Indiana Social Studies P.3.5
The Standard
Describe the major physical, cognitive, and social issues that accompany adulthood and aging.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students describe how health, thinking, and relationships can change from young adulthood through old age. They explain how work, caregiving, and social support may shift without assuming everyone has the same experience.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given an adult's life story, students identify a physical, cognitive, and social issue and explain how each affects daily life. They distinguish common changes in aging from conditions such as dementia.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume all older adults lose their memory or cannot learn new skills. They may mistake slower word recall for dementia or assume retirement always leads to isolation.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A 72-year-old has trouble hearing in crowds, takes longer to recall names, and joins a walking group after retirement. Label each change physical, cognitive, or social, and explain why slower recall does not automatically mean dementia.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs nine printed scenario cards, including hearing loss, slower word recall, and caregiving, to sort into physical, cognitive, and social columns.
Ask students to write how retirement might change someone's relationships and name one reason another person's experience could differ.
Play Myth or Evidence with claims such as 'Everyone gets dementia' and 'Older adults can learn new skills,' using a short fact sheet to check answers.
Using a local bus map, plan a trip to a community center for someone with limited mobility and name one barrier to social contact.
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Printable P.3.5 Worksheet
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