Lesson Title: “The American Class System” Grade: 11 -12TH

Length of Time: 60 min.

Goals:

The TSWBAT:

• Explain how different motivations and cultural values influence the American
class system.
• Examine the various methods used to rank individuals to social classes.
• Analyze the six different social classes that are generally agreed upon in the
United States.

NCSS Standards :
3. Individuals, Groups and Institutions
-Help learners understand the concepts of role, status, and social class and
use them in describing the connections and interactions of individuals,
groups and institutions in society.

INTASC Standards:
2. Teacher Understands How Children Learn and Develop
-The teacher understands how learning occurs-how students construct knowledge,
acquire knowledge, acquire skills, and develops habits of mind- and knows how to
use instructional strategies that promote student learning.

Objectives:
• Students will be able to compare and contrast the six different social classes
of the U.S.
• Students will be able to discuss the idea of Social Mobility and justify why it
occurs within our society.

Materials: Textbook, Projector, Worksheets, Graphs.

Procedure:
I. Do-It Now/Getting Started Activity (3 min)
Before class begins, a picture of the United States illustrating
percentages of people living in poverty will be displayed through a projector.
The picture is color coordinated with light colors representing small
percentages and darker colors representing large percentages. On a piece
of paper, I will ask the students to evaluate this picture, and propose
reasoning behind why certain areas seem more poverty stricken than others.

II. Motivational/Getting Started Activity ( 5 min)

Prior to lecture, I will post on the blackboard various types of
incomes a family may earn within a given year. Some of these earning may
range from $20,000 all the way to $500,000. I will have the students
explain and describe to which social class these particular earnings may fall
under: Examples- Lower, Middle, or Upper Class. Based on these income
levels and generally particular location (Example- We can use the Pittsburgh
metropolitan area and surrounding locations, Note- Income and social class
is dependent on particular location), the students will then begin to articulate
what kinds of careers may produce these yearly earnings. Along these lines,
students will begin to distinguish the social class structure and why it exists.

III. Mini-Lecture (7 min)

The American Class System

I. Social Inequality in America
a. Social inequality exists in all class systems
i. The United States has a fairly open system of social class
1. Laws forbid discrimination
2. In theory, all Americans have equal access to resources
needed for advancement
 3. The rate of social mobility is different for each class
segment

Questions for Students: for advancement, what are some examples of

necessary resources people may seek? ( Ex. Education )
Why would the rate of social mobility for each class segment be different?
(Ex. Some people may have easier and quicker access to resources than
others)

Activity 1: (8 min)
After a quick introduction regarding social classes, I will direct and
order the students to pair up together in groups. Groups of three or four will
do, however no more than five will be permitted. For this activity,
students within their groups will be asked to identify and describe typical
“stereotypes” of each social class. There is not a right or wrong answer for
this activity. Each group will be assigned a particular social class to
stereotype. For example, one group could have the “Upper Class” while
another group may have “Working Class or Blue-Collar”. Based upon the
students’ responses and input, I will be given a gauge on the amount of their
prior knowledge on this subject. This will assist me in tailoring (if need be)
the remainder of my lesson.

Mini-Lecture Outline (Continued) (25 min)

II. Understanding the American Social Classes
a. There are several ways of categorizing Americans into social classes,
but the most widely agreed upon method is six social classes
i. Upper class
1. There are two distinctive groups in the upper class, Old
Money and New Money
2. Old Money
a. The family has been wealthy for generations
b. The bulk of this wealth comes from inheritance
 c. Family name and accomplishments of previous
generations are as important as the size of the
family fortune
3. New Money
a. Newly rich
b. Generally have acquired wealth through their own
efforts instead of inheritance or their own children
c. Not as prestigious as old money
i. Why?
ii. Upper Middle Class
1. Members are made primarily of high-income
businesspeople and professionals
2. Most have a college education and advanced degrees
3. Politically and socially active
iii. Lower Middle Class
1. Most hold white collar jobs
a. Jobs that do not involve manual labor
b. These jobs generally require less education and
provide lower income than the upper middle class
2. Owners of small businesses
3. Members live comfortably but must work hard to keep
what they have achieved
iv. Working Class
1. Many members hold jobs that require manual labor
a. Factory workers
b. Trades people
c. “Blue Collar” jobs
2. Some jobs pay as much or more than many of the
positions held by members of the lower middle class
a. However, these jobs do not have as much prestige
i. Examples?
v. Working Poor
1. Members of this class hold the lowest paying jobs
 a. Often temporary or seasonal jobs
i. Housecleaning
ii. Migrant farm work
iii. Day laboring
2. Even though they work hard, they rarely make a living
wage
a. Living Wage – Amount of money set by the U.S.
Census bureau that equals the average amount an
individual needs to live without any kind of outside
assistance

Questions for Students-

What characterizes Old Money compared to New Money?
What role does the amount of education play in determining social class?

III. Class Mobility

a. Horizontal mobility
i. Movement within a social class, not to another
ii. Moving from one job to another of equal social ranking
iii. This may include an important step up a career ladder
1. But if it does not make a major change in wealth, power,
or prestige, it is horizontal
b. Vertical mobility
i. Movement between social classes
1. Can be upward or downward
a. A major change in wealth, power, or prestige may
result in an individual moving up or down social
classes
c. Intergenerational mobility
i. Status differences between generations in the same family
 IV. Activity 2: (12 min)
To culminate today’s lesson, I have created a worksheet regarding
material covered in class. Upon this worksheet, students will be required
to classify social class structure in relation to education level, occupations
held and percentage of the population within each respective class.
(Courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics- Numbers will be put on Black
Board). Additionally, five short answers questions are also included
regarding social class.

Assessment:

Throughout this lesson plan, I have developed numerous methods of formal and
informal assessments. I have informal questions scattered throughout my lecture
that will require the students to discuss and justify why Social Mobility and Social
Class Structure exists. By performing the various activities, including the
culminating worksheet, the students shall demonstrate their ability to compare and
contrast the six different social classes that make up the American Class System.