Case 5 of 20 · Problem Solving
What If...? — Hypothetical Problem Solving
🔎 Case Brief #5
🏠 You're helping at home and you use exploring possibilities before committing to solve a problem.
🎯 Your mission
Gather the evidence.
⚡ The twist
The obvious answer is a trap. Look again.
What you'll learn · 1 of 3
🧠 Before you act, play 'What If?' in your mind.
'What if I try this? What would happen? What if that doesn't work?' Mental simulation prevents real-world mistakes.
Here's how to do it:
1. Look carefully at the problem. What do you see?
2.
What you'll learn · 2 of 3
Think about what you already know. Does this remind you of something?
3. Try an answer! It's totally okay to be wrong — that's how we learn.
4. Check: did it work? If not, try something else!
You're building your thinking muscles.
What you'll learn · 3 of 3
The more you practice, the stronger they get!
Key idea: Exploring possibilities before committing
Think about this
🏠 You're helping at home and you use exploring possibilities before committing to solve a problem. What happened? How did you figure it out?
How a thinker does it
- 🔍
👀 What Do I See?
Look at the problem about exploring possibilities before committing. What do you notice?
- 🧪
🤔 What Do I Know?
What do you already know that could help? Have you seen something like this before?
- 🎯
💡 What's My Idea?
Think of an answer. Can you think of a second one too?
- 🪞
⭐ What Did I Learn?
Check your answer. Was it right? What did you figure out? Tell someone!
Remember
- 1Understand exploring possibilities before committing
- 2Apply problem solving to daily life
- 3Practice this skill through investigations
Words to know
- Try
- Giving something a go
- Problem
- Something that needs to be figured out
Solve the case · 1 of 3
Case 1
1 of 3What is the main idea of exploring possibilities before committing?
Solve the case · 2 of 3
Case 2
2 of 3How can you apply problem solving in daily life?
Solve the case · 3 of 3
Case 3
3 of 3Good critical thinkers always:
Nice work!
You got 0 of 3 right.
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✨ More to explore
🌍 Why this matters: You solve problems every day! When you can't reach something, you find a stool. When a toy breaks, you figure out how to fix it. That's problem solving!
💬 Talk about it
- Can you explain exploring possibilities before committing to a friend using your own words?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned today?
- Draw a picture of what you learned and show it to someone!
🏆 Try this week: Ask a grown-up about a problem they solved this week.
👨👩👧 At dinner: “What was the hardest problem you solved this week — and how?”
Challenge a friend
Can they solve this case? Share it on IG, TikTok, or WhatsApp.
Ready?
What If...? — Hypothetical Problem Solving
Gather the evidence.
Full screen — no distractions
