Indiana Social Studies WH.2.1
The Standard
Review the development and fundamental beliefs and features of major world religions and philosophies, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and examine the origins of monotheism, as the source of many moral and ethical traditions of Western Civilization.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students locate Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on a map and timeline. They compare beliefs and practices, then examine how belief in one God developed in ancient Israel and influenced later ethical teachings.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can give an approximate origin date and place for each tradition and name a belief or practice that distinguishes it. They can connect a Jewish teaching about caring for others to a later Christian or Islamic teaching, using an example from each.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call Buddhism monotheistic or assume all Hindus hold the same beliefs about gods. They may place Islam or Sikhism before 600 CE, or describe Sikhism as a branch of another religion.
How to Assess It
- On an exit ticket, ask students to place Islam and Sikhism on a timeline and explain one way a Jewish teaching about caring for others appears in Christianity or Islam.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs six origin cards, six belief cards, and a blank map; have them match the cards and mark each tradition's birthplace.
Read Leviticus 19:34 and Matthew 25:35; ask students to write two sentences comparing how the passages treat strangers.
Have teams sort dated cards for Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism, then check their order against a reference sheet.
Give students a printed interfaith calendar; have them choose two observances, identify the traditions, and write one respectful question about each.
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Printable WH.2.1 Worksheet
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