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Depth and Complexity Icons

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Quick Easy Application to any Material

For Visual learners--A picture is worth a thousand words

Provide scaffolding to do higher level thinking for second language students and students with learning disabilities

Develop “Habits of Mind” that become ingrained

Advanced learners are asked to reach into the upper ranges of their ZPD

Increase student enthusiasm and motivation

Power of IconsProvide structure and support for taking a deeper and more complex look at any topic

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Concrete Entry Points Brainstorm Common Everyday Icons

Use the Detail Icon as way for students to talk about themselves (Seen and Unseen Details)

Read a story like the Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss to introduce several icons

Use Multiple Perspectives for conflict resolution

Use the Rules icon for class rules on first day

Use the Big Idea for writing a paragraph

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Dive Into Depth and Complexity An essential part of

differentiating the curriculum through depth and complexity is using the icons, and ensuring that students are familiar with them.

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Post a set of the icons clearly in your

roomThis prompts integration into discussions, and shows students you value the icons as intellectual tools.

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Use the Icons Within Your Lessons “Look for (appropriate icon) in our lesson today on

(content area).” Use the Big Idea to summarize or end lessons. Label your daily agenda and lesson plans with the

icons. Have students label all work with the appropriate

icons. Label all classroom work and charts with the

icons.

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Frame Stories or Concepts With the Icons Frame the Teacher:

Introduce four icons by making a frame around the topic of the teacher-you!

Frame Yourself: Each student completes a similar frame

Frame stories or concepts with the icons

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But remember, we are not teaching the icons, we are teaching concepts to new levels of depth and complexity

using pictures to stand for the thinking strategies.

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Depth Refers to approaching or studying

something from the concrete to the abstract, from the known to the unknown.

Requires students to examine topics by determining the facts, concepts, generalization, principles and theories related to them.

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Depth Necessitates uncovering more details and

new knowledge related to a topic of study.

Encourages students to adopt perspectives and to see patterns in connections.

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Depth has the following major dimensions: Language of the

Disciplines: Specialized vocabulary, names of skills or tasks, tools used

Details: Attributes, parts, factors, variables

Patterns: Repetition, predictability

Trends: Influence, forces, direction

Rules: Structure, order, hierarchy, explanation

Ethics: Points of View, Different Opinions, judging

Big Idea: Generalization, principle, theory

Unanswered Questions: Discrepancies, missing parts,

unclear ideas, incomplete ideas

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Complexity Includes making relationships, connecting

other concepts, and layering.

Why/how approach that connects and bridges to other disciplines to enhance the meaning of a unit of study.

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Complexity encourages students to Relate concepts and ideas at a more

sophisticated level

See associations among diverse subjects, topics or levels

Find multiple solutions from multiple points of view

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Complexity has three major dimensions: Relationships Over Time: Between the

past, present and future, and within a time period

Relationships From Different Points of View: Multiple Perspectives, opposing viewpoints, differing roles and knowledge

Interdisciplinary Relationships: With, between and across the disciplines

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Keys to Activate Deeper LearningUse verbs associated with the nouns (icons) of

Depth and Complexity Language of the Discipline: categorize, identify

Details: describe, differentiate

Patterns: summarize, make analogies

Trends: prioritize, predict

Rules: judge credibility, hypothesize

Ethics: judge with criteria, determine bias

Big Idea: prove with evidence, identify main idea

Unanswered Questions: note ambiguity, distinguish fact from fiction

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Keys to Activate Complex Learning Different Points of View: argue, determine

bias, classify

Relationships Over Time: relate, sequence, order

Relationships Across Discipline: compare and contrast, show relationship

Dear Students,

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There will be times when…We all do the same thing.Some do different things.

We all work together.You work alone.

You choose for yourself.I choose for you.

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Classroom examples using depth and complexity

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