Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan: Warm-up (Pair Work)
1) What was the worst punishment you received as a child? Was it fair?
2) What is the purpose of punishment?
3) Would you rather be dead than spend life in jail?
4) Can you think of any people who were punished for a crime they didn’t commit?
5) Is capital punishment (the death penalty) practiced in your country?
6) Who are some famous people who were executed?
Troy Davis Given Capital Punishment (September 24th, 2011)
Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer, was working as a security guard in Savannah, Georgia
on August 19th, 1989. He saw a man being assaulted in a nearby parking lot, so he ran to
intervene. MacPhail was then shot to death.
Seven witnesses testified they had seen an African-American man; later identified as Troy
Davis, shoot MacPhail. Two others testified that Davis had confessed the murder directly to
them. Bullets discovered near the scene were linked to another shooting, earlier on that same
day, for which Davis was also charged.
Davis was tried and convicted of murder and other related offenses, although he maintained
that it was not him who shot MacPhail. He was sentenced to death. Over the next 20 years,
Davis gathered supporters, including religious figures and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter,
who believed that Davis should not be executed because he was innocent. Another hearing was
held in June 2010, where affidavits were presented from seven out of nine of the original
witnesses who recanted or changed their testimony. Many claimed they had been pressured to
testify against Davis by police. Two witnesses implicated another man, Sylvester Coles, whom
Davis said was the actual triggerman. This new information, however, did not convince the court
to change the verdict. The court described these efforts as “largely smoke and mirrors.”
Despite a last-minute appeal and petition signed by nearly one million people urging the parole
board to grant clemency, Troy Davis was executed on September 21st by lethal injection.
Davis’ supporters have decried the execution as a miscarriage of justice. They believe the
unwillingness of U.S. justice system to reconsider the death sentence in light of new
information represents a fundamental problem with the American justice system. They hope
Davis’ death will lead to legal reforms.
- www.englishcurrent.com : current event lesson plan -
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, has existed since the beginning of
recorded history. Fifty-eight nations currently practice it, including the US, China, India, and
Japan. (326)
[Original: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis_case, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/troy-davis-
executed_n_975109.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment]
Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan: Comprehension Questions
1) Why was Mark MacPhail at the scene of the crime?
2) Why did investigators believe Davis was the shooter? (3 reasons)
3) What did many of the people who testified against Davis later claim?
4) What do supporters of Davis hope will happen in the future?
Match the words with their meaning as used in the article.
intervene (verb)
convict (verb)
affidavit
recant (verb)
implicate (verb)
smoke and mirrors
clemency
decry (verb)
miscarriage of justice
Idiom Focus: in light of ~
declare officially that sb is guilty
step in, get involved
mercy
wrongful conviction
deception and confusion
suggest/show that sb is involved in a crime
a written statement, used in a court of law, that you swear is true
to take back an earlier statement or opinion
denounce, condemn
Example: “In light of the new information about the case, Davis should not have been executed.”
Background: In English, knowledge or information is said to “bring light” to an issue. When
something happens in the light of something (e.g. new information), it means it happens
considering that thing. Other synonyms: taking into account ~, due to ~ , because of ~
“In light of the weather forecast, we have had to cancel our camping trip.”
Master the language: Connect the below ideas to make a sentence.
government / crush / uprising
intervene / assault
convict / murder
urge / clemency
affidavits / recant
implicate / Coles
tactics / smoke and mirrors
in light of / testimony
decry / miscarriage of justice
e.g. The government crushed the uprising.
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Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan: Famous Quotes (Pair Work)
Discuss whether you agree with the below quotes:
"It is better and more satisfactory to acquit (acquit = let free) a thousand guilty persons than to
put a single innocent man to death." -12th century legal scholar Moses Maimonides
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do
not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.” – Gandalf (In The Lord of the Rings)
Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan: Brainstorming (Group Work)
Group 1
What are the arguments FOR capital punishment? Make a list. When finished,
present your arguments to the class.
Group 2
What are the arguments AGAINST capital punishment? Make a list. When finished,
present your arguments to the class.
Part 2) In light of these arguments, are you for or against capital punishment?
Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan: Pair Work
You and your partner are government workers. Your president has decided that capital
punishment is necessary. However, he told you to manage the following issues:
1) Which crimes should carry the death penalty?
2) What should be the method of execution?
Consider the questions with a partner and then present your ideas to the class.
Capital Punishment ESL Lesson Plan : Discussion Questions
1) Should insane people be punishable by death?
2) Do you believe capital punishment makes the public not want to commit crimes?
3) Should executions be done in public?
4) What’s the difference, morally, between capital punishment and torture?
--- Lesson plan copyright Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com
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