the evidence lab · unit 06 · Case File 06
The Verdict
A verdict is not a vibe. It is a claim sized to the evidence.
What does an intellectually honest verdict sound like when the evidence is incomplete or contested?
The 4-minute briefing
The textbook-sized gap, closed without the textbook-sized reading.
Iran-Contra involved secret arms sales to Iran and the diversion of proceeds to support the Contras in Nicaragua despite congressional restrictions. Hearings, testimony, memos, and financial trails documented the operation, while destroyed records and disputes over presidential knowledge left some questions unresolved. The case demonstrates that confirmed wrongdoing and genuine uncertainty can coexist.
JFK records and moon-landing claims let students practice two opposite risks: treating every new document as a bombshell or treating a settled question as permanently open. The capstone demands a precise claim, transparent source trail, serious treatment of the best counterevidence, and one of the Four Verdicts. Strong investigators state what would change their minds.
3 ideas that unlock the unit
Verdicts have boundaries
Confirm the part the evidence supports. Do not stretch a documented operation into unrelated claims or shrink uncertainty into certainty.
Counterevidence is part of your case
A trustworthy verdict presents the strongest challenge and explains why it does or does not change the conclusion.
Confidence should be visible
Words such as likely, strongly supported, unclear, and not established help the audience understand the evidence’s strength.
Chronology scramble
Put all 4 events in order. Choose 1 for earliest and 4 for latest.
review the completed timeline
- 1963 · JFK assassinatedThe murder produces investigations, records, and a lasting ecosystem of competing claims.
- 1969 · Apollo 11 landsIndependent tracking, samples, images, instruments, and later missions build a dense evidence record.
- 1986 · Iran-Contra exposedA secret foreign-policy operation becomes public and triggers investigations.
- 1992 · JFK Records ActCongress creates a process to collect and release assassination records.
Flip deck
Tap each term to reveal the plain-English meaning. Review all 4 cards to clear the mission.
0 of 4 terms reviewed
You make the call
Your capstone evidence strongly supports part of a popular claim, disproves another part, and leaves one detail unresolved.
What is the strongest final verdict?
Boss battle
Three open-practice questions. Score 2 out of 3 to clear the boss. You can retry; graded work stays in Google Classroom.
Exit ticket
What does an intellectually honest verdict sound like when the evidence is incomplete or contested?
unit badge unlocked
The Verdict cleared.
You finished all six missions and banked 320 XP. Your work is saved on this device.
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