Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can use context to make predictions about the text's themes and purpose.
Key learning points
- Rules and laws are put in place to try and ensure that society remains civilised and peaceful.
- 'Lord of the Flies' was written and published shortly after WWII.
- The novel is set against the backdrop of WWII.
- The novel explores human beings' capacity for persecution and brutality.
- Golding himself experienced the brutality and savagery of humans, whilst at war.
Keywords
Civilised - an advanced state of social existence in which people are polite and well-mannered in their interactions with one another
Brutality - immense cruelty and savagery
To persecute - to subject someone to cruelty and unkindness
Savage - cruel, violent and out of control
Common misconception
When pupils think about the role of rules in society, they tend to focus on the role of more punitive rules and argue that rules are restrictive.
Try to get pupils to understand the necessity for rules and laws - particularly those that ban harming others. Get students to imagine what life would be like if harming others was not prohibited.
Teacher tip
The reflection task in Task A of Learning Cycle 1 provides you with a reference point to return to throughout the text. You can refer back to this task to illustrate the difficulties in establishing rules, when the boys begin to argue about rules in the text.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of William Golding's 'Lord of the Flies'.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is context?
Q2.In which year did World War II end?
Q3.'Lord of the Flies' is a novel. What is a novel?
Q4.A debate is a discussion about a subject on which people have different views. People their opinion at debates.
Q5.Which of the following nouns indicates the most leadership and authority?
Q6.What do we mean by the phrase 'the writer's intentions'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In which year was 'Lord of The Flies' published?
Q2.Which jobs did William Golding have in his life?
Q3.When was 'Lord of the Flies' set?
Q4.To someone means to subject them to cruelty and unkindness.
Q5. is the opposite of savagery.
Q6.What did Golding aim to explore through writing 'Lord of the Flies'?
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Considering ideas of rules and human nature in relation to 'Lord of the Flies', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the 'Lord of the Flies' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.