Sample Instructional

Plan for a
Police Report Writing
Class
By Kevin Rounds

Lesson #1
Introductions, getting to
know you activities and
review of the syllabus.
Allow students to
participate in creating
norms for the class.

Why?

Getting to know You: Three

Truths and One Lie
Icebreaker

feel recognized as individuals,

and helps to draw out and
include shy students in class
discussions (League.org n.d.).

Each person writes down three

things that are true about
themselves and something that
is a lie. Group members try to
guess which one is the lie.

Students will feel like respected

members of the classroom
community.
Calling students by name
communicates respect, helps
them

The first step in helping

students learn is to get a clear
picture of who they are, both as
a group and as individuals
(League.org n.d.).

Lesson #2
Lecture and note taking:

The elements of police

reports.

The importance of writing

good police reports.

Major mistakes to avoid when

writing reports

Why?
By using combinations of
adult learner techniques and
strategies, educators can
create training experiences
that will enhance the
learning of participants.
When adults participate in a
positive learning experience
that follows the six
assumptions of andragogy,
they are more likely to retain
what they have learned and
apply it in their work
environment (Ota, 2006).

Lesson #3
Basic Grammar review:
Assign each set of
students a basic grammar
skill or topic. Students
work in partners to create
a short two minute
presentation on their
assigned grammar topic
to present to the class.
Students answer the
question: What is the
importance of good
grammar when writing
reports?

Why?
Connect learning to
students knowledge and
experience (Balliro, 2006).
Adults are most
interested in learning
subjects that have
immediate relevance to
their job or personal
life(Culatta, 2013).

Lesson #4
Sample Police Reports
Study sample police
reports in groups.
Highlight key parts. Groups
discuss what they notice in
the reports.
Students answer the
questions: What are the
common patterns in these
reports?

Why?
Adults are most
interested in learning
subjects that have
immediate relevance to
their job or personal
life(Culatta, 2013).

Lesson #5
Identify improperly
written reports
Students work in groups to
read sets of police reports.
They discuss the elements
of the reports and pick out
the reports that are
improperly written. Then
they individually write a half
page rationale stating why
the reports are improperly
written.

By using combinations of
adult learner techniques
and strategies, educators
can create training
experiences that will
enhance the learning of
participants. (Ota, 2006).

Lesson #6
Role Play Scenarios
Students role play short
scenarios for the class.
Students observing can
choose to work by
themselves or with a
partner to write a short
report of the role play
incident

Why?
If students become bored
they will give up on
learning. They have to be
kept fresh and stimulated
(Laycock, 2012).

Lesson #7
Practice Report Writing
Students watch an
extensive video of an
actual police call.
Students individually write
and prepare the police
report for the incident.

Why?
Adults are most
interested in learning
subjects that have
immediate relevance to
their job or personal
life(Culatta, 2013).

Lesson #8
Final Project
Presentations
Students choose between a
Prezi, PowerPoint,
Photostory or any other
presentation format to
create a presentation on
writing effective police
reports. Reports are
presented to the class as
part of the evaluation
process.

Why?
By using combinations of
adult learner techniques
and strategies, educators
can create training
experiences that will
enhance the learning of
participants. (Ota, 2006).

References
Balliro, L. (2005). Clues to classroom management in ABE. Field
Notes,15(2).Retrieved from
http://www.sabes.org/resources/publications/fieldnotes/vol15/
f152balliro.htm

Culatta, R. (2013). Andragogoy (Malcolm Knowles). Retrieved from

http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html
Laycock, N. (2012). How to build and lead successful online
communities: Behaving appropriately. eLearn Magazine. Retrieved
from http://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2232816
League.org (n.d.) Module 1: Creating a community of learners.
Retrieved from
http://
www.league.org/gettingresults/web/module1/diversity/accomodate_adu
lt_learners.html
Ota, C., DiCarol, C. F., Burts, D. C., Laird, R., & Gioe, C. (2006). Training
and the needs of adult