Crime Doesn't Pay
This crime vocabulary ESL lesson practises active and passive voice through reports of theft and other offences. Students identify crimes from clues, transform sentences and discuss whether different situations are right or wrong. They write a structured crime report and stage a courtroom roleplay with police, witness, suspect and judge.
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Lesson format
2 × 45 minutes
Level
Intermediate
Age group
Ages 12–14
Main focus
Speaking first
What students will learn
Lesson flow
Students guess a crime from a clue ('A phone was taken from a bag' — Pickpocketing!), learn crime-type vocabulary matching image to definition, and convert active to passive ('They caught the thief' → 'The thief was caught'). The second lesson debates right or wrong scenarios, drills is/was + being + verb ('He is being searched'), writes a crime report describing what happened and what's being done, and performs a courtroom-drama roleplay with judge, police, criminal and witness.
Target language
- • Passive voice: was stolen, was arrested
- • Is/was + being + verb
- • 'What happened?' / 'Who was caught?'
- • Crime and justice vocabulary
Key vocabulary
- theft
- burglary
- murder
- fine
- prison
- court
- judge
- police
- law
- punishment
Speaking questions students answer
- • What happened?
- • Who was caught?
- • Was the phone stolen?
- • What rule was broken?
- • Should graffiti be punished?
Recommended teaching contexts
Why this lesson works
The lesson follows a clear progression: Guess the crime in a What's the Crime? warm-up, practise passive voice describing crimes, write a crime report and perform a courtroom-drama roleplay. Teachers can open the materials and start immediately, while students move from supported vocabulary practice to purposeful spoken English.