Two accounts, one fictional event

Stage 1 of 4

Establish the historical question

The two participant cards make conflicting sequence claims. What can a source comparison investigate?

Design synthesis · proposed support

Historical question

How do two participants describe what happened first at the fictional Harbor Square protest?

The task is to compare accounts, not declare which person is correct.

Exact source excerpt · Bundled fictional classroom material

Neither participant card independently establishes the event sequence.

Design context (inference)Both cards are product-authored for this demo, not authentic primary sources.

Stage 2 of 4

Inspect identity and perspective

Read what each participant claims and note how role may shape perspective without dismissing either account.

Exact source excerpt · Fictional participant card A

Guards moved toward the crowd before an object was thrown.

Design context (inference)Product-authored classroom demo, not an authentic primary source.

Exact source excerpt · Fictional participant card B

An object came from the crowd before guards moved forward.

Design context (inference)Product-authored classroom demo, not an authentic primary source.

Stage 3 of 4

Corroborate agreement and conflict

Identify agreement, conflict, and what requires another source.

Which statements are warranted by these cards?

Design-authored prompt · exact source-bound choices

The accounts disagree about what happened first. Both describe movement between guards and the crowd. The two accounts alone cannot establish the sequence.

Stage 4 of 4

Write a bounded conclusion

State what the cards support, their limit, and a next source to seek.

Design synthesis · proposed support

Epistemic boundary

Disagreement is evidence about the accounts, not automatic proof that either account is false.

These fictional cards cannot establish what actually happened.

What conclusion is warranted, what remains open, and what source would you seek next?

Minimum 45 characters