Florida SS.7.CG.3.14

Social Studies7th Grade

The Standard

Explain the purpose and function of the Electoral College in electing the President of the United States.

Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how voters choose a slate of electors and how electoral votes determine the winner. They describe why the system gives each state a role in selecting the president.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can trace the process from a state’s popular vote to the final electoral vote count. They can explain the 270-vote majority and what happens if no candidate earns a majority.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the nationwide popular vote directly elects the president or that every state divides its electoral votes proportionally. They may also confuse electors with members of Congress.
How to Assess It: Give students a three-state election table and ask them to identify the winner, then explain the result in two sentences.

Lesson moves

Give groups state cards with populations and electoral votes, then hold a mock election and total the results.
Ask students to write whether the national popular vote should determine the president and support their view with one fact.
Play an electoral map challenge where pairs choose states needed to reach 270 electoral votes.
Use results from a recent presidential election to compare each candidate’s popular vote total with the electoral vote total.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS.7.CG.3.14, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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