ABSTRACT
Kaplan’s model for depth and complexity is a foundational concept used in the CLEAR Curriculum Model, which Promoting PLACE in Rural Schools researchers adapted for use in rural contexts. In this chapter, Sandy Kaplan reflects on the model of depth and complexity and its application in rural classrooms. Concern about a perceived lack of engagement among rural gifted learners during discussions focused on topics of study related to certain disciplines, such as math, science, and social studies, is often noted and sometimes attributed to students’ lack of knowledge or experiences. However, this seeming disinterest also can be related to not having learned how to enter and sustain involvement in discourse. The prompts of depth and complexity (e.g., asking for details, requesting proof, inquiring about context, clarifying point of view) represent a set of key words that facilitate knowing when and how to participate in the discourse of familiar or unfamiliar subject matter. Aligned with the prompts of depth and complexity are language development strategies such as sentence frames and multiple meanings that can be embedded within a question or statement to facilitate rural students’ abilities to know when and how to become a discussant.
