Indiana Social Studies P.1.9

Social StudiesGrades 9–12History and Scientific Method

The Standard

Understand the six steps involved in critical thinking: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students recall facts, explain them in their own words, and use them in a new situation. They break information into parts, combine details into an explanation, and make a judgment backed by evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given a short account of an event, a student can state a fact, explain it, and apply it to another case. They can identify causes and effects, connect details in a new explanation, and defend a judgment with evidence.
Common Misconceptions: Students may copy a sentence instead of explaining what it means. They may mistake a list of details for a combined explanation, or give an opinion without evidence when asked to make a judgment.
How to Assess It: Give this exit-ticket text: "In 1911, a fire killed 146 Triangle factory workers. Some exits were locked. Afterward, people demanded safer workplaces." Ask for six labeled answers: a recalled fact, a paraphrase, a safety lesson for another factory, a cause-and-effect breakdown, an explanation linking two details, and a judgment about locked exits backed by the text.

Lesson moves

Give pairs six index cards labeled recall, explain, apply, break apart, combine, and judge; have them write a response to the Triangle fire account on each.
Ask, "How does the fact about locked exits lead to a judgment about workplace safety?" Have students explain the steps in writing.
Play "Name the Step": read short responses to the Triangle fire account, and have teams hold up the matching thinking-step card.
Give students two mock posts about a school phone rule; have them check the facts, combine the details, and judge which claim has better support.

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