Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.
Massachusetts · people & government
Meet our governor.Maura Healey.
A basketball player. A lawyer. A public leader. Discover the person, the job, and the State House.
Read • Watch • Ask • Explore Grades 3–4, with supported reading and ways to dig deeper
Official portrait, 2023 · Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Image credit ↗01 · Meet the person
From the basketball court to the State House
Choose a reading level. Look for moments when learning, practice, and working with other people mattered.
Meet Governor Maura Healey
Before Maura Healey became governor, she was a kid who loved basketball. She grew up in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, as the oldest of five children. Her mother was a nurse, and her stepfather was a teacher and basketball coach.
Healey attended Harvard College and helped lead its women’s basketball team. After graduating in 1992, she played professional basketball in Austria for two years. Then she studied law at Northeastern University.
As a lawyer, Healey worked on civil rights and other legal issues. Massachusetts voters elected her attorney general in 2014 and again in 2018. She became the state’s 73rd governor on January 5, 2023—the first woman elected to that job in Massachusetts.
The governor leads the executive branch, proposes a state budget, and can sign or veto bills. A bill is a proposed law. Healey says sports helped her learn teamwork, prepare carefully, and keep going after setbacks.
For read-aloud support, open “Reading tools & my notebook” at the top of this page and choose Listen.
Election update · November 5, 2026
Maura Healey won reelection on November 3, according to the Associated Press result reported by WBUR. She is serving her current term; her next term begins in January 2027.
Choose Play video to load the embedded player, then press its play button. Captions are available through the player when the publisher provides them. Each card also has a direct viewing link.
03 · Understand the job
One governor. Three branches. Shared power.
Massachusetts government divides important jobs among three branches. People in these branches have different responsibilities.
1
Executive branch
The governor helps carry out state laws, proposes a budget, and chooses leaders for many state departments. The governor can sign or veto bills.
2
Legislative branch
Massachusetts has a House of Representatives and a Senate. These lawmakers discuss ideas, hear from people, and vote on bills and the budget.
3
Judicial branch
Courts interpret laws and decide legal cases. Judges consider the law and the evidence when people bring disagreements to court.
What happens after a veto?
A veto rejects a bill. Massachusetts lawmakers can override a governor’s veto if two-thirds of the members present in each chamber vote to do so. This is one example of checks and balances.
Explore the original 19-slide Inside the Golden Dome Area Lab, including the governor’s story. The menu also has the 31-slide mock-election unit that matches our workbook and a separate 33-slide illustrated variation.
Slide 1 of 19
Original 19-slide class lesson. The November 4 election numbers are a reporting snapshot; 81% reporting is not vote share. Measure classroom station mats unless a real-world scale is given.
INSIDE THE GOLDEN DOME
01
MASSACHUSETTS / GRADE 3
INSIDE THE
GOLDEN
DOME
An area investigation
through real places and objects
FIELD NOTES / FIVE STATIONS
Use the arrow keys while this viewer is selected. Open the PDF to print or the PowerPoint to teach from the original slides.
Try it together · area & perimeter
Inside the rectangle. Around the edge.
Imagine a rectangular display in our classroom museum. Change its length and width. Count the square units inside, then follow the boundary.
Practice model: these are classroom units, not measurements of the actual State House. Choose whole numbers from 1 to 9.
Talk about it: Can two rectangles have the same area but different perimeters? Try 6 × 2 and 4 × 3.
Four levels: advanced, shared power, state overview, early reader
Massachusetts Think–Pair–Share Readings
6-page set with four differentiated readings: our state and its governor; three branches; Massachusetts communities; a short governor reading. Includes discussion prompts and teacher guide.
4-page photo edition: 11×17 poster, letter-size chart, student activity and sources, photo credits. Compares West Tisbury, Massachusetts and U.S. government.
Office-holder snapshot checked October 20–22, 2026. The pictured student is an illustration, not a real child.
The people elected to debate and vote on laws. In Massachusetts, it includes the House and Senate.
bill
A proposal for a new law or a change to a law.
veto
A governor’s or president’s rejection of a bill.
budget
A plan for how money will be received and spent.
election
A process in which voters choose leaders or decide questions.
primary source
An object, document, or account from the time or event being studied.
Teaching notes & suggested sequence
One lesson: begin with the supported or grades 3–4 biography, watch the 2:14 basketball interview, discuss teamwork, and sort the three branches. Continue with selected Area Lab slides and the matching station mats.
Different learning needs: read together, use the site’s Listen tool, pause for partner talk, and let students draw, dictate, or write. The mock-election deck is written for grades 1–2 and can support students needing simpler text. It uses fictional candidates.
Printing math: print station mats at 100% / Actual Size with “Fit to Page” off, and check the 1 cm calibration square. Measure the station mats rather than the pictures on the worksheet. Decimal-scale and volume extensions are optional.
Dates matter: the 2023 oath is Healey’s first inauguration. October candidate packets record campaign ideas before the November 2026 election. The November 4 Area Lab reports an interim counting snapshot: 81% reporting and 62.75% vote share describe different things.
Follow the sources
Biographical and election information reviewed November 5, 2026. Videos and classroom readings keep their original dates.
Classroom downloads preserve their own source lists and image credits. The November 2026 reporting figures in the Area Lab are a dated snapshot, not certified final vote totals.
Write a civic question →
Take the State House video field trip →
All government & election materials →