warnings
  • Conditions and consequences
  • Calls to remember or respond

Contrasts & Comparisons

  • But, however, rather, yet
  • Like, as, just as, so also
  • Opposing people, choices, or outcomes
  • Old and new; before and after

Logic & Connections

  • Cause and effect
  • Reasons and results
  • Purpose statements
  • Conclusions and summaries

Questions & Answers

  • Questions asked in the text
  • Answers given or implied
  • Rhetorical questions
  • Questions left unresolved

People, Places & Time

  • Speakers, listeners, and groups
  • Locations and movements
  • Dates, seasons, and time markers
  • Relationships between people
D.I.G.G.E.R. Field Journal Observation Checklist 81A
Field Tool 81

Observation Checklist · Continued

Patterns, Emphasis, and Literary Features

Verbs & Actions

  • Main verbs and repeated actions
  • Who performs each action?
  • Tense, voice, and mood
  • Actions commanded, completed, or expected

Structure & Flow

  • Paragraph and sentence divisions
  • Lists, sequences, and progressions
  • Beginnings, transitions, and conclusions
  • Repeated or parallel patterns

Tone & Emotion

  • Joy, grief, fear, anger, or hope
  • Urgency, tenderness, rebuke, or praise
  • Changes in tone
  • Emotionally charged words or descriptions

References & Echoes

  • Quotations from earlier Scripture
  • Allusions and repeated images
  • Names, places, and events from elsewhere
  • Promises fulfilled or recalled

How to Use This Tool

  1. 1

    Read the passage several times before consulting outside resources.

  2. 2

    Work through each category slowly rather than rushing to fill every box.

  3. 3

    Record facts and relationships before offering explanations.

  4. 4

    Mark what is present, not merely what you expected to find.

Questions Worth Asking

  • What receives the most attention?
  • What changes from beginning to end?
  • What seems surprising or unexpected?
  • Which details control the passage’s flow?
  • What questions arise from what I observe?
Remember

An observation should be verifiable directly from the text.

Interpretation comes after careful seeing. Do not make the passage answer questions you have not first allowed it to raise.