Alabama Social Studies SS24.S.3

SS24.S.3 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.S.3a

  Apply the major sociological theories to a situation and evaluate the differences in interpretations.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students use three lenses to explain the same social situation. They compare what each lens notices, then judge which explanation fits the evidence and what it leaves out.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Given a school hoodie ban, a student explains how it affects school routines, who has power over the rule, and what hoodies mean to students. They use details from the case to support an interpretation without treating it as the only possible one.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think conflict theory means people arguing, rather than unequal power. They may assume functionalism says every rule is good. They may treat symbolic interaction as a study of logos, rather than meanings people build through daily encounters.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: A school bans hoodies, and students say enforcement is uneven. Explain the ban through each lens, then name one difference between the explanations and one thing a lens misses.

1. 01

   Put a hoodie ban notice on the table; groups add sticky notes for school routines, unequal enforcement, and students' meanings.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: Which lens best explains complaints about the hoodie ban, and what does that lens miss?

3. 03

   Play a card sort with claims about the ban, such as 'rules reduce distractions' and 'enforcement targets some students,' then defend each match.

4. 04

   Show a local rental listing; students explain housing's role, who can afford it, and what the neighborhood description suggests to renters.

• SS24.S.11a

  Compare and contrast the major theories of collective behavior, including contagion theory, convergence theory, and emergent norm theory.*

• SS24.S.6a

  Analyze deviance from each of the three sociological perspectives (interactionist, functional, and conflict).

• SS24.S.1b

  Identify and explain tenets of sociology, including functional integration, power, social action, social structure, and culture.