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Depth and Complexity PD

An introduction to the Depth and Complexity framework for teachers.

Printable List

Depth and Complexity – An Introduction for Teachers
Depth and Complexity – An Introduction for Teachers
Depth and Complexity is a powerful, but often misunderstood, framework for teaching students to think more like experts.
My Top 5 Depth and Complexity Mistakes
My Top 5 Depth and Complexity Mistakes
I spent about a decade making some pretty major mistakes in my use of depth and complexity.
Misconceptions About 🏛️ Big Idea
Misconceptions About 🏛️ Big Idea
For too long, I let my students turn in blah Big Ideas. Here’s how I fixed it.

Depth and Complexity Renovations

We have Unanswered Questions – Now what?
We have Unanswered Questions – Now what?
My students listed Unanswered Questions and then… we moved on! Oops.
Don’t Just List Ethical Issues
Don’t Just List Ethical Issues
My students made a list of problems… and we stopped right there.
My Worst Depth and Complexity Worksheet
My Worst Depth and Complexity Worksheet
This very common Depth and Complexity worksheet has many problems. And I used it for years!
Fixing My 👓 Multiple Perspectives Question
Fixing My 👓 Multiple Perspectives Question
I asked “How could two experts’ perspectives regarding information from this reading selection differ from one another.” Yikes!
A Chapter’s 🏛️ Big Idea
A Chapter’s 🏛️ Big Idea
Let’s improve “Create a title for this chapter. Explain why your title fits the 🏛️ Big Idea.”
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Depth and Complexity Next Steps

Think Like a Disciplinarian (or an Expert!)
Think Like a Disciplinarian (or an Expert!)
Here’s how I got better at using the Think Like An Expert technique.
Depth and Complexity and Graphic Organizers
Depth and Complexity and Graphic Organizers
Let’s see a few examples of how Depth and Complexity slides nicely into any graphic organizer.
Making Depth and Complexity Posters
Making Depth and Complexity Posters
Why buy premade posters when you can show off your students’ thinking about Depth and Complexity?
Universal Themes
Universal Themes
Universal Themes are an easy way to connect lessons, units, and content areas, even going across grade levels, and into students’ personal interests.
Climbing Bloom’s with Depth and Complexity
Climbing Bloom’s with Depth and Complexity
Combine higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy with the prompts of Depth and Complexity!

Content Imperatives PD

Analyzing Conflict with the Content Imperatives
Analyzing Conflict with the Content Imperatives
How to go deep into conflict using the Content Imperatives.
Content Imperatives
Content Imperatives
Learn to use the Content Imperatives, a set of five additional tools that work with Depth and Complexity.

Primary Depth and Complexity PD

Multiple Perspectives in Primary
Multiple Perspectives in Primary
Even our youngest students can learn to think from multiple perspectives!
Ethics In The Young Elementary Classroom
Ethics In The Young Elementary Classroom
Can we get students as young as kindergarten discussing ethical issues? Learn some ideas for integrating these multiple perspective problems throughout your curriculum.