Indiana Social Studies S.2.7

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Culture

The Standard

Define and explore the characteristics of subcultures and countercultures.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students describe the shared habits and values that set a group apart from a larger culture. They explain when a group also challenges widely held norms, rather than simply having different interests.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given descriptions of a robotics club and a commune that rejects consumerism, students label each group and point to supporting details. They can explain why a counterculture is also a subculture.
Common Misconceptions: Students may call any unusual hobby or style a counterculture. They may assume everyone in a group thinks alike, or mistake disagreement with one school rule for a challenge to wider cultural values.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A gaming club shares slang. A commune rejects consumer spending and shares resources. Label each as a subculture only or also a counterculture, and explain why.

Lesson moves

Give pairs two printed group cards, a robotics team with shared routines and a commune rejecting consumerism; have them sort and label the evidence.
Ask students to write two sentences answering, 'How can a commune be both a subculture and a counterculture?'
Play a card match with four group descriptions and four evidence cards showing either shared practices or challenges to mainstream values.
Compare a skate club flyer with a communal living group's mission statement; underline shared habits and any stated rejection of mainstream values.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to S.2.7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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