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Year 9

An exploration of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'

I can explain and explore the key events of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'.

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Year 9

An exploration of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'

I can explain and explore the key events of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Military airplanes fight above the island and a dead parachutist drifts down onto the island.
  2. The twins, Sam and Eric, wake and believe that the parachutist is the beast.
  3. The boys set out to hunt for the beast, with Jack in charge of the expedition.
  4. Simon does not believe in the existence of the beast.
  5. The use of dramatic irony creates a distance between reader and characters so we feel sorry for them.

Keywords

  • Despondent - unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm

  • Vivid - producing clear, powerful and detailed images in the mind

  • Anonymous - someone whose name is not known

  • Humility - freedom from pride or arrogance

  • Dramatic irony - the situation in which the audience of a play or story knows something that the characters do not know

Common misconception

Students may not understand that Sam and Eric have not actually seen the parachutist.

Unpick the description given by Sam and Eric. Were we (the reader) actually shown the different aspects of the beast?


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: An exploration of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Ask pupils to reflect on how what we think (and fear) can affect what we think we have seen. Have they and their friends ever remembered different things from the same event?
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which two of the following did William Golding do for a living?
Correct answer: teacher
Correct answer: naval commander
pilot
politician
doctor
Q2.
In 'Lord of the Flies', why does Ralph constantly stress the significance of the fire?
He thinks the group needs to stay warm.
He thinks the group needs to cook their food.
Correct answer: He thinks it is their best chance of being rescued.
He thinks it is their best chance of keeping the beast away.
Q3.
On the island, who is most frightened by the idea of the beast in 'Lord of the Flies'?
Simon
Ralph
Piggy
Correct answer: "the littluns"
Jack
Q4.
By the end of Chapter 5 of 'Lord of the Flies', which of the following is the best description of the relationship between Jack and Ralph?
They are good friends.
They are fierce enemies.
Correct answer: They are rivals for power.
They are allies.
They are collaborators.
Q5.
Which two things do the "littluns" believe about the beast in 'Lord of the Flies'?
Correct answer: that it lives in the jungle
that it is like a tiger
Correct answer: that it came from the sea
that there are two different beasts
Q6.
How does Jack's successful hunting of a pig affect the way the boys regard him in 'Lord of the Flies'?
Correct answer: It makes the boys admire him.
It makes the boys dislike him.
It makes the boys frightened.
It makes the boys hungry.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right.
Correct Answer:vivid,clear
tick

clear

Correct Answer:anonymous,unknown
tick

unknown

Correct Answer:despondent ,despairing
tick

despairing

Correct Answer:humility,humbleness
tick

humbleness

Q2.
What is the literary term for a situation in which the reader knows things that the characters don't?
Correct Answer: dramatic irony
Q3.
Which character leads the boys down the mountain at the end of Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'?
Ralph
Piggy
Simon
Correct answer: Jack
Q4.
How does the parachutist arrive on the island in Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'?
He comes from the sea by boat.
Correct answer: He lands from a fighter plane.
He was blown there from another island.
He was the pilot in the original plane the boys were on.
Q5.
In Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies', which two of the following characters definitely do not believe in the beast?
Ralph
Jack
Correct answer: Piggy
Correct answer: Simon
Bill
Q6.
Which of the following is an example of dramatic irony in Chapter 6 of 'Lord of the Flies'?
Not all the boys believe in the existence of the beast.
Jack uses the boys' fears of the beast to assert his status.
The reader feels sympathy for the boys.
Correct answer: The reader knows about the parachutist and the characters don't.
The reader can make predictions about the rest of the novel.