Indiana Social Studies P.2.6
The Standard
Analyze the structure and function of the endocrine system and its effect on human behavior.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate major endocrine glands and name hormones they release. They explain how hormones travel through the blood and may affect sleep, stress, or energy.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can locate the adrenal glands and explain how they release cortisol into the blood during stress. They can describe a possible effect on attention without claiming cortisol controls every choice.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think hormones travel through nerves rather than the bloodstream. They may confuse a gland with the hormone it releases, or assume one hormone always produces the same behavior.
How to Assess It
- On an exit ticket, have students label the adrenal glands on a body outline. Ask them how cortisol travels through the body and how it might affect someone during a stressful test.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a body outline and gland cards; have them place each gland and draw arrows showing hormones entering the bloodstream.
Ask students to write three sentences explaining how melatonin might relate to feeling sleepy during a late class.
Play a matching relay with cards for glands, hormones, and jobs; require pairs to explain each match.
Give students a test-day stress scenario and ask them to mark the adrenal glands and describe one possible change in attention.
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Printable P.2.6 Worksheet
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Related Standards
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