Elected State Officials

Help your fourth graders meet the leaders who run their state! In this one-page worksheet, students read a short passage about elected state officials, match four officials to their jobs, then circle the best answer in two real-life scenarios.

The passage explains that voters in each state elect, or choose, leaders to run the state government. Students learn that the governor leads the state and can sign bills into law or veto them. In most states, the lieutenant governor takes over if the governor cannot serve. State legislators, often called senators and representatives, vote on bills to make state laws, and each one represents the people of a district. In most states, voters also elect an attorney general, the state's top lawyer, who represents the state in court. The passage also introduces the word term and shows that voters choose their leaders again every two or four years. The matching activity builds key vocabulary, and the scenarios ask students to apply it, like deciding who a student should write to with an idea for a new state law. Everything students need to answer is right on the page.

What's inside:

• A short passage with key words in bold
• A 4-item official and job match
• 2 scenarios with 3 choices each
• A visual answer key with every answer marked in red

How teachers use it:

• As a quick check after a state government lesson
• For morning work, centers, or an exit ticket
• As homework or sub plans, with no prep needed

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. This worksheet is part of our Reading in Civics series for grade 4, covering state and local government, citizenship, and how laws are made.