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THE SIMULATION LAB
Free printable · APUSH Topic 2.2

Colonial Claim Audit Cards

Four claims about colonization, twelve evidence cards — several of which cut against the claim they sit near — a verdict mat, and a teacher key. Students learn that supporting a claim and testing it are different jobs.

Why this page exists: the Claim Audit lesson is built around claim cards, an evidence bank, and a counterevidence card that never shipped as files.

Nothing to download, no email, no account. Print straight from this page. Built for the Claim Audit in Lesson 2.2 of APUSH Launch Control, and it works in any course that teaches the same ground.

How to print it

Each button opens your browser's normal print box with only that one piece selected — the website navigation, this text, and the teacher key never come out of the printer by accident. Choose your printer, press Print. Nothing downloads.

  1. The 16 cards — 3 pages, 6 per page. Four claim cards and twelve evidence cards. Cut on the dashed lines; one set per group.
  2. The verdict mat — 1 page, prints sideways. One per group. Supports, complicates, or refutes — and then the qualified claim they write themselves.
  3. The teacher key — 1 page, for you only. Which evidence belongs to which claim, and which pieces are supposed to cause an argument.

16 cards · 3 pages at 6 per page · cut on the dashed lines

Colonial Claim Audit CardsFour claims, twelve evidence cards. Cut on the dashed lines. thesimulationlabedu.com

The cards

The evidence cards are deliberately not sorted for students. Several support one claim and undercut another.

Claim Audit Verdict MatOne per group. Evidence in a column, then write the qualified claim. thesimulationlabedu.com

The verdict mat

Three columns. The point of the third one is that a claim can survive being complicated — but only if you say how.

Supports the claim

Evidence cards here.

Complicates it

Evidence cards here.

Refutes it

Evidence cards here.

The claim we audited
Our verdict, in one sentence
The strongest card against us — and our answer to it
The claim rewritten so it survives the counterevidence
Teacher key — where each evidence card lands and what to argue about (click to open)
Teacher Key — Colonial Claim Audit CardsDo not hand to students. thesimulationlabedu.com

Kept closed by default so it is not on the board behind you.

Free from The Simulation Lab · https://thesimulationlabedu.com/history/apush/tools/colonial-claim-audit-cards/

Run it in one class period

  1. Opener, 5 minutes. Read Claim A aloud. Take a show of hands before any evidence is dealt, and write the tally on the board.
  2. Audit, 20 minutes. Each group takes one claim and all twelve evidence cards, then sorts into supports, complicates, refutes. Every card must be placed or explicitly set aside with a reason.
  3. Rewrite, 10 minutes. Groups write the claim again so it survives the strongest card against it. This is the skill.
  4. Trade, 10 minutes. Groups swap mats and try to break the rewritten claim with one card.
  5. Exit, 5 minutes. Revisit the Claim A tally. Anyone who changed their mind writes the card that changed it.

Why the evidence is not pre-sorted. Handing students evidence already grouped under a claim teaches them that history arrives labeled. Several cards here support one claim and undercut another; the argument that produces is the lesson.

These are teacher-authored evidence summaries, not primary-source excerpts. For sources students read and analyze, use the Evidence and Source Guide in the lesson kit.

All free printable card sets · Back to the APUSH Skills Lab

Written and reviewed by Josh, classroom history teacher and Simulation Lab creator. Published and reviewed August 19, 2026. Print and copy freely for your own classroom. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board.