Depth and Complexity

Videos and tasks related to the Depth and Complexity Framework.

Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two

Once students know the prompts of Depth and Complexity, let's take them much higher up Bloom's Taxonomy.

Think Like An Author: Hemingway vs Dickens

What if your students rewrote Dickens in the style of Hemingway and vice versa?

Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Conflict? Well, here's an introduction that will get your students' brains sweating.

Introducing Universal Theme of Change

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Change? Well, here's an introduction that will get your students' brains sweating.

Introducing Universal Theme of Systems

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Systems? Well, here's an introduction that will get your students' brains sweating.

Introducing Universal Theme of Power

So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Power? Well, here's an introduction that will get your students' brains sweating.

Think Like An Historian

Here's how effects be causes and causes can be effects!

Making A Change with Depth and Complexity

Take your students further up Bloom's Taxonomy by asking them to make a change using one of the prompts of depth and complexity and then consider what the effects of that change would be.

Contrasting with Depth and Complexity

Once your students can identify the rules, language, or big ideas of a topic, we've got to move them up Bloom's Taxonomy! Let's start by contrasting with a related topic.

Think Like A Philosopher

What would Socrates have thought if he watched Frozen?

Generalization: Change Leads to More Change

Can you think of a time in your life when "Change lead to more change?"

Generalization: Order Can Be Natural or Constructed

Students explore this generation about how order can be both natural and created by humans.

Generalization: Problems Lead to New Rules, Which Lead to New Problems

Students explore this generation about how problems lead to new rules, and new rules lead to new problems.

Generalization: Systems Are Made up of Other Systems

Students will explore how systems are often made up of smaller systems (and are usually a part of a larger system, too).

Generalization: Unseen power, visible effects.

Can you think of times when power is unseen, but we can clearlyΒ see its effects?

Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity

Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn't already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.

Student Introductions with Complexity and Frames

Students will introduce themselves by showing how they've changed over time.

Student Introductions With Depth and Frames

Want to introduce the tools of Depth and Complexity and learn more about your students and introduce the Frame graphic organizer? Have I got the activity for you!

Content Imperatives: Paradox

How can one idea pull in opposite directions, being both true and false or right and wrong at the same time? It's time to explore Paradoxes!

Content Imperatives: Convergence

Add complexity by considering how multiple factors πŸ”„ Converge within one topic.

Content Imperatives: Parallel

Get students thinking broadly by exploring similarities across multiple topics. Combine with Depth and Complexity for bonus points!

Content Imperatives: Contribuition

Ask students to consider how a specific factor is affecting (or ⏬ Contributing) to a topic.

Content Imperatives: Origin

Take students back to the beginning by using the Content Imperative ⏺️ Origin.

Depth and Complexity: πŸ“ˆ Trends

Part 11 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Has something been changing recently? What might be causing that? What are the effects?

Depth and Complexity: πŸ‘„ Language of the Discipline

Part 8 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Imagine a construction worker who doesn't know the name of a screwdriver or a doctor who can't remember what to call your neck. It's pretty hard to communicate well without knowing the πŸ‘„ Language of the Discipline!

Depth and Complexity: ❓ Unanswered Questions

Part 10 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

This underutilized tool focuses students on what we don’t yet know and even what we can’t know.

Depth and Complexity: βš–οΈ Ethics

Part 3 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Want to add drama to any topic? Use the Ethics prompt!

Depth and Complexity: 🚦 Rules

Part 6 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Is there a consequence for not doing something? You may have found a rule!

Depth and Complexity: πŸ›οΈ Big Idea

Part 1 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Let's get students thinking big and focusing on more abstract ideas.

Depth and Complexity: πŸ“š Across Disciplines

Part 9 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

No topic is an island! With the πŸ“š Across Disciplines prompt, students note connections within and across multiple fields.

Depth and Complexity: ⏳ Change Over Time

Part 7 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Want to get students thinking about how a topic has changed or might change in the future? The ⏳ Change Over Time thinking tool is just what you need!

Depth and Complexity: πŸ‘“ Multiple Perspectives

Part 4 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

In this video, we introduce the πŸ‘“ Multiple Perspectives prompt of Depth and Complexity.

Depth and Complexity: Patterns

Part 5 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Can your students spot anything that repeats? Or that has stopped repeating?

Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details

Part 2 of Introducing Depth and Complexity

Get kids focusing on the small, but essential, details of a topic.

Analyze Character Change with Depth and Complexity

Your students will use Depth and Complexity to note how a character's main trait changes across a story.

Think Like An Economist

How would an economist read Goldilocks? How would they see a rainforest? How would they study the American Revolution?