What If? is a favorite question for both youngsters and adults. “What if we had done it differently?” “What if it worked a different way?” “What if you did this instead?” Our lives are filled with “what if?” questions. In groups and individually we like to explore the possibilities that might have existed if things had been done differently.

This natural curiosity about “what if” can be the basis for serious thinking. It can start students thinking about other routes history might have taken, the impact on events and inventions, and the reasons why things are the way they are. In other words, it can become a catalyst for critical and creative thinking.

What If? is a collection of activities that will lead students through explorations in several curriculum areas, always asking the question “What if….” The book offers an opportunity for students to look at unique situations and to come up with alternative outcomes by combining research with creative thinking. Students will utilize the steps in Creative Problem Solving and the higher-level thinking skills to propose, examine, and evaluate their hypotheses. Each What If? proposition can become the beginning of hours of exciting learning.

What If? not only presents a motivating format for learning, it also builds skills that students will use throughout their lives. As students work through each exercise, they gain new insights into the possibilities and challenges of manipulating information that has been researched while, at the same time, practicing valuable problem-solving skills. These research, problem-solving, and thinking skills will transfer to other What If? exercises, to other areas of learning, and, most importantly, to real life.

In using this book, the student will…
      • be able to deal with factual information at the three higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy:
         analysis, synthesis, and evaluation;
      • be able to show cause-and-effect relationships through the What If? format;
      • be able to extrapolate from knowns to unknowns using real-life situations;
      • be able to use and apply the What If? strategy to any situation;
      • be able to deal creatively with information in a variety of content areas. and
      • be able to develop What If? problems and solutions in other areas of the curriculum—
         to become creators of curricula rather than consumers of information.

Download the Table of Contents page here.

Grades 4-8.