the desk.
← all learning hubsprogress saves automatically

the evidence lab · unit 01 · Case File 01

The Official Story vs. The Rumor

Roswell is the hook. Evidence is the actual subject.

essential question

How can we tell the difference between a changing explanation and proof of a conspiracy?

mission 01 · +40 XP

The 4-minute briefing

not cleared

The textbook-sized gap, closed without the textbook-sized reading.

In July 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field announced it had recovered a “flying disc,” then quickly said the debris came from a weather balloon. Decades later, former personnel and writers revived the story as evidence of an alien crash. A secret Cold War balloon program called Project Mogul later offered a documented reason for military secrecy and unusual debris.

This case introduces the course’s Four Verdicts: confirmed, debunked, misleading, and unproven. An official statement is not automatically true, but a rumor is not automatically brave or independent. Each claim has to earn a verdict through source quality, corroboration, physical evidence, and honest treatment of uncertainty. The goal is not to “believe nothing.” It is to believe in proportion to the evidence.

3 ideas that unlock the unit

01

Claims have parts

Separate what happened, what someone inferred, and what they concluded. “The military changed its story” is not identical to “the military recovered aliens.”

02

Sources carry weight, not magic

A source gains strength through proximity, independence, expertise, consistency, and corroboration. Official and unofficial sources both require testing.

03

Unproven is a real verdict

Lack of proof does not automatically debunk a claim, but it also does not justify treating possibility as fact.

mission 02 · +60 XP

Chronology scramble

not cleared

Put all 4 events in order. Choose 1 for earliest and 4 for latest.

review the completed timeline
  1. 1947 · Roswell headlinesA military press release says “flying disc,” then officials describe balloon debris.
  2. 1955 · Area 51 begins testingThe secret Nevada site supports classified aircraft programs, providing a real basis for secrecy.
  3. 1978 · Roswell story revivedInterviews with former intelligence officer Jesse Marcel renew public attention.
  4. 1994 · Air Force reportA report identifies Project Mogul as the likely source of the 1947 debris.
mission 03 · +40 XP

Flip deck

not cleared

Tap each term to reveal the plain-English meaning. Review all 4 cards to clear the mission.

mission 04 · +50 XP

You make the call

not cleared
scenario

A witness tells a vivid story thirty years after the event. The story conflicts with a document made at the time but includes details the public did not know.

What should an investigator do next?

Choose a move to see what it reveals. Historical decisions rarely come with perfect options.
mission 05 · +100 XP

Boss battle

not cleared

Three open-practice questions. Score 2 out of 3 to clear the boss. You can retry; graded work stays in Google Classroom.

1Which event happened first?

2Which term matches this definition: “Independent evidence that supports the same important detail.”

3Which claim best captures this unit?

mission 06 · +30 XP

Exit ticket

not cleared
How can we tell the difference between a changing explanation and proof of a conspiracy?
0 characters · saved as you type