Indiana Social Studies S.7.3
The Standard
Discuss the concept of political power and factors that influence political power.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain who can make a government decision and who can sway it without holding office. They show how laws, votes, money, public opinion, and organized groups can shape the outcome.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a city council vote, a student identifies who has the legal authority to decide. They explain how a petition or campaign ad might affect the vote without giving its supporters the power to cast it.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think only elected officials have political power or that money guarantees a policy win. They may confuse speaking at a meeting with having the authority to decide.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A city council votes on a new bus route. A business group buys ads, and 300 riders sign a petition. Who holds formal power, and how could each group affect the vote?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups role cards for a city park vote, then have students place each role on a power map labeled decisions, money, votes, and publicity.
Ask: Can 300 petition signers change a council vote without holding office? Write two sentences explaining how.
Sort cards labeled mayor, petition, campaign ad, and court ruling into formal authority or outside influence, then defend one choice.
Read minutes from a recent local council meeting, then underline who made the decision and who spoke before it.
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Printable S.7.3 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- USG.1.2
Define the terms and explain the relationship between politics, government, and public policy.
- USH.2.2
Analyze the political and social factors associated with the development of the West and impact on the lives of various groups.
- USG.3.11
Analyze the functions of political parties in elections and government at national, state, and local levels of the federal system.
- USG.3.10
Examine the progression of political parties and their ideologies and the broad political spectrum in the American governmental system, and analyze their functi...
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