Indiana Social Studies GE.3.4

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Economic Systems Structures

The Standard

Explain the role and effect of labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and cooperatives in a given economy.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify what unions, nonprofits, and cooperatives do in an economy. They explain how each can affect workers, consumers, and the wider community.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a town economy, a student can explain how a union bargains for workers, a nonprofit provides a service, and cooperative members share control. They can name a likely effect of each, such as higher wages, access to care, or shared earnings.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think a union sets wages by law or that a nonprofit cannot charge fees. They may mistake a cooperative for a regular business owned by outside investors.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Factory workers bargain as a group, a donation-funded clinic offers free care, and shoppers own a grocery. Label each organization and give one likely economic effect of each.

Lesson moves

Give groups cards for workers, managers, donors, patients, and member shoppers; have them draw decision and money arrows for three organizations.
Ask students to write two sentences explaining how higher union wages might help workers and affect a factory's costs.
Play a matching game with cards showing organization types, ownership rules, actions, and economic effects.
Use a food bank website, a union contract news story, and a credit union website; have students note one economic effect of each.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to GE.3.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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