A lot happened at the G7 summit this year.
The G7 (the G stands for “group”) is made up of seven of the world’s wealthiest countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The leaders of these countries, plus representatives for the European Union, get together every year. That meeting is called a summit. Every summit is held at a different G7 country; this year, it was held in Quebec, Canada.
At the summit, the leaders talk about issues that affect them all. This year, Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said he wanted to discuss: strengthening the middle class, supporting women’s equality and ensuring that more girls can access education, dealing with global warming and promoting respect for diversity.
Some very good things happened at the G7 summit this year. For instance, the leaders agreed to give nearly $3 billion to help women and girls access education. That pledge received praise from many people, including activist Malala Yousafzai, who said, the money will “give more girls hope.”
However, some other things happened that caused some tension (or bad feelings). US President Donald Trump showed up late at a breakfast where the leaders were discussing gender equality. He was only a few minutes late, but the meeting had already started and because Trump is a very high-profile person, his lateness left a bad taste in the mouth of many people.
Another good thing that happened at the summit this year was a “joint communique” (called the Charlevoix communique; see link to it, below). In this case, it means an agreement signed by all of the countries, on issues like trade–the goods and services that countries buy and sell. Trade is an important issue for these countries, because buying and selling things is a key part of nation’s economy. Part of the job of the G7 is to make it as easy as possible for these countries to buy and sell things to and from each other.
Trump left the summit before it was over. Then, he sent out a message (a tweet) that he was not happy with Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and that he had decided not to sign the joint communique after all.
No one knows exactly what will happen. Often, countries’ leaders talk back and forth like this, and finally come to agreements they can all accept.
In any case, there will be much discussion between Canada and the United States, and the rest of the G7 leaders, in the coming days following the summit.
Related Links
The Charlevoix communique: https://g7.gc.ca/en/official-documents/charlevoix-g7-summit-communique/
The official website for the 2018 G7 summit: https://g7.gc.ca/en/
June 6, 2018 article by Malala Yousafzai in The Star about gender equality: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/06/06/gender-equality-must-be-a-g7-priority.html
Article in the Express Tribune about the $3B investment in girls’ education: https://tribune.com.pk/story/1731996/3-malalas-delight-3bn-pledged-girls-education-g7/
This Wikipedia page includes chart with the names and photos of the leaders who were at the 2018 G7 summit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/44th_G7_summit
Good information about who was at the G7 summit: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6476220/g7-countries-members-summits-held-group/
Toronto Star article about Trump’s tweet after he left the summit: https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/canada/2018/06/09/as-he-takes-parting-shots-at-us-allies-trump-cuts-out-early-from-the-g7-summit.html?__twitter_impression=true
Article in the Financial Post about Trump possibly backing out of the joint communique: http://business.financialpost.com/pmn/commodities-business-pmn/agriculture-commodities-business-pmn/trudeau-announces-g7-able-to-find-way-to-sign-on-to-a-joint-communique-2
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Do you think that all countries should be allowed to join the G7? Why or why not?
Reading Prompt: Comprehension Strategies
Write 3 questions that you have about today’s article? Share your questions with a friend, parent, or teacher and try to find answers. How can the process of writing questions help you monitor your comprehension?
Junior
Identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand texts (OME, Reading: 1.3).
Intermediate
Identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex texts (OME, Reading: 1.3).
Language Feature: Plural Apostrophe ( S’ )
When trying to tell your reader about the ownership of a group (possessive plural), a single apostrophe is placed after the “s.” For example,
No one knows exactly what will happen. Often, countries’ leaders talk back and forth like this, and finally come to agreements they can all accept.
In the above example, the plural is “countries” and the thing that belongs to them is their “leaders.” For this reason, “countries’ ” is written as ” s’ .”
Write 5 of your own possessive plurals with these examples: (1) cats, (2) teachers, (3) players, (4) Haligonians
ADDITIONAL, IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ARTICLE
For another great in-class activity based on this article, CLICK HERE.
Or go to the “Fake News Resources” tab on our home page and select “Media Literacy Activities.”
Or click on this URL: https://teachingkidsnews.com/2017/06/21/grade-6-8-language-arts-and-social-science-lets-make-a-deal-with-another-country/
