Indiana Social Studies S.2.5
The Standard
Identify examples of culture similarities and differences.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare cultural practices using specific examples, such as holidays, food, or language. They name what two examples share and how they differ without assuming everyone in a group acts the same way.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use two short accounts of family celebrations to name one shared practice and one difference. They point to a detail in each account and say 'some families' when the evidence does not support a claim about everyone.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume everyone in a culture follows the same traditions. They may also think two celebrations with different names cannot share practices, such as gathering for a family meal.
How to Assess It
- Give students short descriptions of a Diwali celebration and a Lunar New Year celebration. Ask them to write one similarity and one difference, using a detail from each description.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs captioned photo cards of Diwali and Lunar New Year celebrations; have them sort shared practices and distinct customs.
Read two accounts of families celebrating Lunar New Year; ask students to write why saying 'everyone celebrates alike' would be inaccurate.
Play a matching game with six fact cards: students pair shared features and distinct customs from two holiday descriptions.
Print flyers for two community festivals; have students circle one shared feature and underline one difference.
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Printable S.2.5 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to S.2.5, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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Related Standards
- P.7.1
Understand and identify social norms and how they differ across cultures.
- IS.5.3
Identify and examine the culture of each region of the state.
- S.2.4
Identify American cultural values; differentiate between a heterogeneous society and homogenous society.
- K.G.5
Identify similarities and differences in family traditions, homes, and celebrations.
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