THE KAPLAN MODELDEPTH AND COMPLEXITY IN

LITERATUREBy April Payne

OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON The intent of this lesson is to create literature reflection booklets. These can serve as an alternative to book reports and encourage accountability during in-class reading time. The following icons, in relationship to literature, will ensure that students are engaged in higher order thinking skills, reflecting the concepts of depth and complexity described in the Kaplan Model.

HOW THE STRATEGIES BENEFIT THE STUDENTS•The Kaplan Model allows for personalization of the curriculum to maximize student interest and growth. This is the highest and best form of differentiation. Kaplan recognizes that the goal in gifted education is to adjust the curriculum to the needs, interests and abilities of the students. This quest, Kaplan states can, “assist educators of the gifted to recognize that the shift from the general basic or regular curriculum developed for all students to a differentiated curriculum for the gifted is only a partial step in the pathway to align curriculum to giftedness. The next step in the curriculum pathway is to individualize the differentiated curriculum reactive to the entire population of gifted students to become responsive to each gifted student.” (Kaplan, p. 258)

LEARNING TARGETS/CCSS Key Ideas and Details

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

8. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

9. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

EXPLANATION OF LEARNING SEQUENCE The following Kaplan Model is applied to literature reflection exercise. Students will first read a text of their choice and at their Lexile level independently. Then, students will apply the Kaplan Model as a means of gaining greater depth and complexity to the text through creating a complexity and depth pamphlet. The teacher will act as a facilitator and a mentor to guide the student through the process. Students will then share/publish their findings with classmates during Author’s Chair, and by including the pamphlet in the book reviews notebook for the class library.

THE FOLLOWING KAPLAN ICONS WILL BE ANALYZED AS APPLIED TO LITERATURE REFLECTION: 1. Language of the Discipline

2. Details

3. Patterns

4. Rules

5. Trends

6. Unanswered Questions

7. Big Idea

LANGUAGE OF THE DISCIPLINEThinking Skills

•identify/list/define the terms

•prioritize (the most important terms)

•identify relationships (among the terms)

•categorize the terms or tools judge with

•criteria (the specificity of the terms)

•distinguish appropriateness of usage of the terminology determine relevance

Language in Relation to Literature Reflection• Identify relationships between important terms in the text.

• Explain how dialect can influence the tone of the text.

•Evaluate the impact the words have in a piece of literature? Include examples of figurative speech and its effect on the reader.

•Determine the relevance of key word choices the author made.

•Examine the tone, style or mood created by words.

DETAILS

Thinking Skills

•describe (the details)

•prioritize (the most important details)

•note ambiguity (among details)

•categorize/classify (the details)

•determine relevance

•sequence the details

•select details to determine bias or absence of bias

Details in Relation in Literature Reflection•Identify the important details in the literature selection. Describe character, setting, etc.

•Prioritize the importance of multiple details from the literature.

•Reflect on the literature’s genre or the author’s style and determine its attributes.

•Sequence relevant details to the conflict resolution or character development.

PATTERNSThinking Skills

•describe (the patterns)

•define cause and effect prioritize (the most important patterns)

•categorize/classify patterns

•identify relationships (among patterns)

•determine relevance sequence (the pattern parts)

•judge with criteria (the importance of a pattern)

Patterns in Relation to Literature Reflection•Describe how characters interact repeatedly with one another throughout the story.

•Compare plot patterns from the selected literature and one other additional source.

•Identify behavioral patterns of the main characters, starting with the protagonist and antagonist.

•Create a timeline of the most important events in the literature.

•Analyze the occurrence and reoccurrence of literary devices, such as archetype, motif and symbols.

RULES

Thinking Skills

•describe (the rules)

•identify relationship (among rules)

•categorize/classify (rules)

•prioritize (the most important rules)

•differentiate fact from opinion and fact from fantasy and conjecture

•determine relevance judge with criteria

Rules in Relation to Literature Reflection•Categorize author’s fact and opinion statements.

•Reflect on consistencies or inconsistencies of characters’ course of behavior.

•How do cultural, familial and societal and rules affect the outcome of the story or the characters’ choices.

•Describe the elements that identify which type of genre the literature selection is.

TRENDS

Thinking Skills

•describe compare and contrast identify relationships (among trends)

•categorize/classify (trends)

•prioritize (the most important trends)

•determine relevance

•judge with criteria (the importance of a trend)

•prove with evidence (the influence of a trend)

Trends in Relation to Literature Reflection•Explore the effects that setting has on the plot of the story.

•Connect a conflict from the story to a current event.

•Research the influence of the author’s personal life on the story. Is there any correlation?

•Identify how social, cultural, and political factors influenced the plot and character development?

•Identify elements (e.g., values, paradigms) that reflect the time period of the literature selection.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONSThinking Skills

•describe/state (an unanswered question)

•note ambiguity

•distinguish fact from fiction and opinion

•formulate questions

•problem solving

•identify missing information

•test assumptions

•prove with evidence (the importance of validity of an unanswered question)

Unanswered Questions in Relation to Literature Reflection•Examine the motives of a character’s choice in the literature selection.

•Describe discrepancies or ambiguities in the character’s behavior.

•Determine the author’s purpose in the writing the piece of literature. Are there any ambiguities or unclear motives?

•Formulate additional questions based on the story that can have multiple answers.

BIG IDEA

Thinking Skills

•describe (the big idea)

•infer a big idea from supporting evidence/information

•categorize/classify big ideas

•identify relationships (among big ideas)

• determine relevance judge with criteria (the importance of a big idea)

Big Idea in Relation to Literature Reflection•Identify the generalizations in the literature selection.

•Determine important details that support the “big idea” of the story.

•Outline the origin and resolution of the literary conflict.

•Identify the story’s theme in one paragraph/sentence.

GRADING RUBRIC

For the assessment strategy of this lesson plan, I would use an “Informational/Expository Writing Rubric,” which aligns to the CCSS. An example of this rubric can be found at:

http://ndcurriculuminitiative.org/media/common_core/ela/grade_4_elkgrove_rubrics.pdf

APPLICABLE THINKING TEMPLATESFOR THE KAPLAN MODEL ICONS

REFERENCES

Depth, Complexity and Content Imperative Explanations in Math. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2015, from https://bb.whitworth.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-301493-dt-content-rid-2077387_1/courses/15SP-EDG-554-OL/Depth, Complexity, and Content Imperative Explanations in Math.pdf

Kaplan, S. (2009). Myth 9: There is a single curriculum for the gifted. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 257-258.