CSI: Color, Symbol, Image
Capture a big idea as a color, a symbol, and an image.
Capturing the heartBuilding explanations
What is CSI: Color, Symbol, Image?
Used after reading, viewing, or hearing something. Forces a non-verbal distillation of the core idea.
Setup: What did the participants just read, see, or hear?.
The prompts
- 1COLOR · what color captures the essence?Pick a color and say why.
- 2Why this color?
- 3SYMBOL · sketch a symbol that captures it.A simple mark, arrow, shape, glyph.
- 4Why this symbol?
- 5IMAGE · sketch or upload an image that captures it.A scene, an object, anything visual.
- 6Why this image?
Good moments for CSI: Color, Symbol, Image
- Classroom warm-upSurface what students bring before introducing new content.
- After a reading or videoConsolidate big ideas without testing recall.
- Discussion starterResponses become the seed material for the room conversation.
- End-of-session reflectionCapture how thinking changed.
About Visible Thinking
Visible Thinking Routines were developed by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Ron Ritchhart, David Perkins). They are short structured protocols for surfacing thinking, not assessments.
Project Zero website