What If Scenarios
At a Glance
- Time: 3-5 minutes
- Prep: None
- Group: Whole class or pairs
- Setting: Any
- Subjects: Universal
- Energy: Low
Purpose
Activate creative and speculative thinking through hypothetical questions. Use this at the start of class, during transitions, or to introduce new concepts. Students practice imagination, logical consequences, and making connections. "What if" questions explicitly teach that thinking can be exploratory and divergent, which primes creativity and problem-solving.
How It Works
- POSE (10 seconds) - Teacher asks a "What if...?" question
- THINK (60-90 seconds) - Students consider implications and consequences
- SHARE (90-120 seconds) - Multiple students share their speculations and reasoning
- DISCUSS (optional, 60 seconds) - Class discusses different possibilities
- CONNECT (optional, 30 seconds) - Link hypothetical thinking to today's lesson
What to Say
"Here's a 'What if' scenario to get your brain thinking: What if gravity suddenly became half as strong? What would happen? Think about the consequences. You have 60 seconds. Go!"
(After thinking time) "Who has an idea? What would change?"
Student 1: "We could jump really high!" "Yes! What else?"
Student 2: "Things would float away more easily." "True! What about larger systems?"
Student 3: "The atmosphere might drift into space. Planets might not stay in orbit!" "Excellent thinking! You're considering consequences at multiple scales. This kind of speculation is what scientists do when they model systems. In today's lesson, we'll explore how changing one variable affects an entire system..."
Why It Works
Hypothetical reasoning requires mental simulation and causal thinking. Students practice considering multiple variables and imagining consequences—skills central to scientific thinking, historical analysis, and literary interpretation. "What if" questions are inherently engaging because they remove real-world constraints and allow playful exploration. The divergent nature (no single right answer) encourages creativity and builds confidence in speculative thinking. This explicitly teaches that learning involves not just knowing facts, but exploring possibilities.
Research Citation: Hypothetical reasoning supports creativity and problem-solving (Byrne, 2005).
Teacher Tip
Choose scenarios that connect to your content when possible! "What if..." questions can introduce topics, activate prior knowledge, or deepen understanding. Even abstract scenarios teach the thinking skill—and that transfers to content.
Variations
Sample "What If" Scenarios
Universal/Playful:
- What if animals could talk?
- What if humans didn't need sleep?
- What if there were 48 hours in a day?
- What if you could teleport anywhere instantly?
- What if money didn't exist?
Scientific:
- What if the Earth rotated twice as fast?
- What if plants could move like animals?
- What if humans had gills and could breathe underwater?
- What if there was no friction?
- What if the moon disappeared?
Historical:
- What if the printing press was never invented?
- What if the American Revolution failed?
- What if Columbus never sailed to the Americas?
- What if the internet was invented 100 years earlier?
Literary:
- What if the main character made a different choice at the climax?
- What if the story was told from the antagonist's perspective?
- What if the setting was changed to modern day?
Mathematical:
- What if we had a base-12 number system instead of base-10?
- What if negative numbers didn't exist?
- What if zero wasn't invented?
Social/Ethical:
- What if everyone could read minds?
- What if lying was impossible?
- What if everyone had the same resources?
Content-Connection Strategies
- Pre-Lesson: Use "What if" to introduce a topic you're about to study
- Post-Lesson: Use "What if" to deepen understanding of concepts just learned
- Review: "What if this variable changed? What would happen to our equation/system/story?"
For Different Settings
- Large Class: Whole class discussion or think-pair-share
- Small Class: Everyone shares their thoughts
- Online: Chat responses or breakout rooms for discussion
- Pairs: Partners brainstorm consequences together
For Different Ages
- Elementary (K-5): Concrete, imaginable scenarios
- Middle/High School (6-12): Abstract, complex scenarios with multiple variables
- College/Adult: Discipline-specific, philosophical, ethical scenarios
Online Adaptation
Excellent for Online:
- Display question on screen
- Students type responses in chat
- Breakout rooms for deeper pair discussions
- Works beautifully in virtual settings
Troubleshooting
Challenge: Students say "I don't know" or can't imagine it. Solution: Scaffold: "Start with one thing. What's ONE thing that would change?" Or give an example to spark thinking.
Challenge: Responses are surface-level ("It would be cool"). Solution: Push deeper: "Why? What specifically would be different? What would be the consequences of THAT consequence?"
Challenge: Discussion gets silly or off-track. Solution: "Great imagination! Let's think about this more seriously for a moment. What would REALISTICALLY happen?" Redirect to logical thinking.
Challenge: One student dominates; others don't share. Solution: "Turn to a partner and share your idea first. Then we'll hear from pairs."
Challenge: Students debate endlessly about what would "really" happen. Solution: "There's no one right answer! Multiple things could happen. Let's hear different possibilities." Celebrate divergent thinking.
Extension Ideas
- Chain of Consequences: "If that happened, then what? And then what?" Follow the causal chain multiple steps deep.
- Compare Answers: "Interesting—we have three different predictions. What assumptions is each person making?"
- Research It: "Let's investigate! What do scientists actually think would happen?"
- Creative Writing: "Write a short story set in this 'What if' world."
- Connect to Lesson: "We just practiced hypothetical thinking. Today we'll use that when we..."
- What If Journal: Students keep a running list of "What if" questions to explore
Related Activities: Would You Rather, Brain Teasers, Riddle Me This