United we stand

Interdisciplinary Connection - Why Social Studies and

Math?
Social studies and math are both subjects that are applied to the real-
world. If we can relate the two, then we can create a lesson that students
would be engaged in.

The three branches ensure our government is effective and that affects
the lives of all people in our country, including our students.

We hope to make mathematical connections by relating to our lives as

U.S. residents.
 Outline
1 2 3
introduction Problem 1 Problem 2
Introduction of the three branches Students will be multiplying rational Students will be solving percent problems to figure
of government. Students will learn numbers to figure out how many votes are out the population of a state, which entails how
about the roles of each and why needed to pass a bill. They will also be many representatives that state will have in the
they are so important in our creating their own House of House. They will need to create their own graph
country. Representatives to represent 2/3. art to show how the population changed over time.

4 5
Problem 3 Wrap up
Students will learn about checks and
balances and why it is important that each
branch shares power. They will draw their
own triangle and solve the area which will
represent a symbol of checks and balances.
 AN
INTRODUCTIO
N
It is important for our students to understand exactly why we have
three branches of government and what each one does. This helps
students understand how our democracy works and how power is
distributed between different parts of the government. It also helps
them understand how laws are made and enforced, which is crucial for
being an informed resident of our country.

Our math problems will help create a stronger connection to the jobs
of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Introduction to Social Studies Concepts
 Three branches
Legislative Executive Judicial

● Responsible for making ● Headed by the President ● Made up of the Supreme

the laws ● Responsible for carrying Court, appointed by the
● Made up of the House of out and enforcing the President
Representatives and the laws that Congress ● There are 9 justices
Senate, which together passes ● Responsible for
form the United States ● Has the power to veto interpreting the laws and
Congress bills and make executive deciding if they are
● Two senators from each orders constitutional
state ● Appoints Federal Judges ● It’s decisions set legal
● Number of Congressmen ● Elected every four years precedent for the entire
in each state is based on and is allowed two terms. country
population
PROBLEM 1
Multiplying Rational Numbers
How is Math Involved?
Math is involved in passing a bill because it requires counting votes.
In order for a bill to become a law, it needs to be passed by a
majority of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This
means that lawmakers need to keep track of how many people are
voting for and against the bill, and use math to determine whether it
has enough support to pass.

Once the bill has been passed, the President can sign it into law or veto
it. If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can override the veto with a
⅔ majority vote in both the House and the Senate.
 Instruction
Application
This first problem will engage students on multiplying rational numbers and
understanding the concept of a fraction as a part of a whole.

● NY-7.NS.2. Apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division

and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers.
● NY-7.NS.2.C. Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide
rational numbers.
● NY-7.5B. The Constitution established three branches of government as well as a
system of checks and balances that guides the relationship between the branches.
● 7.VA:Cr2.3.7.A. Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a
work of art or design that clearly communicates information or ideas.
The Problem
If a bill needs to pass the House of Representatives with a ⅔
majority, and there are 435 representatives in the House, how
many votes are needed to pass the bill?
Problem-Solving
Strategy
1. Students will write an equation and use logic to solve

435 * ⅔ = X
435/1 * ⅔ = X
870/3 = 290
 Problem-Solving
Strategy
2. Students can make a model to solve

435

145 145 145

1/3 1/3 1/3

145+145 = 290
Create your own House of representatives!
Draw your own picture of the House of Representatives and shade in ⅔ to represent the
number of representatives needed to pass the bill.
MANIPULATIVES

Physical Virtual

Fraction Bar Fraction Wall

Fraction Circle Fraction Circle

PROBLEM 2
Percent
Instruction Application
The second problem will engage students on using proportional relationships to
solve percent problems.

● NY-7.RP.2.C. Represent a proportional relationship using an equation.

● NY-7.RP.3. Use proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and
percent problems.
● NY-7.5B. The Constitution established three branches of government as
well as a system of checks and balances that guides the relationship
between the branches.
● 7.VA:Cr2.3.7.A. Apply visual organizational strategies to design and
produce a work of art or design that clearly communicates information or
ideas.
How Math is
involved
The number of representatives in each
state is based on the population of that
state. The more people who live in a
state, the more representatives that state
gets. The Constitution requires that a
census be taken every ten years, in order
to determine the population of each state.
Based on those results, the number is
representatives is adjusted so each state
is represented fairly.
The Problem

If the population of a city is 500,000

and the population grows by 2% each
year, what will the population be in 5
years?
Problem-Solving Strategy
1. Students will write an equation to solve

500,000*(1+0.02)^5 = 552,040
Problem-Solving
Strategy2. Students will create a table to
solve

Year Population

0 500,000

1 510,000

2 520,200

3 530,604

4 541,216

5 552,040
 Create your own Graph Art!
Create a graph art that shows the population growth of the city over the course of 5 years. Use colors, shapes,
and other design elements to make your graph visually appealing and easy to understand.
MANIPULATIVES

Physical Virtual

Percentage Strips Percent Bars

Percent Circles
PROBLEM 3
Geometry
Instruction Application
The final question will engage students in drawing geometric shapes and solving the area.

● NY-7.G.2. Draw triangles when given measures of angles and/or sides, noticing
when the conditions determine a unique triangle, more than one triangle, or no
triangle.
● NY-7.G.6. Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area of two-
dimensional objects composed of triangles and trapezoids.
● NY-7.5B. The Constitution established three branches of government as well as a
system of checks and balances that guides the relationship between the branches.
● 7.VA:Cr2.3.7.A. Apply visual organizational strategies to design and produce a
work of art or design that clearly communicates information or ideas.
Checks and balances is a system in which different branches of government have the power to check
or limit the actions of other branches. This system is designed to prevent any one branch of
government from becoming too powerful, and to ensure that no branch is able to abuse its power. For
example, the legislative branch can pass laws, but the executive branch can veto them. The judicial
branch can interpret the law and declare actions by the other branches unconstitutional.

We can see this

representation is in the
shape of a triangle.
The Problem

If the triangle that represents the checks and balances has a base of 8 inches
and a height of 6 inches, what is the area of the triangle?
Problem-Solving Strategy
1. Students will write an equation to solve

A= (½)*bh
A= (½)*8(6) =24
2. Students can draw a picture or diagram to help them
solve

8
Create your own visual representation of
checks and balances
Use the triangle you drew with the correct dimensions to create
your own visual representation of checks and balances.

Show off everything you learned about the three different

branches and each of their responsibilities!
MANIPULATIVES

Physical Virtual

Geometry Shapes Geostix

Geo Board Geo Board