Purpose
Using the "What if..." strategy is beneficial for extending student thinking beyond the text that they have just read. In doing this, they can express creativity and new ideas when given the option to create alternatives to the original text. Students may then be able to better connect to the text through engaging with the material in an unconventional way.
Procedures
Students would be asked to write about the reading or given topic through the use of a prompt or prompts that propose alternatives to the facts presented in the text. This could include alternative endings, variations in characters, setting differences, or alternate plot points. The students would be expected to respond to the prompt provided by the teacher, which may ask how the story would be different in the given situation or how a reader might respond differently.
Students may be able to connect to this activity through a discussion of text retellings. This could include popular favorites such as Pride and Prejudice and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, as well as different media adaptations, which could include various texts being made into movies, such as the many versions of Batman films and how they are interpreted from the original comics.
Students may be able to connect to this activity through a discussion of text retellings. This could include popular favorites such as Pride and Prejudice and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, as well as different media adaptations, which could include various texts being made into movies, such as the many versions of Batman films and how they are interpreted from the original comics.
Example
"What if..." scenarios are relatively easy for teachers to create based on what students have read. The target question should be, "How would this scenario have changed or impacted the story?" Below are some examples of scenarios that could be used with popular classroom literature.
A Tale of Two Cities: How would the story be different if Sydney Carton hadn't overheard the conversation between the Defarges in the wine shop regarding the fate of Lucie and her daughter? How would this have changed Carton's life?
Romeo and Juliet: How the play have ended if Juliet would have woken up before Romeo killed himself? What would their lives be like? How would it have been different for each of their families?
The Scarlet Letter: How would the story be different if the events took place in the 1950s? Today?
The Grapes of Wrath: How would the story have been different if Rose of Sharon hadn't lost her baby? How would this have impacted the Joad family?
A Tale of Two Cities: How would the story be different if Sydney Carton hadn't overheard the conversation between the Defarges in the wine shop regarding the fate of Lucie and her daughter? How would this have changed Carton's life?
Romeo and Juliet: How the play have ended if Juliet would have woken up before Romeo killed himself? What would their lives be like? How would it have been different for each of their families?
The Scarlet Letter: How would the story be different if the events took place in the 1950s? Today?
The Grapes of Wrath: How would the story have been different if Rose of Sharon hadn't lost her baby? How would this have impacted the Joad family?
References: Central High School, 2012