Indiana Social Studies IS.4.9
The Standard
Examine the migration of groups to Indiana for economic opportunity.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace where groups came from, when they arrived in Indiana, and what work or land drew them. They use maps and sources to explain those choices.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can compare African Americans moving from the South to Gary for steel jobs with German immigrants seeking Indiana farmland in the 1800s. They support each explanation with a source detail.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may confuse a reason for leaving home, such as discrimination, with an opportunity in Indiana. They may assume everyone who came for work found the job they wanted.
How to Assess It
- Show a map of African American migration from the South to Gary and a steel mill hiring notice. Ask students to name the opportunity and cite one detail from the notice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a blank map and cards describing Southern steel workers and German farm settlers; have them draw each route into Indiana.
Ask students why a Southern worker might choose Gary's steel mills while a German farmer might choose Indiana farmland, using one source detail for each.
Post eight clue cards about the two migrations; partners sort them into Gary steel jobs and Indiana farmland, then explain their choices.
Compare a current Indiana job posting with a 1920s Gary steel notice; ask what might attract a worker in each.
Free download
Printable IS.4.9 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to IS.4.9, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- IS.4.7
Examine the rise and decline of industrial cities in Indiana.
- IS.3.6
Identify immigration and migration patterns and describe their impact on the developments of agriculture, industry, mining, and transportation in Indiana.
- IS.5.9
Identify and examine the impact of Indiana on the entertainment industry.
- IS.4.2
Identify important organizations of economic growth in Indiana’s history.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson