Depth and Complexity
Depth and Complexity: The Icons, the Framework, and How to Actually Use Them
My biggest problem when implementing Depth and Complexity? I used them in a shallow and simple way!
Picture Books and Stories for Introducing Depth and Complexity
Three picture books that I’ve used (or would use) to introduce Depth and Complexity to students of any age.
Concentric Circles – Getting Students to Think Bigger (and Smaller!)
This differentiation technique is called “Concentric Circles”. You use it to move students up and down the ladder of abstraction, applying a single idea in multiple contexts.
Combining Depth and Complexity Prompts into a Generalization
Let’s start with a puzzlement, ask kids to generate an abstract statement, and then find evidence that their statement works across several different areas.
Making Our Own Depth and Complexity Icon Posters (That Emphasize Thinking)
Why I let students make their own depth and complexity posters rather than buying and displaying professional printable posters.
Depth and Complexity Frames: My Big Mistake
Frames, a graphic organizer often used with the Depth and Complexity framework, have one big trap that I fell into for years.
Depth and Complexity: 📚Across Disciplines
The Across Disciplines prompt asks students to think about how this topic intersects with other fields as well as with other topics within the same field.
Depth and Complexity: ⏳Change Over Time
It’s quite easy to “use” Depth and Complexity and yet have low-level thinking at the same time. Here’s why it’s so important to make sure that our use of Depth and Complexity is truly changing students’ thinking.
How To Use Depth and Complexity Digitally
While the official depth and complexity icons look great, they lead to all kinds of problems in the digital world and also take ownership away from students. Emoji are an elegant solution to both problems.
Depth and Complexity: ❓Unanswered Questions
By far, ❓Unanswered Questions was the prompt that I under-utilized with my own class. Now I see it in a whole new light, and boy is there immense power in prompting students to note and explore truly unanswered questions.
Depth and Complexity: 👄Language of the Discipline
Language of the Discipline is more than just slapping an icon next to an existing spelling list. It’s about digging into the words, phrases, symbols, and acronyms that an expert uses to discuss their field efficiently.
Depth and Complexity: ⚖️ Ethics and 👓 Multiple Perspectives
In this section, we introduce two more prompts of depth and complexity: ⚖️ ethics and 👓 multiple perspectives.
Depth and Complexity: 🌀Patterns and 🚦Rules
In this section, we’ll learn about two more prompts of Depth and Complexity that pair beautifully: Rules and Patterns. Because they share some similarities, I like to introduce them together and lean heavily on what makes Rules and Patterns different.
Depth and Complexity: 🏛️Big Idea and 🌻Details
When introducing the prompts of Depth and Complexity, I like to begin with Big Idea and Details. Here are some ways you could get started with these two thinking tools.
Depth and Complexity: Ethics… In Math!?
The Ethics prompt of depth and complexity fits so easily into the humanities… but what about ethics in math?!
Misconceptions About 🏛️ Big Idea
Big Idea is often the first prompt of Depth and Complexity that I introduce to students. That does not mean, however, that it is basic or less sophisticated than the other prompts.
My Worst Depth and Complexity Worksheet
Here’s the most common mistake I’ve seen in implementing Depth and Complexity. And I made it too!
The Least Popular Depth and Complexity Prompt
Last month, I asked which prompt of Depth and Complexity you’d get rid of. The results were pretty unanimous…
Building Sequences of Questions with Depth and Complexity
Understanding how to move students from abstract to specific and back again is a key to differentiating for the gifted. Reading through a pal’s dissertation gave me a new way of applying this to Depth and Complexity…
Depth, Complexity, and Graphic Organizers
Layer the prompts of Depth and Complexity onto any graphic organizer to increase the level of thinking required of your students.
What is up with those “New” Depth and Complexity Icons!?
I love the prompts of depth and complexity and the content imperatives. But some teachers are being asked to use eight new prompts that just aren’t as good as the classics.
Depth and Complexity vs Bloom’s Taxonomy: You Need Both
You can use the prompts of depth and complexity yet still ask very shallow questions. Here’s how to avoid this common pitfall…
Patterns In Writing II: Plot Structure
We’re continuing our unit about patterns in writing. This time, let’s examine the traditional five-act dramatic structure through the modern classic, Finding Nemo. Remember, we’re also framing the whole unit around the big idea that “structure increases creativity.”
Patterns In Writing I: Introduction
Take a break from teaching the details of writing and examine narrative writing from a larger perspective. How can structure increase creativity in writing? Take your gifted writers on a journey through common patterns in narrative writing.
No Street Names In Japan?
Do your learners use the tool 👓 multiple perspectives to analyze stories, problems, and historical events? Here’s a TED Talk about real-life multiple perspectives that will make your students (and you!) reconsider basic assumptions.
A Deep, Complex Extension Menu For Character Analysis
A reusable extension menu gives gifted students choice while simplifying directions and reducing teacher workload. These eight options for character analysis incorporate depth, complexity, content imperatives, and interesting uses of technology.
Enticing Gifted Students To Read Twice
Think you’re lucky to get your students to read a story once? Can’t imagine convincing a class to read a story through again? The key is giving your gifted students an enticing purpose for a reread.
The Content Imperatives: Going further with Depth and Complexity
The Content Imperatives are five more prompts that work in conjunction with Depth and Complexity to take your students even deeper into their content.
How To Write A Lesson Objective
Creating a differentiated learning environment for gifted students doesn’t mean throwing out everything you learned in your credential program. Learn how to add on to or adjust the base program, curriculum, or standards that any general education teacher uses.