Culture Share Saturday: New Jersey

Baseball, diners, the U.S. Constitution, and confusing roads are all part of life in New Jersey! 🗽⚾🍔

Here are a few facts to share with your English learners:

⚾ Both New Jersey and New York claim to be the "birthplace of baseball" for different reasons. New Jersey points to the first recorded modern baseball game played under standardized rules. New York has its own claim because the rules and teams involved came from New York. And what about the famous story that Abner Doubleday invented baseball? Historians have largely discredited that story.

🚗 If you drive in New Jersey, you may encounter a jughandle — a type of road design where you sometimes have to turn right and make a loop in order to turn left. It can be confusing if you're seeing one for the first time!

⛽ New Jersey is the only U.S. state where drivers are not allowed to pump their own gasoline. A trained attendant does it for you. So if you visit New Jersey, just stay in your car and wait for the attendant!

📜 The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They protect important freedoms and rights, including freedom of speech and religion and the right to a jury trial in certain cases. And if you’ve ever heard a police officer in a movie say, “You have the right to remain silent,” you’ve heard a phrase connected to these constitutional protections.

🍔 New Jersey is often called America’s diner capital. American diners are places known for features such as red booths, counter seating with stools, and sometimes jukeboxes — machines that let customers choose and play songs by inserting coins.

💡 Classroom Activity: Design a Diner
Students design their own American diner and describe the food, seating, music, and atmosphere.