AN ACTIVITY FOR GRADES 6-8
Activity: Linking your country with the rest of the world
TKN Article: “Lots of Political Drama at G7,” By Joyce Grant
In-Class Activity by Pauline Olthof-Youn
- Students read the article with the teacher, going over vocabulary.
- Students are divided in groups of 2 or 3, representing each of the seven countries.
- Each group researches (on kid-friendly websites; teacher oversight is required here) their country’s policies on issues such as free trade or gender equality. The groups write down three policies, in point-form.
- Students sit in a circle (groups are still together) and discuss the issues, using the information they gathered and make “deals.” For example, if a student makes a criticism of France, the student representing France can defend her country using facts she has learned in her research. They can also agree to do things together—for instance, agree to donate a certain amount of money to the education of girls.
- The discussion is moderated by the teacher so everyone has a chance to speak.
- Students could also keep a journal during this process to record their own ideas about issues and to show what they have learned in case they did not speak during the debate, or to add information they learned in research but did not add.
Additional activity:
Each student writes a paragraph about, or debates, these questions:
A) Should political leaders, such as US President Donald Trump use social media as a way to communicate? Why or why not?
B) Does Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau use social media the same way or a different way? Why do you think he does that?
Curriculum Connection
Students can identify countries that Canada has links with and connects to in the world of trade, history, agriculture, etc. and can identify trading partners of Canada. (OME History/Social Science grade 6)
Establish a distinctive voice in their writing appropriate to the subject and audience to communicate a point of view or stance. (OME Language Arts grades 7/8)
