PREVIEW ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.

USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART 1 Discuss the questions below about the USA and Canada.

1 Compare and contrast what you know about the USA and Canada.

2 What might some people love about living in the USA? What about Canada?
3 What might some people hate about living in the USA? What about Canada?

PART 2 Test your knowledge of the USA and Canada below. Try to guess the answers.

1 What do you think the population of the USA is?

2 What do you think the population of Canada is?
3 After English, what is the most common language spoken in the USA?
4 After English, what is the most common language spoken in Canada?
5 What percent should you tip on a bill at a restaurant in the USA?
6 What percent should you tip on a bill at a restaurant in Canada?

PART 3 Discuss the meaning of the adverbs as used in the sentences below.

1 Canadians have slightly different accents than Americans.

• What do you think slightly means in this context?

2 Both the USA and Canada are predominantly English-speaking.

• What do you think predominantly means?

3 Canada’s population is roughly the same size as California’s population.

• What do you think roughly means?

4 In Canada, it snows pretty much everywhere due to its geographical position.

• What do you think pretty much means?

 PREVIEW ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

PART 1 Choose the correct word defined in each definition of the vocabulary terms below.

1 A country’s quality / standard of living refers to the level of comfort in which

people live, which usually depends on how much money they have.

2 A political party / opponent is an organized group of people with similar

political goals and opinions.

3 A country’s exchange / currency refers to the specific kind of money the

country uses.

4 A penny / quarter is a one-cent coin equal to one hundredth of a dollar.

5 A fast-food joint / point is another term for a fast-food “restaurant”.

6 The lingo / accent used in a country, area, or region refers to the particular
speech, way of speaking, or slang that people use there.

Match the names of the food products / dishes with the images below. Two are
PART 2
not used!

nectar | pastry | syrup | poutine | pie

1 2 3

maple apple

(Mix of french fries, cheese

curds, and brown gravy.)

Name which country — the USA or Canada — you think is more well-known for each food
product / dish above.
USA VS. CANADA | SIMILARITIES Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
& DIFFERENCES USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION: Read the discussion topic

below and discuss it with your partner or teacher.

Are there any specific places, cities, or regions

you’d like to visit in the USA or Canada? If so,
which ones and why?
VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART 1 Discuss the comparisons Drew makes between the USA and Canada for each of the
following things. How are they similar and/or different?

1 Size 6 Sports

2 Population 7 Food

3 Standard of living 8 Currency

4 Tipping culture 9 Political systems

5 Weather 10 Healthcare / University

PART 2 Watch the video again. Fill in the numbers / information according to the video.

1:28 EX US population: 329 million

1:37 1 Canadian population:

1:57 2 Percentage of US population that is Spanish-speaking:

1:59 3 Percentage of Canadian population that is French-speaking:

2:18 4 Two examples of words that are spelled differently in Canadian English:

1 2

3:08 5 Number of major political parties in the US:

3:13 6 Number of major political parties in Canada:

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 1 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

Read the following quotes from the video out loud. Then discuss the questions below
PART 1
each quote with your teacher or partner.

1 “ I am making this video from an unbiased point of view and I’m trying to make
it as educational as possible.”

• What do you think it means to be unbiased?

• Why is it important to report information from an unbiased point of view?

2 “ Canada is the world’s second-largest nation and the USA is the world’s third.
With enormous size comes lots of national parks and stunning natural beauty.”

• What do you think stunning means?

• Is there any stunning natural beauty in your native country?

3 “ Both nations are obsessed with sports, both are very patriotic, and the
religion is predominantly Christian.”

• What do you think it means to be obsessed with something?

• What is your native country obsessed with?

PART 2 Choose the correct conjunctions / prepositions that fit the sentences below.

While | Despite | In | On | When

1 being smaller in size, the US has a much bigger population than

Canada — the 3rd highest in the world with 329 million residents.
the other hand, Canada is the world’s 39th most populous nation with 37
million people.

2 both currencies are called the dollar, they’re actually quite

different, and only in the States you can find useless pennies.

3 it comes to food, Canada wins on poutine, bacon, and

maple syrup, while the US wins in pizza, BBQ, burgers, and apple pie.

4 terms of political systems, the US and Canada both have

democracies, but they function differently.

Discuss: Compare the usage of the conjunctions despite and while as used in the
PART 3
sentences above. What is their function? How are they used differently?
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 2 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

PART 1 Study the usage and examples of the conjunctions expressing contrast.

When comparing / contrasting the USA with Canada, Drew says...

Despite being smaller in size, the US has a much bigger population than Canada.”
“
When it comes to food, Canada wins on poutine, bacon, and maple syrup, while the
“ US wins in pizza, BBQ, burgers, and apple pie.”

We use despite + [gerund] and while + [subject/verb clause] to express contrast between two
things, facts, or situations. The first clause expresses information that contrasts with the second
clause. (The USA is smaller in size, but it has a much bigger population. Canada wins in poutine,
bacon and maple syrup, but the US wins in pizza, BBQ, and apple pie.) See more examples:

Despite being very expensive, many people love living in New York City.
EXAMPLES
While American barbecue tastes amazing, it is not very healthy to eat.

PART 2 Rewrite each sentence below using the conjunction despite + [gerund].

EX New York City is very expensive, but many people love living there.
Despite being very expensive, many people love living in New York City.

1 Canada has freezing cold winters, but the summers are quite warm in many regions.

2 The United States spends a lot on healthcare, but the healthcare system is a mess.

3 I have been living in Canada all my life, but I don’t speak any French!

PART 3 Test your knowledge of the facts below. Write an answer you think fits each fact.

EX. While French is the second most common language in Canada, in the US it’s Spanish .
1 While the USA is led by a president, Canada is led by a .
2 Hockey is the most popular sport in Canada, while in the USA it’s .
3 Canadians call beverages such as Coca Cola “pop”, while Americans call it .
4 While the USA is made up of 50 states, Canada is made up of 10 .
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY 3 Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

COUNTRY COMPARISON TASK:

Work with a partner. Choose any two countries that are similar but also different.
Compare the two countries. Take a few minutes to research facts and take some notes.
Then present your comparison to the class. Use at least 4 of the conjunctions, phrases, or
vocabulary terms below in your comparisons.

despite + [gerund] | while + [subject/verb clause] | In terms of...

When it comes to... | obsessed with | slightly | predominantly | roughly

COUNTRIES:

1 2

COMPARISON NOTES:

SPEAKING TASK:

Discuss the topics with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in
detail. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 In the video, it’s mentioned that Canadians are some of

the friendliest people in the world. What about the
people from your native country? Would you describe
the people as friendly?

2 What is the tipping culture like in your native country? Is

it customary to give tips at restaurants, bars, etc.?

3 How do you feel about the quality of the healthcare

system and universities in your native country?
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2022. For use only with license.
USA vs. CANADA — Similarities & Differences (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART 1 Summary. How are the USA and Canada similar/different?

Vocabulary: Define each vocabulary term below. Then write / say a sentence out loud
PART 2
using each word. Make your sentence somehow connected to the USA / Canada.

1. standard of living

2. obsessed with

3. stunning

PART 3 Vocabulary: Write the correct adverbs that fit the sentences from the video.

1 Both the USA and Canada are in North America and are
English-speaking.

2 Canada is the world’s 39th most populous nation with 37 million people,
the same size as California.

3 Canadians have different accents and different lingo than

Americans.

PART 4 Grammar: Explain the usage of despite + [gerund] and while + [subject/verb
clause]. Then write the first clauses in the sentences below from the video using
these structures.

1 , the US has a much bigger population than Canada.

2 When it comes to food, Canada wins on poutine, bacon, and maple syrup,
.”

Write your own sentences about the USA, Canada, or any other country/countries. In
PART 5
the first sentence, use despite + [gerund] and in the second sentence use while +
[subject/verb clause].