Indiana Social Studies S.10.2

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Deviance and Social Control

The Standard

Identify formal and informal, as well as positive and negative forms of social control employed in our society.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify how people encourage or discourage behavior. They sort examples by whether the response comes from an official rule or a social reaction, and whether it rewards or discourages an action.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can label a school award as formal and positive, and a friend's disapproving look as informal and negative. They can explain each label using details from the example.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think formal responses only come from the government, even though schools and workplaces have official rules. They may also think positive means morally good and negative means unfair, rather than reward and penalty.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Label a parking ticket and a teammate's praise on both axes. Explain what makes each formal or informal and positive or negative.

Lesson moves

Give pairs four cards: school award, parking ticket, friend's compliment, and disapproving look; have them sort the cards into a four-square grid.
Ask students to write how a teammate's praise differs from a referee's yellow card, then label each on both axes.
Read six short scenarios aloud; students hold up two label cards for each, then explain one choice to a partner.
Have students compare a posted library late fee with a neighbor's thank-you note, labeling each on both axes.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to S.10.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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