Lord of the Flies!William Golding !

!

Reading Project Unit Plan Outline

Cara MacMillan, Mark Scherrer, Fabian Ruepp

Phases and Pace • Introduction to novel 2 lessons • Chapter by chapter study of the novel 12 -14

lessons

• Wrap up / conclusion 2 lessons

Introduction to Novel • Students do research on topics in four groups:

1.  William Golding’s biography 2.  the 1950s / Cold War in Britain 3.  Dystopian fiction 4.  Allegory

Introduction to Novel Process: • 60 mins to conduct research on topics • use of internet • plan and give a short presentation • input from teacher to ensure completeness

Introduction to Novel • Teacher reads first 3.5 pages aloud, students mark words /

expressions that they don’t understand • Discussion regarding first impressions, predictions

regarding what the novel is about, how they would feel if this happened when they were 11 years old • Hand out character list • 1-minute video clip to provide atmosphere atmosphere

Chapter by Chapter Study of Novel • Start the reading process by writing chapter “zero” (events

that lead up to the first page) • Time capsule after chapter one • Worksheets to accompany reading at home (diverse

worksheets to keep motivation high worksheet) • Character study chart of most relevant characters

Haiku Poem

• Write a haiku poem with the theme “Who/What am I” • Describe a character / object from story • Students/teacher read/s poems and students have to guess the

referent • Read example poems in class • Develop haiku-features • Brainstorm relevant vocabulary • Adapt activity to island life

Allegories • Explaining allegories using the short story “Monkey Island”

by Robert Musil Monkey Island

• Students apply the allegorical framework to LotF • Students try to come up with different interpretations • Focus on some of the opposing conceptions • Round off lesson with Simpsons video Simpsons video

Genre study: Dystopia vs. Utopia! • Work out definition of the term “dystopia” • Juxtapose definition with “utopia” • Collect examples of dystopian fiction, film, music • Read Guardian article theguardian

• Highlight features attributed to genre and analyze which ones can be attributed to LotF • Students write short text in response of claims to article

Freud’s Structural Model ! • Introduce model: super-ego, ego, id • Apply model to allegorical framework of novel • Illustrates that different interpretations can coexist • Students get acquainted with central psychological /

literary theory

Thematic work: Ethics and morality • Read Genesis 3: The Fall •  Introduce concept of “sin” •  Establish parallels island/paradise, snake/beast, Satan/Beelzebub/

Lord of the Flies • Read CNN op-ed “Is Man Inherently Good or Evil?” CNN article

• Students post their own opinion on “padlet” padlet goodorevil

Thematic work: Ethics and morality • Introduce Lawrence Kohlberg’s “Six Stages of Moral

Reasoning” and apply model to a moral dilemma six stages

• Worksheet: students work in pairs comparing their actions in certain situations • Apply the model to discussions of specific moral

quandaries in the novel

Wrap up / conclusion • Unseal the time capsule • Small group discussions centered on the initial predictions

• “The Oscars” activity • Small groups identify key scenes • Students prepare 5-min sketch in which they re-enact key scene • Prepare justification for why they chose the scene • Students vote for their favorite sketch • Winning sketch is announced with “Oscar Party”

you shine ever bright

and to the darkest harbours you guide me safely

hard shell protects me

after crawling through the world before wings unfurl

blue and white flickers

red and orange light and warmth slowly melt away

yellow bright and green

feathered friends are singing gentle light abounds

like teeth sharp and white

surrounded by softest down they stretch to the stars

Task 1 • Work with a partner to identify the defining features of haiku

poems. • What do all of the poems have in common?

Task 1

Haiku • 3 lines • 5-7-5 syllable structure • Contain sensory images (not only visual), e.g. birds singing, warmth

from candle • Simple, everyday language

Task 2 • Work in groups of 3 – 4. • Write a haiku about a character, object or setting from the novel. • Describe, but don’t explicitly name the subject.

References Collie, Joanne and Stephen Slater. 1987. Literature in the Language

Classroom: A Resource Book of Ideas and Activities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Haiku Society of America. Haiku: Lesson Plan for Teachers, Grades 6 – 12. <http:www.hsa-haiku.org/EducationalResources/Workshop- Richmond-Haiku-lesson-plans.pdf> (accessed 3 May 2016).

Tessa’s Blurb. Tessa Conte. <http://tessasblurb.blogspot.ch/p/haiku- riddles.html> (accessed 3 May 2016).

Reis Mayer, Laura. A Teacher’s Guide to Lord of the Flies by William Golding. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. <http://www.penguin.com/ static/pdf/teachersguides/lordoftheflies101013b.pdf> (accessed 17 March 2016).