Indiana Social Studies S.4.2

Social StudiesGrades 9–12Social Stratification

The Standard

Compare the stratification of different societies along with its causes and effects.

2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students compare who has access to jobs, schooling, wealth, and power in two societies. They explain what creates those gaps and what happens as a result, using evidence rather than stereotypes.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain how caste-based discrimination can limit job access in India and how family wealth can shape school options in the U.S. They name a similarity, a difference, and evidence for each.
Common Misconceptions: Students may treat caste as simply a measure of income or assume hard work always removes barriers. Some assume that laws against discrimination have ended unequal outcomes.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Compare how caste in India and family income in the U.S. can affect opportunity. Name one cause and one effect of inequality in each society, then explain one difference.

Lesson moves

Sort cards labeled inherited status, wealth, hiring bias, school access, and job access into causes and effects for India and the U.S.
After reading two source cards, ask: How does family background affect opportunities in India and the U.S. differently? Cite one detail from each.
Play a matching game: pair inherited wealth with college access and caste discrimination with hiring barriers, then defend or revise each match.
Use two nearby rental listings and a school boundary map to discuss how housing costs may shape school options in the U.S.

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