Indiana Social Studies S.4.1

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Social Stratification

The Standard

Define stratification as understood in sociology and describe its connection to ideology.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify how groups are ranked by money, decision-making power, and social respect. They explain how shared beliefs can make those rankings seem fair or call them into question.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given profiles with pay and job duties, a student can rank the groups and explain their choices. They can show how a claim about hard work might justify the ranking without treating that claim as fact.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think stratification is only about income, missing power and respect. They may think ideology means only political party views. They may also treat beliefs about who deserves more as facts rather than claims people can question.
How to Assess It: Use this exit ticket: "Business owners set wages and earn more than workers. A poster says, 'Anyone who works hard can become an owner.' Explain the social ranking and how the poster's claim might support it."

Lesson moves

Give pairs three role cards with wages, hiring power, and respect ratings; have them stack the cards by rank and explain their order.
Write 'Anyone can get ahead with hard work' on the board; ask how this belief might explain unequal pay and whose experience it overlooks.
Play claim sort with 'The rich earned it,' 'Workers deserve more,' and 'Managers earn more'; students mark justify, challenge, or describe.
Give students two job ads with listed pay and duties; ask what the differences suggest about rank and what belief might justify them.

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