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📕 A2: Grades 10-12 • SAFETY & EMERGENCY

Witness Report: What Happened?

In this lesson, you will learn to describe incidents using the past simple and past continuous. You'll practice reporting a crime like a real witness.

Witness Report: What Happened?
💬 Warm-up
1 Have you ever seen something unusual happen on the street?
2 What do you do if you see someone stealing something?
3 Do you think it is easy to describe a person you saw only for a minute?

🎯 Objectives

  • Use past simple and past continuous to describe past events.
  • Identify and use vocabulary: police, thief, steal, report, witness, describe.
  • Write a witness statement for a police report.
  • Record a 45-second witness report for a mock crime.
In this block:

📚 Vocabulary

1.
police
"The police arrived quickly after the call."
The official organization that keeps public order and safety.
2.
thief
"A thief took my phone from my bag on the bus."
A person who steals something.
3.
steal
"Someone tried to steal my bike last night."
To take something that does not belong to you.
4.
report
"You should report a stolen wallet to the police."
To tell the police or an authority about a crime or problem.
5.
witness
"The witness saw the accident and called 911."
A person who sees an event, usually a crime or accident.
6.
describe
"Can you describe the thief's clothes and hair?"
To say what someone or something looks like.
🗓️ Friday, 9th October 2026
police
The official organization that keeps public order and safety.
thief
A person who steals something.
steal
To take something that does not belong to you.
report
To tell the police or an authority about a crime or problem.
witness
A person who sees an event, usually a crime or accident.
describe
To say what someone or something looks like.

✍️ Practice

Guess the missing word.
1. A thief ran out of the store with a bag full of money.
2. Please describe the person you saw near the car.
3. You need to report the incident to the security guard.
4. Did you see the man steal the purse from the woman?
5. The officer asked the witness to come to the station and give a statement.
6. The police found the stolen items in the suspect's house.
🗓️ Friday, 9th October 2026
1. A thief ran out of the store with a bag full of money.
2. Please describe the person you saw near the car.
3. You need to report the incident to the security guard.
4. Did you see the man steal the purse from the woman?
5. The officer asked the witness to come to the station and give a statement.
6. The police found the stolen items in the suspect's house.

📖 Reading

A Shoplifting Incident

Last Saturday afternoon, I was walking through the local mall when I saw something strange. A man was looking around nervously near the electronics store. I was just passing by when the alarm suddenly went off. The man ran out very fast, carrying a small box. I was shocked.

A security guard shouted, 'Stop!' and the police came quickly. I was a witness to the whole event. The security guard asked me to describe the man. I told him the thief was wearing a black jacket, a red cap, and jeans. He was about twenty years old. The thief tried to steal two expensive headphones. The store manager was talking to the police, and I had to give a report of what I saw. It was a thrilling but scary experience. I was glad that the police caught him at the entrance of the mall.

Comprehension Questions

1.
Where was the witness walking when the incident happened?
She was walking through the local mall near the electronics store.
2.
What was the thief wearing?
The thief was wearing a black jacket, a red cap, and jeans.
3.
What did the thief try to steal?
The thief tried to steal two expensive headphones.
4.
Who caught the thief?
The police caught him at the entrance of the mall.
5.
How did the witness feel about the experience?
She felt it was a thrilling but scary experience.

🎧 Listening Practice

Officer Deanna's Day

0:00 / 0:00
Listening context

Comprehension Questions

1.
What was Officer Deanna doing when she saw the woman running?
She was driving down Oak Street.
2.
What did the thief steal?
The thief stole a gold necklace.
3.
How did the witness describe the thief?
He was tall, with dark hair and a blue shirt.
4.
Where did the second witness see the thief hide?
The thief was hiding behind a tree in the park.
5.
Why does Officer Deanna love her job?
She loves her job because she helps people feel safe.

🗣️ Pair Work

Crime Solving: The Missing Bicycle

"Work in pairs. One student is a witness, the other is a police officer. The witness uses past continuous to describe what they were doing when they saw the crime. The officer asks questions to find the thief."

👉 Student A: Look at the picture of a crime scene. Think about what you saw. Use past continuous: 'I was walking home when...'

👉 Student B: Ask questions: 'What was the thief wearing?' 'What was he doing?' 'Describe his face.'

👉 Switch roles after 3 minutes. Try to find the thief together.

🚀 EnglishDee Tasks

KEYWORDS: police thief steal report witness describe
✍️ WRITING

Witness Statement

Write a police report about an incident you witnessed. Start with where you were and what time it was. Then describe the thief and what they did. End with what happened after. (Write 80-100 words.)

✅ Checklist:
  • 80-100 words; use at least 4 vocabulary words (police, thief, steal, report, witness, describe); use past simple and past continuous; include details about the person, their actions, and the place.
🎙️ SPEAKING

Witness Report

Record a 45-second talk reporting an incident to the police as a witness. Begin by saying when and where you were. Then describe the thief and what they did. End with the result of the incident.

✅ Checklist:
  • 45 seconds; use 3 vocabulary words; speak at a natural pace; include the past continuous (e.g., 'I was standing.
  • when...') and past simple for the crime.
Helpful Phrases
  • I was waiting for the bus when I saw...
  • The thief was wearing a...
  • He was stealing a... from the...
  • After that, the police came and...
  • In my report, I described the thief as...
  • I felt... because I was a witness.