Courtroom drama 3.

Students read the text. They then complete activity

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 12–20 students,
cut up
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.

Teacher’s note: This lesson plan has two parts that crime sentence court
can be taught as either one lesson or two separate burglary death penalty trial
lessons. Part 1 comprises a vocabulary building
car theft suspended verdict
worksheet and Part 2 is a courtroom drama role-play.
sentence
smuggling judge
Procedure life sentence
manslaughter defence lawyer
Lesson Share TEACHER’S NOTES

Part 1 fine
1. Warmer – Write this sentence on the board: community
service
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. 6. Discussion – Divide the class into small groups.
Give them examples of crimes and tell them to
Key: If you aren’t willing to accept the full
decide how serious the crimes are and what the
consequences, then don’t do something that is
punishment should be. Give the students 10–20
risky. Do time means be in prison.
minutes to hold their discussion before presenting
2. Hand out the worksheet. In pairs, students their opinions and discussing with the whole class.
complete activity 1. Alternatively, this can be done You can use your own examples, or read out
on the board with the whole class. those below.
Key: 1. Drink-driving – A man drives home from the
pub late at night. He is over the legal alcohol
verb crime (noun) person (noun)
limit. He runs over his neighbour’s cat. The cat is
rob robbery robber seriously injured and has to be put down.
– theft thief
2. Car theft – A group of teenagers steal a car
kidnap kidnap(ping) kidnapper
and go joyriding. They crash the car and end up
abduct abduction abductor in hospital. One of them, the driver, is seriously
hijack hijack(ing) hijacker injured. The car is so badly damaged it cannot
burgle burglary burglar be fixed.
shoplift shoplifting shoplifter 3. Attempted burglary/Grievous bodily harm –
pickpocket pickpocketing pickpocket A burglar breaks into a house. The owner of the
mug mugging mugger house is sitting alone in the dark when he breaks
blackmail blackmail blackmailer in. He is so shocked that he has a heart attack.
smuggle smuggling smuggler The burglar runs away without stealing anything.
He later calls an ambulance. The ambulance
forge forgery forger
arrives just in time to save the owner of the house.
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LESSON SHARE / Listening / Courtroom drama

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 4. Pick-pocketing – A woman is Christmas plea plead –
shopping with her children. A pickpocket steals
innocence – innocent
her purse from her handbag. The purse contains
accusation accuse –
£100 in cash. It is all the money she has until she
receives her next pay cheque in January. sentence sentence –
charge charge –
Part 2 severity – severe
Number of students: 12–20
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.
3. Then, as a class, decide who the victim is and elicit
a vague outline to the story. Also, explain that the
Lesson Share TEACHER’S NOTES

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
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 1. Complete the table below.

verb crime (noun) person (noun)

rob
– theft
kidnap
abduct
hijack
burgle
shoplift
pickpocket
mug
blackmail
smuggle
forge
Lesson Share WORKSHEET

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 guilty or not guilty. 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 guilty or not guilty. 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
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 3. Read the text in exercise 2 again. Then find words or phrases in the text that match the
definitions below.
1. reach a. evidence
2. plead b. sentence
3. pass c. a person in a court of law
4. try d. (not) guilty
5. give 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
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 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.
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
relationship with the plaintiff. You will be asked
questions by both the prosecution and the defence.
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.
© Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2013
LESSON SHARE / Listening / Courtroom drama
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
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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.
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 guilty or not guilty. 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
relationship with the plaintiff. You will be asked
questions by both the prosecution and the defence.
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.
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 Jury
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
guilty or not guilty.
Jury
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
guilty or not guilty.
Jury
Lesson Share ROLE CARDS
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
guilty or not guilty.
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
relationship with the plaintiff. You will be asked
questions by both the prosecution and the defence.
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.
© Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2013
LESSON SHARE / Listening / Courtroom drama
Jury
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
#
guilty or not guilty.
Jury
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
guilty or not guilty.
Jury
You are a member of the jury. You need to create
a character for yourself. You will need to consider
things like name, age, job, personality, hobbies
and marital status. When you have heard all the
evidence, you will have five minutes to decide
with the other jury members if the defendant is
guilty or not guilty.
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
relationship with the plaintiff. You will be asked
questions by both the prosecution and the defence.
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.
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