Break the Pandemic Barriers: interactive resource using Depth and Complexity
Walking into my classroom during a global pandemic doesn’t look very different from any other year. The differences are so minimal, had you not been in my class prior to the pandemic, you wouldn’t notice many changes beyond the masks that cover the mouths and noses of the young minds I have the pleasure of helping shape each day.
As teachers, we find new and exciting ways to engage our students no matter the circumstances, and this year is no different. Yes, there are students who aren’t in my class each day for one reason or another, but I’ve learned a few techniques that maintain as much normalcy in the classroom as possible. Hopefully, some of them will help you as well.
At the front of the room you might not notice the little computer set up. It holds a dozen or so icons on the screen, each housing a student in the comfort of their own device at home, each learning in much the same was as those in my room who are attending in person. You wouldn’t notice these students yet, because your eyes would automatically be drawn to the students scattered around the room, distanced, but facing one another, engrossed in discussion about the literature they got to choose themselves.
While planning the most recent lesson for independent book studies, I reached out to Charles at ESC Region 11 in hopes of obtaining another copy of the Depth and Complexity Model he had shown me the previous year during a voluntary classroom coach opportunity. Of course, he obliged, and I had the document within a few hours of the request.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Depth and Complexity model, it is an amazing tool with topics and questions that are high level and very engaging when used properly. I took the document with these questions and one-word topics and created an activity my students thoroughly enjoyed, and I had no students unwilling to participate. It was so engaging, in fact, we did the activity on Tuesday, had a reading day on Wednesday, and when they entered the classroom on Thursday and saw the spinner on the Promethean board, each one became excited. Our kiddos are so engrossed in and used to staring at a screen all day, they now enjoy giving their eyes a break and getting to collaborate with their peers.
Here are the steps I took to create an engaging lesson my students love.
1. I began with the Depth and Complexity model Word doc. Charles gave me (which can be found here >>>>).
2. I copied and pasted each little icon into a Word doc. in order to save space and paper. I’ve done the work; you just need to print the icon doc. found here>>>. I did include a “Wild Card” for the 12th slot to give the students a chance to choose their own topic if the spinner landed on their Wild Card slot.
3. I then found this little spinner board online. It can be found here>>> **Print at 220%**
You’ll need 2 spinners, 2 Depth and Complexity Model Word docs, and 1 Depth and Complexity icon doc. since I was able to fit 2 sets of icons on each page.
Cut out each spinner and all the little icons. In random order for each set, I pasted one set of icons per spinner. No two spinners are alike. This is important to me because it provides variety.
With COVID protocols and caution in mind, I had each completed spinner and each Depth and Complexity Word doc. (it contains the questions) laminated. Please note, I require ALL students to use hand sanitizer before and after touching any shared documents. All masks are worn properly throughout the duration of my class with no exceptions to either of these rules.
My desks are spaced as much as possible, but during group work, students rotate their desks towards peers nearby, keeping them in the same spots, and they are able to get into groups while maintaining social distancing protocols to the best of our ability.
Each group of three to four students gets a Depth and Complexity Word doc. and a spinner.
The Depth and Complexity model doc. is embedded into my canvas, so my virtual students see this in their assignment for the day. here>>>> is what my Canvas looks like.
There is a spinner on my Promethean Board directly in front of my computer screen where my virtual students wait patiently for their altered instruction.
I spin the digital, 12-section spinner found here>>>> on the Promethean Board.
Tap the board, the spinner spins, lands on a number, and the students match the number to their spinner, find the corresponding icon on the Depth and Complexity doc., and that is their topic for this round. In Independent Reading Circles, they discuss the book they’re reading. Their group members are asking questions generated from the Depth and Complexity model doc. The far-right hand column has one-word topics to help generate these questions.
Each group decides whether or not they will discuss one at a time or have back and forth discussions throughout the allotted time.
I set a 1-minute timer. At the end of the timer, if students are speaking one at a time, they will switch speakers. This ensures everyone is participating. When we have reset the timer enough times for everyone to speak, we spin again to get a new topic and repeat the process.
Because virtual students don’t have the spinner, they count down the document embedded in Canvas to get their number to see which topic the spinner chose for them.
Virtual students are required to participate, or they will be accountable for the paragraphs assigned. I mute my side, so the class discussion doesn’t disturb them. They can choose to speak verbally or use the chat. When speaking verbally, they will write their name in the chat as they speak during their turn. This is an accountability system to ensure everyone is participating.
Finally, I always give a few examples of questions that could be generated from the provided topics to ensure high level questions are being discussed. I’m always making my way around the room and online to check on the groups and helping facilitate questions as needed in case they gets stuck or don't quite understand a topic.
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