Indiana Social Studies GE.2.5

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Global Economic Systems

The Standard

Describe fiscal policy, including how taxes are used within different economic systems.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how governments use taxes and spending to pay for services and affect the economy. They compare where governments get money in market, mixed, and command economies.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a proposed tax increase, a student can explain one effect on household spending and one possible use for the money. They can explain why a government that owns factories may also use factory profits to pay for services.
Common Misconceptions: Students may confuse a tax change with an interest-rate change. They may assume command economies collect no taxes or that taxes are the only source of government money.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Country A has mostly private firms; Country B owns most firms. Name one likely source of government money for each, then explain one effect of raising a sales tax in A.

Lesson moves

Give pairs 20 paper tokens as store income, collect five as tax, and have them allocate the money to roads, clinics, or schools.
Ask students to write two sentences answering: Where could a government that owns most factories get money for schools besides taxes?
Play Revenue Sort: teams place tax and state-company profit cards under possible sources of government money for three fictional economies.
Show a sample local property tax bill and the district budget; students find the tax amount and one school expense it helps fund.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to GE.2.5, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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