










































Georgia Journal of Literacy 
2023, Vol. 45(2), pp. 81–87 
https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.128 
ISSN: 2833-7611 

Teaching Tips 

 
 

 

CONTACT Dr. Lina B. Soares, Professor, Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education, Georgia Southern 
University, Statesboro, GA; email lbsoares@georgiasouthern.edu. 

 
 

The Open Mind Portrait: An Innovative Method to 
Promote Reading Comprehension and Critical 
Thinking 
 
Lina B. Soares 
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 
 

ABSTRACT 

This teaching tip article highlights the “Open Mind Portrait” as a visual art strategy to 
assess middle and secondary students’ complex expressions of texts backed by 
research, the steps involved for implementation, and a student example to highlight 
the power of visual art projects. Employing visual art projects to promote reading 
comprehension and critical thinking offers classroom teachers an innovative reading 
response method to the standard constructed response. Through the combination 
of reading and art, teachers can assess students’ comprehension of literary 
characters as students analyze the role of a character in a story, as well as the larger 
social, historical, and cultural world occupied by the character when responding to 
texts. 

KEYWORDS 

critical thinking; 
young adult 
literature; 
Bloom’s 
Taxonomy; 
visual literacy; 
reader response  
 

 
rs. Sloane passes out a worksheet and instructs her 10th-grade students to respond to 
comprehension questions one through five for Like Water for Chocolate (Esquivel, 
1989). Some students quietly groan while other students verbally protest their lack of 

enthusiasm. Questions one through five require simple recall; responses that can be found in the 
text. Mrs. Sloane chooses not to respond. Rather, she ponders, “I think I need to change my mindset 
and move beyond simple paper and pencil quizzes. I’ve been teaching to the state-mandated test 
for so long that I’ve forgotten to teach my students to think.” 
 
Background 
Recognizing that much has been written about the No Child Left Behind Act (No Child Left 
Behind [NCLB], 2002), reauthorized in 2015 as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), we 
cannot ignore the numerous unintended consequences that occurred due to the enactment of the 
two federal laws. One such unintended consequence was a narrowed curriculum that was 
influenced by state-mandated tests that in turn, impacted the teaching and learning process 
(Veselak, 2018). Instruction shifted from teaching students important content knowledge in all 
disciplines to teaching students enough to pass the highly tested subjects of reading and math 
(Smith & Smith, 2020). Simpson (2015) noted that higher-order thinking assignments and 
activities were minimalized due to the heavy emphasis on state-mandated tests which resulted in 
a pedagogy of “drill and kill” (p. 49).   

In the above scenario, Mrs. Sloane illustrates an example of the “drill and kill” pedagogy. 
Unfortunately, she has matched her instruction and assessment to find a single correct answer. 

M 

https://doi.org/10.56887/galiteracy.128
mailto:lbsoares@georgiasouthern.edu


82 Georgia Journal of Literacy 45(2)  
 

Instead, she would be wise to ask students how and why questions; questions that require her 
students to think critically. As a professor in reading education, I believe I have an obligation to 
teach my middle and secondary master-level students in reading education that the students they 
teach must be given opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking processes to develop critical 
thinking skills; skills that can be applied in a wide range of contexts and different fields (Heard et 
al., 2020). I believe it is necessary to allow my students to think, question, reason, and even argue 
as they read to model critical thinking skills for their classroom students. Coupled with the need 
to prepare my students to develop critical thinking pedagogy, I further want my students to be 
innovative and pursue creative approaches to teach their students to be critical thinkers. Creativity 
can foster critical thinking (Sukardi et al., 2021).  
 
Context 
Young Adolescent and Adult Literacy is a course I teach, and throughout this course, my students 
engage in multiple learning activities to enhance comprehension and critical thinking skills. First, 
I choose reading selections to speak strictly to the needs of the young adolescents and adolescents 
with whom my students interact in their classrooms by incorporating different genres of young 
adolescent and adult literature. In addition, I teach multiple reader response strategies (Rosenblatt, 
1978) to enhance comprehension and critical thinking, including print, performance, visual, and 
digital forms of knowledge. Further, I integrate critical literacy with young adult literature to teach 
my students that literature is a space for conducting critical discourse. My stance has been adopted 
by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE, 2019) as a basis for the organization’s 
resolution statement on critical literacy that offers, “critical literacy describes a pedagogical 
approach to reading that focuses on the political, sociocultural, historical, and economic forces that 
shape young students’ lives” (Soares & Wood, 2010, p. 487). 

At the beginning of each semester, I have found it beneficial for my students to develop a 
working knowledge of critical thinking that will be operationalized during the semester through 
assignments and assessments. My students come to know that the concept of critical thinking can 
be traced from the early writings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. In other words, the concept of 
critical thinking is not a novel idea, and there are many schools of modern-day thought. However, 
my stance on critical thinking aligns with the educational school of thought. From this stance, I 
always begin by providing my students with materials to tap into their prior knowledge of Bloom’s 
(1956) Cognitive Taxonomy they received in their undergraduate teacher education programs 
before I introduce the revised Bloom Cognitive Taxonomy (Anderson et al., 2001) that serves as 
the framework for critical thinking in the course (see Table 1). Through direct instruction, I focus 
their attention on Levels 4, 5, and 6 of the revised taxonomy, which includes analyzing, evaluating, 
and creating and the associated learning objectives for each stage. I have found many of my 
students are unfamiliar with the reorganization of the stages of cognition in the revised taxonomy 
and the learning objectives in each stage changed from nouns to verbs. According to Anderson 
and colleagues (2001), the rationale for this change is that cognition is a dynamic process; the 
thinking process requires action (Table 1). 

 
 

 

 



Soares  83 
 

Table 1: Bloom’s Original and Revised Cognitive Taxonomy 

Cognition Level Original Cognitive Taxonomy Revised Cognitive Taxonomy 

Level 1 Cognition Knowledge Remember 

Level 2 Cognition Comprehension Understand 

Level 3 Cognition Application Apply 

Level 4 Cognition Analysis *Analyze 

Level 5 Cognition Synthesis *Evaluate 

Level 6 Cognition Evaluation *Create 

Note. *Denotes the stages of critical thinking applied in the course. 
 
Open Mind Portrait 
One of the units I teach in the course focuses on making meaning through art and graphic 
representations. Specifically, my students create visual representations to fully understand the 
various dimensions of responding to literature visually. While there is a paucity of research that 
has been conducted on this line of inquiry, I draw upon the few evidenced-based practices when 
designing my teaching and learning instruction. For example, the use of visual art projects has 
been shown to aid in the construction of meaning (Constantino, 2007; Gullat, 2008) and increase 
critical thinking (Appel, 2006; Yenawine, 2013). Additionally, research has found that 
incorporating visual art projects increases creative problem-solving (Diaz-Lefebvre, 2006; 
Marshall, 2008). Vacca et al. (2016) explicated that art-making activities can be used in content 
area reading to promote critical thinking. Critical thinking is promoted as students reflect on their 
art projects through small group discussions or short writing activities to delineate their analytical 
reasoning when creating visual art projects in response to their reading. 

To begin, I introduce my students to the “Open Mind Portrait” (Tompkins & Hoskisson, 
1991) to build the foundation for the assignment objective, and I further introduce the rubric by 
which their portraits will be assessed (Figure 1). It is important for my students to understand that 
the response strategy is a method that allows them to visually analyze characters in a story and 
reflect on their interpretation of the character. This method allows my students to apply their 
analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills by taking a critical stance as they must consider 
multiple viewpoints and re-symbolize the unfamiliar worlds in texts into understandable worlds 
through their own lived experiences. As a result, emphasis is placed on the rubric’s criteria: colors, 
symbols, quotes, and the critical thinking skills applied to represent the character and less on 
artistic ability. Additionally, I share portrait examples from my former students to reinforce their 
understanding of the assignment (Figure 2). 
  



84 Georgia Journal of Literacy 45(2)  
 

Figure 1: Directions, Materials, and Procedure  

Directions 
You will produce a visual representation of a character from Persepolis: A story of childhood (Satrapi, 2004) using 
the “Open Mind Portrait” strategy we have studied and provide a written explanation on your interpretation for the 
character in the graphic novel. The visual representation must demonstrate the cognitive thinking skills of analyzing, 
evaluating, and creating from Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001). You will post your visual representation on the 
character you choose to the discussion board. 

Materials Needed 
1. The Portrait template is provided. 
2. Markers, crayons, or various art supplies 
3. Digital tools 

Procedure 
1. Utilize the template and rubric provided for the character’s head and neck. 
2. Draw significant scenes or images from the story that relate to the character portrayed and the 

character’s role in society. 
3. Include significant colors, symbols, and quotes that represent the character, and/or thoughts that are from 

the character’s perspective. 
4. Include a short paragraph explaining the details of what was represented and why. 

 
 
Table 2: Rubric for Open Mind Portrait 

 Unacceptable 
1 

Developing  
2 

Acceptable 
3 

Target 
4 

Points 

Overall Design:  
Use of Colors and 
Symbols to Present 
a Comprehensive 
Visual Product; Use 
of Quotes to 
Demonstrate 
Conceptual 
Understanding of 
Role and Impact of 
Character 

Overall design is 
missing more than 
two required 
elements: colors 
and symbols, and 
quotes do not relate 
to the role of the 
character in the 
story or context.     

Overall design is 
missing one of the 
required elements: 
colors, symbols, 
and quotes 
demonstrate a 
literal 
understanding of 
role of character in 
the story or 
context.   

Design 
demonstrates an 
acceptable 
understanding of 
the character’s 
importance. 
Acceptable use of 
color, symbol, and 
quotes reveal an 
acceptable 
understanding of 
the impact of the 
character on the 
story.   

Design 
demonstrates a 
strong 
understanding of 
the importance of 
the character. 
Effective use of 
color, symbols, 
and quotes reveal 
a critical 
understanding of 
character’s impact 
on the story. 

 

Cognitive Processes 
of Analyzing,  
Evaluating, and 
Creating 

No evidence of 
higher levels of 
thinking in portrait 
or discussion 

Less than two 
required higher 
levels of thinking 
are demonstrated 
in visual character 
representation and 
discussion. 

Two of the three 
required higher 
levels of thinking 
are evident in visual 
character 
representation and 
discussion. 

All three required 
higher levels of 
thinking are 
evident in visual 
character 
representation and 
discussion.   

 

Score     / 8 

 
 
 
 



Soares  85 
 

Figure 2: Student Example  

 
Explanation: For my open-mind portrait, the first image/symbol that I thought was important 
was the veil. At the very beginning of the graphic novel, Marjane discusses the implications 
of having to wear the veil, despite not truly understanding what it means. As the graphic 
novel progresses, the veil serves as a consistent symbol of religion and innocence, especially 
when faced with the possibility of having that innocence stripped away from her. The fire 
represents the war, demonstrations, and bombings that take place. Each explosion or conflict 
furthers the divide between peace and disaster in Iran. For example, the supposed arson 
towards the start of the graphic novel, in which everyone knew the Shah was behind. The 
crown represents Marjane’s interpretation of how the king came to be versus the reality of 
the emperor’s taking power as told by her family. The pink flower, or jasmine, represents her 
grandmother, who serves as a sturdy resource of peace and comfort for Marjane during the 
chaos and turmoil around her. The suitcase represents persecution and fleeing from the 
calamity, as Marjane is sent to Austria by her parents to protect her and give her the best 
chance at living a better life. The monopoly board represents Marjane’s attempts to connect 
with her family, all overshadowed by her parents’ fatigue and preoccupation with the 
demonstrations. Lastly, the letter represents the complexity of love in the story, as told 
through Marjane’s involvement with the love letter between Mehri and Hossein, a neighbor 
boy. 

 
Final Thoughts 
When middle and secondary reading teachers permit their students to substantiate their 
interpretations of characters in a text and the impact of the characters’ roles using visual art 
projects, they engage their students in an innovative and creative response strategy to literature.  
Moreover, they afford their students the opportunity to enhance their critical thinking skills; skills 
that are needed in all disciplines and for future careers. Strategies such as the “Open Mind Portrait” 
featured in this Teaching Tip allow students the opportunity to participate in critical discourse and 
examine their own implicit beliefs regarding the historical, political, sociocultural, and economic 
forces that have shaped their own lives. Comments from students support the usefulness of the 
strategy: 



86 Georgia Journal of Literacy 45(2)  
 

 I implemented the Open Mind Portrait for the first time with my 7th graders when we 
completed our reading of Monster. This was the first time my students were actively 
engaged in their ability to analyze the characters of their choice and had fun to doing it. 
 

 The Open Mind Portrait was a new response strategy to me, but I will use the strategy again 
and I have shared the strategy with my teammates. It was[a] great strategy to enhance my 
students’ critical thinking and creativity. 

On a final note, the “Open Mind Portrait” is but one example for students to create visual 
representations when responding to literature visually. I have found that photography offers an 
additional medium that can used to assess higher levels of reading comprehension and critical 
thinking. Not only does photography offer an alternative for a visual art project, but I have also 
found photography aligns with my students’ comfort zone due to the prevalence of today’s cell 
phones with high-powered digital cameras. 
 
References 
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. 

R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. C. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and 
assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Allyn & Bacon. 

Appel, M. P. (2006). Arts integration across the curriculum. Leadership, 36(2), 14–17. 

Bloom, B. S. (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives, handbook: The cognitive domain. David 
McKay. 

Constantino, T. (2007). Articulating aesthetic understanding through art making. International 
Journal of Education & the Arts, 8(1), 1–26. http://www.ijea.org/v8n1/  

Diaz-Lefebvre, R. (2006). Learning for understanding: A faculty-driven paradigm shift in learning, 
imaginative teaching, and creative assessment. Community College Journal of Research & 
Practice, 30, 135–137. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920500433082 

Every Student Succeeds Act, 20 U.S.C. § 6301 (2015).  

Gullat, D. E. (2008). Enhancing student learning through arts integration: Implications for the 
profession. The High School Journal, 91(4), 12–25. https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.0.0001 

Heard, J., Scoular, C., Duckworth, D., Ramalingam, D., & Teo, I. (2020). Critical thinking: Skill 
development framework. Australian Council for Educational Research. 
https://research.acer.edu.au/ar_misc/41 

Marshall, J. (2008). Visible thinking: Using contemporary art to teach conceptual skills. Art 
Education, 61(2), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2008.11651141 

National Council of Teachers of English (2019). Resolution on English education for critical 
literacy in politics and media [Position statement]. https://ncte.org/statement/resolution-
english-education-critical-literacy-politics-media/ 

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. § 6319 (2002). 

http://www.ijea.org/v8n1/index.html
https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920500433082
https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.0.0001
https://research.acer.edu.au/ar_misc/41
https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2008.11651141
https://ncte.org/statement/resolution-english-education-critical-literacy-politics-media/
https://ncte.org/statement/resolution-english-education-critical-literacy-politics-media/


Soares  87 
 

Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The reader, the text, the poem. Southern Illinois University Press. 

Simpson, E. (2015). Say goodbye to drill-and-kill teaching: Authentic reading and writing 
experiences are enough to reach struggling students. Journal of Staff Development, 36(6), 
48–52. 

Smith, R. W., & Smith, K. A. (2020). Opportunities and obstacles to making innovation a priority 
in education. Critical Questions in Education, 11(2), 167–178. https://files.eric.ed.gov/
fulltext/EJ1268200.pdf 

Soares, L. B., & Wood, K. (2010). A critical literacy perspective for teaching and learning social 
studies. The Reading Teacher, 63(6), 486–494. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.63.6.5 

Sukardi, R. R., Sopandi, W., & Riandi. (2021, April). How do teachers develop secondary school 
students’ creativity in the classroom? AIP Conference Proceedings, 2331(2), 030024. 
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042030  

Tompkins, G.E., & Hoskisson, K. (1991). Language arts: Content and teaching strategies. 
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. 

Vacca, R., Vacca, J., & Mraz, M. (2016). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the 
curriculum. Pearson.  

Veselak, K. M. (2018). Teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of education in a high-stakes testing 
environment. National Teacher Education Journal, 11(3), 107–120. 

Yenawine, P. (2013). Visual thinking strategies: Using art to deepen thinking across school 
disciplines. Harvard Education Press. 

Literature Cited 
Esquivel, L. (1989). Like water for chocolate. Doubleday. 

Satrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis: A story of childhood. Pantheon. 

 
Received: August 20, 2023 | Accepted: September 9, 2023 | Published: November 13, 2023 

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268200.pdf
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268200.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.63.6.5
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0042030

	Background
	Context
	Table 1: Bloom’s Original and Revised Cognitive Taxonomy

	Open Mind Portrait
	Figure 1: Directions, Materials, and Procedure
	Table 2: Rubric for Open Mind Portrait
	Figure 2: Student Example

	Final Thoughts
	References
	Literature Cited

