In social studies class, creative thinking is a must! One way I incorporate creative thinking is through “What If” questions.

There are many pieces of information for students to learn in our social studies classes. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the facts and details that we sometimes forget to look creatively at the big picture of what happened and why.

Asking “What If” questions allows students to stop and think about why things happened a certain way, what could have happened differently, and how events and ideas are interconnected throughout history.

Also, when connecting ELA skills to social studies, asking “What If” questions helps students make excellent cause and effect connections within informational text.

The advantage of using “What If” questions is that students will have to use the information they just learned and take it one step further with creativity and critical thinking.

Ideas for Using “What If” Questions in Your Classroom:

• Lesson Closer: Ask a “What If” question to close the lesson. For example, “Now that we’ve learned about what happened during the Boston Massacre, let me ask you a thinking question. What if the British soldiers had not fired their weapons that night? What do you think would have happened?”

• Exit Ticket: There are lots of ways to do exit tickets, but one of my favorites is to have students write their answers to “What If” questions on sticky notes and stick the notes to the classroom door on the way out.

• Partner Discussion: “Today, we talked about how George Washington laid down his power and walked away at the end of his second presidential term. What if he had continued with a third, fourth, or even fifth presidential term? How might our country be different today? Share thoughts with a partner for 3 minutes.”

• Journal Prompt: “What might have been the outcome or fate of the Roanoke settlement if John White had NOT returned to England and left the settlers behind?”

Roanoke, Jamestown, & Plymouth “What If” Questions

Roanoke

• What might have been the outcome or fate of the Roanoke settlement if John White had NOT returned to England and left the settlers behind?

• What if the colonists had left behind better clues to their disappearance?

Jamestown

• What might have been different in Jamestown if the colonists had worked with the Powhatan and shown friendship at all times, rather than stealing and being cruel?

• What if the Starving Time had never occurred?

Plymouth (Plimoth)

• What if the Wampanoag People had not been so friendly and welcoming toward the Plymouth settlers?

• What if William Bradford had not been re-elected to the Plymouth governor position 30 times?

Colonial America “What If” Questions

When I say Colonial America, I am referring to all three colonial regions, New England, Middle, and Southern.

New England Colonies

• What if the Puritans had been open and accepting of the beliefs of other religious groups?

• What if the concept of “town meetings” caught on throughout the colonies and became the standard everywhere?

• Roger Williams believed it was wrong for England to take Native American land without payment. What if the Puritans had agreed with him instead of banishing him?

Middle Colonies

• What if the Quakers had not been tolerant of the beliefs of all people?

• What if Benjamin Franklin had been unwilling to share his designs and inventions?

Southern Colonies

• What if the Southern Colonies had thin, rocky soil?

• What if Carolina had never split into North Carolina and South Carolina?

American Revolution “What If” Questions

When I say the American Revolution, I’m referring to both the Road to Revolution and the American Revolution.

Road to Revolution

• What if King George III had never issued the Proclamation of 1763?

• What if Parliament had respected the colonists’ request for representation in Parliament?

• What if the Boston Tea Party had turned violent?

• What if British leaders had responded to the Boston Tea Party with understanding and willingness to change instead of with punishment and anger?

American Revolution

• What if the French had remained neutral or refused to get involved on colonists’ side during the American Revolution?

• What if George Washington had been captured as a prisoner of war during the American Revolution?

• What if the delegates to the Second Continental Congress were too frightened to write and sign the Declaration of Independence?

• What if women were allowed to step into leadership positions during the American Revolution?

• What if the British had won the American Revolution?

Early Government “What If” Questions

Early government refers to the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.

Articles of Confederation

• What if the Articles of Confederation were written with a stronger central government?

U.S. Constitution

• What if the delegates to the Constitutional Convention refused to compromise with one another?

• What if the role of president was never created, and instead, the highest leadership role in the United States was king?

• What if the Bill of Rights had never been added to the U.S. Constitution?

Civil War “What If” Questions

There are so many Civil War “What If” questions that can be used, but these are my favorites:

• What if the Southern states had not seceded from the Union?

• What if Abraham Lincoln had not been elected president?

• What if the war had lasted 10 years instead of 4?

• What if the Confederacy had won the Civil War?

• What if the Civil War had led to the United States splitting into two separate countries?

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Want more? I’d love to share my best five tips for making social studies your students’ favorite class of the day: