Groups, Norms, and Sanctions: How Society Shapes Behavior

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Social Studies · Sociology and Criminal Justice
SP-SOC-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Groups, Norms, and Sanctions: How Society
Shapes Behavior
Social Studies · Sociology and Criminal Justice · Grades 9-12 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write “norm = a shared rule or expectation” on
the board.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then discuss in pairs.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet
Goal for today: Students will define primary and secondary groups, folkways, mores, laws, and sanctions and will
classify everyday examples.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: norm = a shared rule or expectation for behavior. sanction = a reward or punishment
that enforces norms.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Some classification answers allow more than one answer.
Say this to start
Good morning! Sociology is the study of how people behave in groups and how society shapes what we do. Today you
will learn how groups work, what norms are, and how people respond when norms are followed or broken. Read the
short passage, then match terms and classify real-life examples. Think about your own school and community as you
work.

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Social Studies · Sociology and Criminal Justice
SP-SOC-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet. Ask students to
write their names and wait.
Settle in and write their names.
5–15
Read the passage aloud, or ask a student to. Ask: “What is
one unwritten rule at our school that everyone follows?”
Take two answers.
Listen and share an idea.
15–25
Tell students to complete the matching, questions 1–6.
Match each term to its definition.
25–36
Tell students to complete the Part B table.
Classify each behavior and name a likely
response.
36–46
Tell students to answer questions 7–13 on their own.
Answer the multiple-choice, written, and
true/false items.
46–50
Collect all worksheets and put them in a stack for the
teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If students say a behavior fits two categories, tell them to choose the best fit and explain in the margin. Some
actions break both a custom and a law.
• If students want to debate whether a norm is fair, redirect them: today’s task is to identify and classify norms,
not to judge them.
• If a student finishes early, use the early finisher list.
• If a student shares something that worries you, follow your school’s reporting procedure and tell the office
right away.
Early finishers
• List three norms that exist in a classroom and who enforces each one.
• Write about a norm that has changed in the last 50 years.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students complete the matching and the table first, using the passage.
• Challenge: Ask students to explain how a norm can differ between two groups in the same society.
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:

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Social Studies · Sociology and Criminal Justice
SP-SOC-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Anything the teacher should know: