Law and Order
Law and Order
6 Vocabulary Practice 1
11 Areas of Law
13 Pair Work
15 Vocabulary Practice 2
18 Class Activity
19 Review (Assessment)
21 Teachers' Notes
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Law & Order
Living in English
1. Do you think that there is a lot of crime in your city? 13. What is the purpose of jails and prisons?
Are they to deter crime or rehabilitate criminals?
2. Do you always lock your doors and
windows when you go out? Do you keep 14. Do you think that the violence shown
your doors locked when you are at home? on TV and in movies today increases the
amount of violent crime in our society?
3. Have you ever been a victim of a crime?
15. Do you think that people charged with
4. Have you ever been a witness to a crime?
a violent crime should be allowed out
5. Have you ever served on a jury? on bail while waiting for their court case?
Would you like to be on a jury? Why or why not?
16. Do you know the difference between criminal
6. Do you know how people are selected law and civil law? Can you give an example?
for jury duty in your country?
17. Have you ever sued anyone or been sued?
7. Have you ever received a speeding ticket?
18. Are judges in your state/country
If so, how much was the fine?
appointed or elected?
8. Have you ever had any other traffic violations?
19. How long can the police in your country hold
If so, what were they?
a person in custody before charging him/her?
9. Have you ever had to ask a lawyer for advice?
20. If you were charged with a crime, would
10. What can a person do in your country you rather be tried by a judge or a jury?
if they cannot afford to hire a lawyer?
21. What would you do if you heard
11. Does capital punishment someone breaking into your house?
exist in your state/country?
22. What can we do to make our cities safer?
12. Do you think criminals should be required
to serve their whole sentences or do you
think that they should be allowed out
of prison early for good behavior?
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Law & Order
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Word Definition
crime noun a serious offense against the law, serious law breaking
victim noun a person who has been hurt or suffered from a crime, accident, war, etc.
witness noun a person who has seen an event and is able to describe it
charge (with a crime) verb to officially state that a person has broken the law
money that is demanded by the court, paid by a person who has been
bail noun
charged with a crime, as security that the person will return for his/her trial
civil law noun law dealing with the private rights of citizens, not with crime
trial noun the whole process of examining information in court and making a decision
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Law & Order
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4. The robber told his to empty his pockets and give him all his money.
6. Mary had to pay a $100 for driving through the red light.
7. His was not very serious, so the judge sentenced him to only three weeks in jail.
8. If he can't pay the $50,000 , he will have to remain in jail until his trial.
9. Last year, Robbie drove his father's car after getting drunk at a party.
As a punishment, his father would not allow him to drive the car for two months.
His father hopes that punishment will Robbie
from drinking and driving in the future.
11. It only took the five hours to decide that the man was guilty.
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Law & Order
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Work with a partner or in small groups to place each of the words at the
bottom of the page in the proper category. Some words may fall into more
than one category, but be prepared to explain your reason for your choice.
You may need to use your dictionary. Add as many other words to each
category that you can think of and explain the meanings to your partners.
Word List:
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Vocabulary Practice 1
A. What's the Crime?
1. Nora Roberts stuffed three sweaters into her large handbag and left the store
without paying for the items. She was charged with .
2. Frankie broke three windows of his neighbor's house and threw eggs
at the garage door. He was charged with . Word List
• forgery
3. Albert signed someone else's name on several checks and then cashed
• hijacking
them at the bank. He was charged with . • vandalism
• arson
4. The old man hit his wife so hard she ended up in the hospital. • shoplifting
He was charged with . • manslaughter
• domestic abuse
5. When Bart punched the man in the face, the man fell down and hit his head
on the sidewalk and died. Bart was charged with .
6. The men deliberately started the fire by pouring gasoline all over the boxes and
then lighting a match. The men were charged with .
7. The two men used guns and knives to force the pilot to land the plane.
They were charged with .
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Law & Order
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# Quotation Speaker
3 "All rise."
6 "Call 911! I just saw someone running out of the bank with a gun."
7 "I'm going to prove to you that the defendant is guilty of this crime."
8 "This is a stickup! Empty the cash register and put all the money in this bag."
Word List
• jury foreman • witness
• highway patrol officer • defendant
• clerk of the court • judge
• prosecutor • thief
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D. Preposition Practice
Choose the correct preposition from the list to the right to complete the
following sentences. You may use the same preposition more than once.
9. The court reporter listens the whole trial and records everything that is said.
11. The robber was released prison after serving a three-year sentence.
12. You are a witness the crime, so you will have to go to court to testify.
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Law & Order
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1. Citizens of most countries believe strongly in 3. While laws are made by the elected
the rule of law. Laws are written rules that are representatives, the police and courts exist
intended to guide people in their day-to-day lives. to enforce the laws. Not all law breaking is
Every country has its own set of laws and these considered a crime. Courts deal with both criminal
laws may be quite different in different places. For and civil cases. In criminal cases, the community
example, in the United States, Canada, and many accuses an individual of committing an offense.
European countries, the law states that people The community is represented in court by the
drive on the right side of the road. In England, government, which presents the case against
Japan, New Zealand, and other countries, people the accused person in court. An example of a
must drive on the left side of the road. When criminal offense is theft. In civil cases, private
people break the law, punishments may also individuals or companies who cannot solve a
differ from place to place. For instance, some problem themselves ask the courts to decide.
countries impose the death penalty for very Breaking a contract is an example of a civil offense.
serious crimes, whereas other countries do not It is sometimes possible for both a criminal and
believe in capital punishment. a civil case to result from the same incident.
Suppose a person is injured in a car accident and
2. In free and democratic countries, laws are made
the person who caused the accident had been
by elected government representatives. Laws can
drunk. The driver could be charged with drunk
be made by different levels of government. Laws
driving and that case would go to criminal court.
that everybody in the country must obey are
But the victim could also sue the driver for his/
made by the national or federal government.
her pain and suffering and that case would go
These kinds of laws may relate to serious criminal
to civil court.
offenses, federal taxes, passport regulations,
immigration, etc. Laws that apply only to the 4. Criminal offenses are those offenses that violate
individual state or province are made by the public law. In most countries, these crimes are
government of that region. These laws may involve divided into two categories: less serious offenses
highway traffic regulations, provincial or state and more serious offenses. In the United States,
taxes, rules about education, minimum wages paid these offenses are referred to as misdemeanors
by employers, etc. City or municipal laws, often and felonies. Leaving a restaurant without
called bylaws, are made by city officials and are paying the bill, disturbing the peace by making
relevant only to the local area. Rules that relate to loud noises, and stealing a chocolate bar are
speed limits within a city, property taxes, parking examples of misdemeanors. Kidnapping, assault,
restrictions, building codes, etc., are included and murder are examples of felonies. Individuals
in municipal bylaws. convicted of a crime may be sentenced to
different kinds of punishments such as fines,
community service, imprisonment, etc.
Felonies are more serious crimes and, therefore,
have much harsher sentences.
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Law & Order
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4. What is a bylaw?
7. If you want to sue somebody, what kind of court would try the case?
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Law & Order
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Areas of Law
A. Discussion
There are many different areas of law, and some lawyers choose to
specialize in one or more of these. Read the list of different types of law
specialties. Work with a partner or small group. Discuss the different
specialties and think of examples of problems that each specialty
might cover. When you have finished, share your ideas with the rest of
your classmates.
2 Bankruptcy Law
4 Consumer Law
5 Criminal Law
6 Employment Law
7 Family Law
8 Immigration Law
9 Insurance Law
13 Tax Law
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Law & Order
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1. May Sanji has been looking for an apartment. 5. Write your own situation here and then ask
Recently, she found one that she would like to your classmates to discuss the type of lawyer
rent. However, when the landlord found out that they think the situation requires.
she was a recent immigrant, he told her that the
apartment had already been rented. She knows
for a fact that the apartment is still available and
feels that the landlord does not want to rent to
her because of the color of her skin.
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A. Reading
B. Sharing Information
3. What problem has Mr. Corrigan had in the last ten years?
5. How did Mr. Corrigan feel about this and what did he promise?
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Law & Order
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A. Reading
B. Sharing Information
4. Why did she allow her husband to continue to live with her?
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Vocabulary Practice 2
Choose the correct word from the list to
the right to complete the following sentences.
8. Before a trial takes place, the police and lawyers for the
government collect or proof about the case.
10. If the jury finds the defendant guilty of murder, the judge will him to life in prison.
12. After serving a certain length of time in prison, a person can apply for .
This allows the prisoner to be released early, but he/she is still under supervision.
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# Idiom Meaning
1 behind bars
3 under oath
press charges /
4
lay charges / charge
8 on death row
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Now try to match the idioms on the left with the correct definitions on the right.
10. get off easy j) having promised to tell the truth in court
Choose the correct word from the list to the right to complete each sentence.
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Class Activity
FIND SOMEONE WHO...
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Review
Your teacher will now check your understanding
of language related to law and order.
Task
The following is an overview of the parking regulations for the city 1. What type of law is this?
of Westmount. These regulations apply to all residents and visitors.
2. What level of government
• Overnight street parking is not permitted regulates this type of law?
between the hours of 2:00 am and 6:00 am.*
3. W
hat type of punishment
• Vehicles are not permitted on city streets will result from violating
for more than three consecutive hours.
any part of this law?
• Vehicles may not block driveways, sidewalks,
or entrances/exits at any time. 4. Are visitors ever allowed to
park on the street overnight?
• Parking in the wrong direction is not permitted.
5. Why are there extra parking
• Vehicles may not park on private property
restrictions between
without an owner's permission.
November and March?
• Parking is not permitted in front yards or backyards.
6. Where are residents NOT
• Parking is not permitted on city streets during snow bans from
allowed to park on their
November to March. Visit WestmountCityInfo.com for snow ban info.
own property?
Parking is enforced by Westmount Parking city officials.
7. Who enforces parking
Violations will result in tickets and fines.
in Westmount City?
*Residents can register for overnight visitor street parking 10 times 8. How does this bylaw compare
per year by calling (555) 998-9876. Include your name, your address,
to the parking regulations in
the date, and the vehicle model and license plate number of your
visitor's vehicle. your own town or city?
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Law & Order
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Student:
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Teachers' Notes
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int – High Int
This lesson introduces key vocabulary related to law, crime, and TIME: 5+ hours
punishment. It includes reading comprehension, vocabulary and
TAGS: law, law and order, court, rules, regulations,
idiom practice, a case study, a group discussion, and an optional
living in English, idioms, headlines, wh- questions,
reading assessment task.
parking, bylaws
Before distributing this section, try to elicit as much vocabulary as 1. shoplifting 5. manslaughter
possible from students about law and order, and put the words on 2. vandalism 6. arson
the board. Introduce the new vocabulary. Have students repeat 3. forgery 7. hijacking
each item and monitor pronunciation. Give examples in sentences 4. domestic abuse
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Law & Order
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B. WHO'S TALKING? peace by making loud noises, and stealing a chocolate bar are
examples of misdemeanors. Kidnapping, assault, and murder
1. defendant 5. highway patrol officer are examples of felonies.
2. judge 6. witness 13. Answers will vary.
3. clerk of the court 7. prosecutor
4. jury foreman 8. thief
Areas of Law
C. MATCHING
This activity is intended to help familiarize
1. f 3. h 5. j 7. g 9. d 11. l students with various areas of law specialties.
2. i 4. k 6. c 8. a 10. b 12. e
A. DISCUSSION
D. PREPOSITION PR ACTICE
Have students work in pairs or in small
1. with 5. to 9. to groups and encourage lots of conversation.
2. over, through 6. for 10. on
3. of 7. for 11. from B. RECOMMEND A LAW YER
4. of 8. on 12. to
1. real estate and property lawyer
2. intellectual property lawyer
Laws, Crimes & Punishment 3. immigration lawyer
4. family lawyer
This short reading and activity introduces students
5. Answers will vary.
to the different types of laws, law enforcement
agencies, and offenses.
(continued on the next page...)
B. COMPREHENSION
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Student A: Put students in groups and ask them to guess the meaning
of the idioms. Let them use their imaginations and have fun with
1. Donald Corrigan is the defendant in Case #2.
this exercise. Then share their ideas with the whole class.
2. Mr. Corrigan is an accountant.
3. He is an alcoholic and lost his driver's license
B. MATCHING
twice in the past ten years.
4. He hit a 15-year-old boy while driving drunk 1. d 3. j 5. i 7. c 9. f
on New Year's Eve. (The boy died three days later.) 2. h 4. a 6. e 8. b 10. g
5. Mr. Corrigan felt terribly upset and
promised never to drink again. C. WHO DID WHAT ?
6. He has told the family that he would like to put
1. witness 3. murderer 5. victim
money into a scholarship in the boy's memory.
2. judge 4. detective 6. thief
7. The jury found Mr. Corrigan guilty of manslaughter.
8–9. Answers will vary.
(continued on the next page...)
Student B:
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As students circulate around the class asking the questions they to find these words in the lesson and see if they know the
have written and find a classmate who can answer the question, alternate spellings.
they will write the student's name in the chart and follow up with
one more question of their own. (For example: "Have you ever had
your purse or wallet stolen?" "Yes." "Did the police catch the thief? /
Did you press charges?", etc.) Try to encourage students to engage
in real conversation during this activity. Follow up by sharing the
information with the whole class.
1. This is a bylaw.
2. The municipal government regulates this type of law.
3. Violators will be ticketed and fined.
4. Yes, visitors are allowed to park overnight on the street if a
resident registers their car (max. 10 times a year per resident).
5. Snow removal crews work during the winter
season when it snows. During snow bans,
no parking is permitted on city streets.
6. Residents are not allowed to park
in their front yards or backyards.
7. Westmount Parking city officials enforce parking in this city.
8. Answers will vary.
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