Indiana Social Studies GHW.2.1
The Standard
Map the development over time of world religions from their points of origin, and identify those that exhibit a high degree of local and/or international concentration.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate where major religions began and show how their geographic reach changed over time. They use maps to identify where each religion is concentrated today and which have spread across many regions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can mark Buddhism’s origin in South Asia and trace its spread into East and Southeast Asia. They can explain that Hinduism remains concentrated in South Asia, while Christianity has large populations on several continents.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume a religion began where it has the most followers today. They may also treat a map of present-day followers as a map of past spread, or assume everyone in a shaded region shares one religion.
How to Assess It
- Give students dated maps and a blank world map. Ask them to mark the origins and spread of Buddhism and Islam by 1500, then name one region where each is concentrated today.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs blank maps and dated source maps; have them mark origins, shade spread at each date, and make a key.
Ask students to write two sentences comparing Hinduism’s concentration in South Asia with Christianity’s presence across several continents.
Post four dated maps; teams match religion cards to origins and spread patterns, then explain one match using map evidence.
Use a current world religion map to mark Hinduism’s concentration in South Asia and find Christian populations on three continents.
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Printable GHW.2.1 Worksheet
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Map the distribution patterns and concentration areas of the world’s major religions and identify cultural features and population centers associated with each.
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