Evidence & causal claims
A good first activity
Evidence, state performance & causal claims
Hold the Headline
You have a headline. Do you have the evidence?
An unfinished bridge. A confident public claim. Two reporting slots. Choose what to investigate, challenge the rival explanations and decide what your newsroom can responsibly publish.
The same political choices in both routes. You can switch inside without starting over. For class asks you to complete any missing required responses. Save a report in either route; your instructor decides what to accept.
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What you can explore
- Distinguish a public claim from the evidence supporting it.
- Choose records that separate rival explanations.
- State what remains unknown after an investigation.
What the model leaves open
Reporting choices occur in a designed fictional record. An unresolved question is a legitimate outcome.
AFTERWARD, THINK ABOUT
Which reporting slot most changed your confidence, and why?
Teaching this activity Debrief, assessment & assignment draft
Bring it back to the room
- Which reporting slot most changed your confidence, and why?
- What claim should the newsroom still refuse to publish?
What to assess
Assess evidence selection, the link from records to claims, and honest treatment of uncertainty and revision.
Read the complete teaching guide →Syllabus description, rubric & printable companion →
Make it an assignment.
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Syllabus description & discussion prompts
Syllabus description
An unfinished bridge. A confident public claim. Two reporting slots. Choose what to investigate, challenge the rival explanations and decide what your newsroom can responsibly publish. Students produce evidence and revision report.
Questions for a discussion board or class debrief
- Which reporting slot most changed your confidence, and why?
- What claim should the newsroom still refuse to publish?