Conversation Starters for Grades 5 and Up
The New Jersey State Bar Foundation is all about starting productive conversations on tough topics. Articles published in The Legal Eagle, our legal newspaper for kids, Respect, our diversity & inclusion newsletter, and The Informed Citizen, our civics blog, can be used during throughout the year and during “special months,” “special weeks” and on “special days” to spark thoughtful conversations. We’ve also curated articles on certain topic areas including, Government, Social Media, Artificial Intelligence and much more (scroll down for more topics).
The items below are linked to past articles found on The Informed Citizen or the companion blogs for The Legal Eagle (The Lowdown) and Respect (The Rundown) or to PDFs of past issues that contain relevant articles.
All articles include relevant glossary words and discussion questions for ready-made lesson plans.
Download a Conversation Starters flyer to share:
Sorted by Month (Special Days, Weeks and Months Throughout the Year)
Marting Luther King, Jr. Day
Muslim Heritage Month (NJ)
Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month
Earth Day
It’s a Warming World–What Can Be Done?
Holding Corporations Accountable for Climate Change
Garden State Leads the Way on Climate Change Education
Garden State Serious About Protecting the Environment
Climate Change Litigation Heats Up as Temperatures Rise
Legal Eagle Spring 2018–Special Climate Change Edition
Legal Eagle Spring 2014–Environmental Law Edition
Global Warming Debate Heats Up in High Court
National Weed Out Hate Day
Fourth of July
Election Day
Primaries & Caucuses–Why Do Iowa and New Hampshire Go First?
Voter Suppression Threatens the Right to Vote
Understanding Ranked Choice Voting
Mailing in the Votes
Sowing Seeds of Doubt to Suppress Youth Vote
High Tech Not Always Best When it Comes to Voting
Settling the Question of Faithless Electors
Vote Locally if You Want to Make a Difference
Making Your Choice and Your Vote Count
Battling Over How to Elect a President
Should the Voting Age Be Lowered Again?
Gerrymandering Becomes a Problem for the States to Solve
Native American Heritage Month
Native American Mascots: Racial Slur or Cherished Tradition?
Promises Made and Finally Kept in Oklahoma
Indigenous Women and Girls Seek Visibility and Justice
Coping with the Tragedy of Indian Boarding Schools
Ending Discrimination Against New Jersey’s Native Americans
Unique Challenges and Protections When Adopting Native American Children
Black History Month
Explaining the Roots of Racism
School Discipline Harsher for Black Students
Does Technology Discriminate?
Selecting the Perfect Jury Without Bias
Reform Efforts to Police the Police
White Supremacy Rises Across the Nation
What’s the Price for Righting a Wrong
250 Years of Seeking Reparations
A Fair Fight Against Voter Suppression
Thirteenth Amendment Ends Slavery But Makes Way for a Different Kind
Double Burden on Black Farmers in America
Addressing Race-Based Hair Discrimination
Looking for Reform with the George Floyd “Justice in Policing Act”
Battling Over How to Teach About Racism
More Than Meets the Eye in Cross-Racial IDs
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
World Press Freedom Day
Constitution Week
Fourteenth Amendment Slow to Grant Equality
Equal Justice Under Law–Is Everyone Included?
Updating an Old Act
Allowing the Freedom to Practice Religion or Not
Protecting Privacy in the Past and Future
Fifth Amendment All About Protecting Individual Rights
Defining What Is Cruel and Unusual
Sharing the Power of a Nation
Women's History Month
International Transgender Day of Visibility
LGBTQ+ Pride Month
Supreme Court Decision Highlights Conflict Between Religious and LGBTQ+ Rights
Garden State Highlights Contributions of LGBTQ+ Community with Curriculum Law
Long-Awaited Decision Not a Piece of Cake
Opting Out of Lessons with LGBTQ+ Themed Books
Transgender Teens Face Discrimination from Gender-Affirming Care Bans
Banned Book Week
National Bullying Prevention Month
Free Speech Week
Freedom of Speech Vital to Democracy
Battles Intensify Over Social Media Bans and Free Speech
First Amendment Freedoms Allow for Dissent
Supreme Court Takes on Case of the Cursing Cheerleader
Access to Social Media Protected by First Amendment
Balancing the Right to Protest with the Right to Be Heard
Right to Protest Forms a More Perfect Union
Limiting Protests Silences Dissent
Sorted by Topic
Articles
Articles
It’s a Warming World—What Can Be Done?
Climate Change Litigation Heats Up as Temperatures Rise
Holding Corporations Accountable for Climate Change
Garden State Leads the Way on Climate Change
Importance of Protecting Clean Water
From Environmental Racism to Environmental Justice
Garden State Serious About Protecting the Environment
Experts Weigh In on Climate Change
Fracking—Pathway to New Energy Source or Dangerous to the Environment?
It’s in the Bag—Is Banning Plastic Bags Good for the Environment?
Articles
Articles
Maintaining Checks & Balances in Moore v. Harper
Electing a Speaker of the House—It Can Be Complicated
Updating an Old Act
Are States “Labs of Democracy?” Yes and No
Governing During a Pandemic: Who Has the Power
Impeachment: It’s Complicated
U.S. Needs Presidential Norms to Have Faith in Democracy
Ignorance of the Law Is Not an Excuse
Rule of Law Applies to EVERYONE
Regular Order and the Art of Compromise
Serving at the Pleasure of the President
It Wasn’t Always a Party
Articles
Is Discouraging Misinformation on Social Media Censorship?
Lawmakers Look to Curb Harm on Social Media Platforms
TikTok Bans Show Difficulty of Balancing National Security and Free Speech
Garden State Aims to Give Students the Tools to Spot Fact from Fiction
Battles Intensify Over Social Media Bans and Free Speech
Social Media Platforms Profit from Damage to Teens
Access to Social Media Protected by First Amendment
Can Hate Be Banned from Social Media?
Articles
