UK vs. USA English: A Transatlantic Tussle!

• (1 min) Introduction & Engagement:

  • "Hello everyone! Welcome to a quick transatlantic trip today. Have you ever ordered 'chips' in the UK and gotten something you didn't expect? Or asked for a 'biscuit' in the US and been surprised? Today, we're cracking the code on these differences!"

• (4 mins) Quick Poll:

  • Share your screen with two funny images.

  • Image 1: A UK car (steering wheel on the right) and a US car (steering wheel on the left).

  • Question: "Quick poll in the chat! Where is this? UK or USA?" (Let students type their answers).

  • Image 2: A picture of a bathroom.

  • Question: "In the US, you ask for the 'bathroom' or 'restroom'. What's a common word for this in the UK? Type your guess!" (Answers like "toilet", "loo" will come in).

Part 2: Vocabulary Showdown - "What do you call THIS?" (8 mins)

• (1 min) Transition:

  • "Awesome! Let's play a quick game. I'll show you an picture, and you tell me the American word AND the British word for it. Ready?"

• (7 mins) Interactive Game:

  • Share your screen with simple clipart images. For each image, ask for the words and write them on the digital whiteboard in two columns: USA and UK.

  • Image 1: The back compartment of a car. (USA: Trunk | UK: Boot)

  • Image 2: A sweet, baked dessert (e.g., a chocolate chip cookie). (USA: Cookie | UK: Biscuit)

  • Image 3: A long, fried strip of potato. (USA: French Fries | UK: Chips)

  • Image 4: A sport played with a round ball and a net. (USA: Soccer | UK: Football)

  • Pose a question: "So, if a British person says they're putting their luggage in the boot and then going to play football... what do they mean?"

Part 3: Spelling Beehive - "-or" or "-our"? (5 mins)

• (1 min) Transition:

  • "It's not just words, it's spelling too! American English often likes to be a bit simpler and drop letters. Let's see some classic examples."

• (4 mins) Spot the Difference:

  • Share your screen with a slide showing pairs of words.

  • Colour (UK) vs. Color (USA)

  • Favourite (UK) vs. Favorite (USA)

  • Theatre (UK) vs. Theater (USA)

  • Organise (UK) vs. Organize (USA)

  • Say: "The rule is often '-our' in UK and '-or' in US, or '-ise' in UK and '-ize' in US. But the most important thing is to be consistent! Don't mix them in one document."

Part 4: Pronunciation Party - "Say it like you mean it!" (5 mins)

• (1 min) Transition:

  • "Now for the trickiest part... how we say the words! Let's try a couple. Don't worry, no one has to be perfect!"

• (4 mins) Listen & Repeat (Optional):

  • Word: "Water"

    • "In the US, it often sounds more like 'Wa-der' with a 'd' sound. In many parts of the UK (especially England), it can sound more like 'Wa-uh' with a glottal stop." (Demonstrate both).

  • Word: "Tomato"

    • "The famous one! USA: 'To-may-to'. UK: 'To-mah-to'." (Sing it a little for fun!).

  • Word: "Herb"

    • "In the US, the 'H' is silent: 'erb'. In the UK, you pronounce the 'H': 'Herb'."

  • Encourage: "Okay, everyone, mute your mics and give the British 'water' a try! Now the American one! Fun, right?"

Part 5: Wrap-up & The Takeaway (2 mins)

• (1 min) Recap:

  • "So, what did we learn? We have different vocabulary (boot/trunk), different spelling (colour/color), and different pronunciation (tomato/tomato!)."

• (1 min) The Golden Rule & Goodbye:

  • "The number one rule is: It doesn't matter which one you use, as long as you understand the differences! People will understand you either way.