COLORMARKINGA Way In: A Visual Aid for Close Reading

First… Literature does not happen by accident

It’s INTENTIONAL—What does this mean?The author deliberately uses specific

words, images, image patterns, structure, etc. to communicate to the reader. It is the responsibility of the reader to see the

pattern AND be able determine what is being communicated.

Literary AnalysisWhat do we do when we read?

interpret the author or poet's intentions in writing the selection

How do we do it?by carefully examining his or her use of words

and making inferences as to their meaning.

A new tool for close reading!COLORMARKING is a way of constructing a

kind of visual diagram that will allow you to begin a critical analysis of a particular passage.

Works as a map as you continue to develop your ideas. Readers can easily trace the development of

different ideas because they are color-coded!

Terms to know: Image: a word (or more than one word)

appealing to at least one of our senses: an image solicits reader response.

Image Pattern: the repetition of three (Yes, the magic number!) images, not necessarily in uninterrupted succession

Motif: a repeated pattern or recurring element of any type within a work. Note that an image pattern is a motif, but a motif is not always an image pattern.

How do I COLORMARK?As you read, think about what jumps out to you…Color Marking is looking with a microscope at

the passage to better understand the writer’s techniques, whether they be narrative, as in prose fiction, or poetic, as in poetry. This process can be applied to all passages, whether they be prose or poetry.Break those ideas/techniques into even smaller

categories? Ex: “I see a lot of feelings” can be divided into “I see

feelings of embarrassment and feelings of frustration.”

How do I COLORMARK? Step OneStep 1: Mark with a different color each

image/image pattern/motif (remember a motif doesn’t have to be a repeated image…it can be any recurring element) predominant in the passage. If you notice another type of pattern happening in your passage you may mark that as well. (Be sure to carefully examine what is going on within/prior to/following the passage.)

How do I COLORMARK?Other points to consider

Structure(is there a flashback/change in POV/dialogue?)

Syntax (are there really long sentences that jump out? Short? Unorthodox punctuation? Rhetorical questions?)

Imagery Break it down to specifics (The color RED, physical

descriptions of characters, etc.)Figurative Language

Similes, Metaphors, Etc. Absence: sometimes what isn’t there can reveal more

Next… (but don’t start yet)For each item that you would like to

colormark, assign a different color, and make a key at the bottom of your page.

Read the text closely, and color over the words that correspond to each element you trace.

What if they overlap?THAT’S AWESOME—That means you see

multiple layers of meaning in the same words!

How do I COLORMARK? Step TwoStep 2: Based on your color-marking, ask

these questions:Is one color predominant? Why?Is there some logical progression of

imagery/motifs, from one type to another?Is the progression illogical? Why?

How do I COLORMARK? Step 2.1How do the imagery/motifs reinforce and/or

illustrate the content of the passage? (or, if you prefer, what is the relationship of the scene to the imagery/motifs used to describe it?)

Imagery reinforces content by giving it emphasis, by making it fresh (an unusual or creative use of imagery), and/or by adding irony (imagery appears to contradict the content or describe it in terms of its opposite qualities).

Is a specific tone or mood created by the marked material?

How do I COLORMARK? Step Three Step 3: Based on your answers to these

questions and any others you think appropriate, CODE each color marked with INFERENCES you draw about the use of that particular image/image pattern/motif.

After COLORMARKINGAfter you colormark your page, you should be

able to see certain patterns, or maybe changes. Ex: Perhaps the feelings shift from anticipation to

anger to sadness over the course of the story, but it’s difficult for you to determine where or why when reading it the first time…

Where you see the colors changing, you can evaluate why the feelings and or the tone changed.

Stop to consider why you might see the absence of a color later on in the extract.

Rigor is not for the elite. How can this work younger and/or low-achieving students? Scaffold to provide more support.As we read “Eleven,” mark at least 5 of the following on your page.

AuthorityChildlike PerspectiveAdult PerspectiveColor Feelings towards

othersRelationshipsSimiles

MisunderstandingRepetitionPowerlessnessDisrespectShame/embarrassmentFamilyInnocenceAnything else you see

Collaborate:In your groups, share what you colormarked•One effective method is during collaborative grouping have students switch ink colors. This allows both student and teacher a clear visual representation of what the student could do on his own and what he was able to take away from the group.

Reflect: How will you know what you know?After marking, look at what is going on in the passage or poem. • Students, after the study of more than one extract, should be able to determine some thematic connections about the motifs for which they were colormarking.•These connections will help students craft an argument-based commentary.

How will you KNOW they know it: Constructed ResponseIn “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros, explain what

Rachel means by this statement from paragraph 3:“Because the way you grow old is kind of like

an onion or the rings inside a tree trunk or like my little wooden dolls that fit inside the other, each year inside the next one.”

Use 2 relevant examples from the text to support your answer.