Oklahoma Social Studies S.5.4
The Standard
- S.5
- Analyze social problems that affect large numbers of people within a social system.
Describe social problems and distinguish between characteristics of a social problem versus an individual problem.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · S.5
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students describe a problem and decide whether it affects one person or shows a wider pattern. They look for evidence about who is affected, what causes the problem, and who could help address it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why one missed bus is an individual problem, while a canceled route affecting many riders is a social problem. They can also explain how a social problem affects individuals.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think any problem shared by two people is a social problem. They may also blame individuals for problems shaped by rules, costs, or access to services.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: One student misses school after oversleeping. Fifty students miss school after the city cuts a bus route. Classify each case and give one reason for each choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs case cards about missed buses, rent increases, and lost jobs; have them sort the cards and write a reason beside each.
Ask students to write: When might one family's rent trouble point to a wider housing problem? What evidence would you need?
Play a quick classification game: read a case aloud, have students hold up individual or social, then defend one answer.
Give students a local news article about housing costs; have them mark numbers, affected groups, and possible responses.
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Printable S.5.4 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- S.5.6
Examine the extent to which individual and group responses influence potential resolutions to social problems.
- S.1.2
Identify, differentiate among, and apply the major sociological paradigms (e.g., functional analysis, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism).
- S.5
Analyze social problems that affect large numbers of people within a social system.
- S.5.5
Analyze patterns of behavior found within social problems and their implications for society (e.g., juvenile crime, long-term unemployment).
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