Field Tool 85
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Discover

Gather Observations

Observation Symbols

Use a simple, consistent marking system to make the text’s details visible.

Symbols are servants, not the goal. Choose marks that are quick to draw, easy to recognize, and consistent from passage to passage. The best system helps you notice what the text says without distracting you from careful reading.

People

Circle names, speakers, audiences, and groups.

Examples: Paul, disciples, Pharisees

Places

Box locations, regions, destinations, and movement.

Examples: Jerusalem, wilderness, house

Time

Use a dotted underline for dates, seasons, and sequence markers.

Examples: then, afterward, on the third day

Repeated Words

Highlight or underline repeated terms and ideas.

Examples: faith, remember, glory

Commands

Use a heavy underline for imperatives and prohibitions.

Examples: believe, do not fear, remember

Promises

Mark assurances, blessings, and future commitments.

Examples: I will be with you; he will save

Warnings

Flag cautions, judgments, consequences, and dangers.

Examples: beware, lest, woe to you

Questions

Mark questions asked, answered, implied, or left open.

Examples: Who? Why? How long?

D.I.G.G.E.R. Field Journal Observation Symbols 85A
Field Tool 85
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Gather Observations

Observation Symbols — Continued

Mark with Purpose

Let each mark answer a clear observational question.

Contrast

Connect opposing words, people, actions, or outcomes.

Examples: but, rather, light and darkness

Comparison

Link similarities, analogies, images, and parallels.

Examples: like, as, just as, so also

Cause & Result

Draw arrows from causes, reasons, or grounds to their results.

Examples: because, therefore, so that

God & Christ

Use a double underline for divine names, works, and attributes.

Examples: LORD, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit

A Reliable Method

Three Principles for Marking Well

Clarity matters more than decoration.

1

Be Consistent

Use the same mark for the same kind of observation throughout the passage.

2

Be Selective

Mark details that reveal emphasis, structure, development, or relationship.

3

Write a Key

Record unfamiliar symbols in the margin so the page remains useful later.

D.I.G.G.E.R. Field Journal Observation Symbols 85B
Field Tool 85
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Discover

Gather Observations

Observation Symbols — Continued

Practice the Method

Use the system to clarify the text, then summarize what your markings reveal.

Worked Example

A Sample Marked Passage

Matthew 6:25–34 (KJV) · Illustrative marks

Matthew 6:25–34 (KJV)

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

○ Person or group □ Place ⌁ Time ≡ Repeated word or idea ! Command ★ Promise ⚠ Warning ? Question ⇆ Contrast ≈ Comparison → Cause or result † God or divine action
D.I.G.G.E.R. Field Journal Observation Symbols 85C
Field Tool 85
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Discover

Gather Observations

Observation Symbols — Continued

Use the Marks Wisely

Let your markings lead to clear observations, not merely a decorated page.

How to Use This Tool

  1. Read the entire passage before marking anything.
  2. Choose symbols that fit the features actually present.
  3. Use the same mark consistently throughout the passage.
  4. Notice clusters, repetitions, contrasts, and logical relationships.
  5. Write a brief summary of what the accumulated marks reveal.

After You Mark

  • Which words, ideas, or commands receive the greatest emphasis?
  • What relationships connect the people, actions, reasons, and results?
  • Where does the passage turn, contrast, or reach its climax?
  • What questions now require interpretation?

Remember

A beautifully marked page is not necessarily a carefully observed page. Every mark should help you identify, describe, connect, or explain something genuinely present in the text.