Lesson Share TEACHER S NOTES. Courtroom drama by Lissy Freewoman. Procedure

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1 Courtroom drama by Lissy Freewoman Age: Teenagers / Young adults Level: Upper-intermediate advanced Time: 90 minutes Objectives: To learn crime vocabulary Key skills: Speaking Materials: One copy of the worksheet per student; one set of role cards per students, cut up 3. Students read the text. They then complete activity 2 in pairs. Key: a. witness; b. the accused/defendant; c. verdict; d. swear an oath; e. judge; f. jury; g. sentence; h. offence 4. Students complete activity 3, in pairs or as a whole class. Key: 1. e; 2. d; 3. b; 4. c; 5. a 5. Students complete activity 4, in pairs or as a whole class. Lesson Share TEACHER S NOTES Teacher s note: This lesson plan has two parts that can be taught as either one lesson or two separate lessons. Part 1 comprises a vocabulary building worksheet and Part 2 is a courtroom drama role-play. Procedure Part 1 1. Warmer Write this sentence on the board: If you can t do the time, don t do the crime. Students have two minutes to discuss, in pairs, the possible meaning of the sentence. Key: If you aren t willing to accept the full consequences, then don t do something that is risky. Do time means be in prison. 2. Hand out the worksheet. In pairs, students complete activity 1. Alternatively, this can be done on the board with the whole class. Key: verb crime (noun) person (noun) rob robbery robber theft thief kidnap kidnap(ping) kidnapper abduct abduction abductor hijack hijack(ing) hijacker burgle burglary burglar shoplift shoplifting shoplifter pickpocket pickpocketing pickpocket mug mugging mugger blackmail blackmail blackmailer smuggle smuggling smuggler forge forgery forger crime sentence court burglary car theft smuggling manslaughter death penalty suspended sentence life sentence fine community service trial verdict judge defence lawyer 6. Discussion Divide the class into small groups. Give them examples of crimes and tell them to decide how serious the crimes are and what the punishment should be. Give the students minutes to hold their discussion before presenting their opinions and discussing with the whole class. You can use your own examples, or read out those below. 1. Drink-driving A man drives home from the pub late at night. He is over the legal alcohol limit. He runs over his neighbour s cat. The cat is seriously injured and has to be put down. 2. Car theft A group of teenagers steal a car and go joyriding. They crash the car and end up in hospital. One of them, the driver, is seriously injured. The car is so badly damaged it cannot be fixed. 3. Attempted burglary/grievous bodily harm A burglar breaks into a house. The owner of the house is sitting alone in the dark when he breaks in. He is so shocked that he has a heart attack. The burglar runs away without stealing anything. He later calls an ambulance. The ambulance arrives just in time to save the owner of the house.

2 4. Pick-pocketing A woman is Christmas shopping with her children. A pickpocket steals her purse from her handbag. The purse contains 100 in cash. It is all the money she has until she receives her next pay cheque in January. Part 2 Number of students: plea plead innocence innocent accusation accuse sentence sentence charge charge severity severe 1. Tell the students that one of them has committed an imaginary crime. Let them decide which of them would be the most likely to have committed a crime. 2. Ask the class to decide what the crime is. It should something light-hearted; for example, one of the students ate another student s lunch. Lesson Share TEACHER S NOTES 3. Then, as a class, decide who the victim is and elicit a vague outline to the story. Also, explain that the word plaintiff is a formal word for victim, used in courtrooms. 4. Then, explain that you are going to create a courtroom drama and that they first need to complete role cards. 5. Hand out the role cards. The most confident student should be the judge. There are extra jury and friends cards for larger classes. Make sure the students understand the vocabulary and instructions on their cards. 6. Give the students a minimum of 20 minutes to prepare. They need to mingle with other students and write down any useful information. 7. Role-play The students act out the court case. The judge calls the witnesses and allows lawyers to cross-examine defendants and witnesses. The jury retires to consider its verdict, then announces it. The judge passes sentence. Homework Set students the homework task on the worksheet, either after Part 1 or Part 2 of the lesson, as you wish. Key: noun verb adjective trial try testimony testify guilt guilty

3 1. Complete the table below. Lesson Share WORKSHEET verb crime (noun) person (noun) rob theft kidnap abduct hijack burgle shoplift pickpocket mug blackmail smuggle forge 2. Read the following text. Then find words or phrases in the text that match the definitions below. In Britain, someone accused of committing an offence is tried in a court of law. At the beginning of the trial, the defendant pleads The prosecutor makes a case against the accused and the defence lawyer tries to prove that the defendant is innocent. Witnesses are called to give evidence. Before they give their testimonies, they have to swear an oath. When they have heard all testimonies from the witnesses and the defendant, the jury decides if he or she is If the jury reaches a guilty verdict, the judge passes sentence. The severest sentence in the UK is life imprisonment. In Britain, a defendant is innocent until proven guilty. a. a person who sees a crime b. a person who is accused of a crime c. a word that means decision d. a phrase that means make a formal promise to tell the truth e. the person who decides whether someone goes to prison and for how long f. a group of ordinary people who decide if someone is guilty or innocent g. a word that means punishment h. a word that means crime

4 3. Read the text in exercise 2 again. Then find words or phrases in the text that match the definitions below. 1. reach 2. plead 3. pass 4. try 5. give a. evidence b. sentence c. a person in a court of law d. (not) guilty e. a verdict 4. Put the following vocabulary under the correct headings. death penalty burglary car theft fine trial life sentence smuggling manslaughter verdict judge defence lawyer suspended sentence community service crime sentence court Lesson Share WORKSHEET Homework verb crime (noun) person (noun) trial testify guilty plea innocent accuse sentence charge severe

5 Defendant You are the defendant. You will have to tell the judge your name, age, job and your relationship to the plaintiff. You will have to give details of everything you remember about what happened on the day of the crime. You can also give any other information that might be relevant. You are allowed to speak to your lawyer and you may have to speak to the prosecution lawyer. Defendant s mother/father You are the defendant s mother/father. You will have to give a character reference for your son/ daughter. You will have to give an accurate description of their character and of your relationship. Both lawyers will ask you questions that you will have to answer. Plaintiff You are the plaintiff. You will have to tell the judge your name, age, job and your relationship to the defendant. You will have to give details of everything you remember about what happened on the day of the crime. You can also give any other information that might be relevant. You are allowed to speak to your lawyer and you may have to speak to the defence lawyer. Plaintiff s mother/father You are the plaintiff s mother/father. You will have to give a character reference for your son/ daughter. You will have to give an accurate description of their character and of your relationship. Both lawyers will ask you questions that you will have to answer. # Lesson Share ROLE CARDS Police officer You are the police officer who arrested the defendant after the alleged incident. You are shocked because you have known both the plaintiff and the defendant for fifteen years and liked them both. You will have to explain how you know both the defendant and the plaintiff. You will also have to describe what both of them are like. Defendant s friend You are the defendant s friend. You will need to tell the judge your name, age, job and relationship to the plaintiff. You may also be asked about your Defence lawyer You are the defence lawyer. You want to win this case. You need to get as much information as you can. You need to make the plaintiff look bad in court by finding out negative facts about them. You need to find out good things about your client to make them look good in court. Judge You are the judge. You will have to give an opening speech, giving a brief description of the crime and the responsibility of the jury. You may talk to the lawyers before the trial. They will give you a list of all the witnesses. You will call the witnesses one by one during the trial. After the jury has given their verdict, you will declare the defendant You will then pass sentence. Plaintiff s friend You are the plaintiff s friend. You will need to tell the judge your name, age, job and relationship to the defendant. You may also be asked about your Prosecution lawyer You are the prosecution lawyer. You want to win this case. You need to get as much information as you can. You need to make the defendant look bad in court by finding out negative facts about them. You need to find out good things about your client to make them look good in court.

6 # Lesson Share ROLE CARDS Defendant s friend You are the defendant s friend. You will need to tell the judge your name, age, job and relationship to the plaintiff. You may also be asked about your Defendant s mother/father You are the defendant s mother/father. You will have to give a character reference for your son/ daughter. You will have to give an accurate description of their character and about your relationship. Both lawyers will ask you questions that you will have to answer. Plaintiff s friend You are the plaintiff s friend. You will need to tell the judge your name, age, job and relationship to the defendant. You may also be asked about your Plaintiff s mother/father You are the plaintiff s mother/father. You will have to give a character reference for your son/daughter. You will have to give an accurate description of their character and about your relationship. Both lawyers will ask you questions that you will have to answer.