Looking for some tried and tested Lord of the Flies Introduction Lesson hacks?
Well, I LOVE teaching Lord of the Flies and these are the strategies that I use in my classroom to PUMP students up to read this classic novel!
Lord of the Flies is an important book because it tackles the inherent evil that resides in all humans. Golding does an excellent job of showing how, given the opportunity, people will quickly descend into savagery. The book is a warning against the dangers of letting such evil go unchecked.
I have two goals when introducing a new novel study to my class.
FIRST, I like to GRAB their attention with a shocking, interesting or controversial discussion.
SECOND, I like to be CLEAR and EXPLICIT about the literary devices they should look out for while reading.
Reading on to find my 5 teaching hacks for introducing Lord of the Flies.
#1 Introduce Lord of the Flies with an Anticipation Guide
Anticipation guides are the tried and tested activity to introduce any novel, play or story in your high school classroom.
Instead of just handing out a paper with random statements, I like to walk my students through a mini-lesson that explains the educational purpose behind anticipation guides.
Giving students a behind the “lesson” glimpse allows them to develop their metacognitive thinking skills. They get an opportunity to “think” about their own “thinking”.
An anticipation guide as a Lord of the Flies introduction is a before-reading strategy to activate prior knowledge about ideas and topics in the text by generating dialogue.
The purpose of an anticipation guide is to get students thinking about some of the topics that come up in the text.
This process challenges students to think critically about what they know or what they think you know about a topic.
#2 Show a movie clip from LOST as part of your Lord of the Flies Introduction Lesson
My FAVOURITE Lord of the Flies Introduction is to show my students this clip from Season 1, Episode 1 of LOST.
Lord of the Flies opens with the boys getting their bearings after the plane crash, and this is precisely what happens in the LOST series opener.
- I tell them that I am going to show them a clip from a pilot episode of a top-rated TV series.
- I explain that a Pilot’s purpose is to pitch a potential TV show and see if a test audience likes it.
As they watch, students are to think about the following prompts:
- What kind of story is this pilot episode setting up?
- What makes this clip very engaging and exciting from a viewer’s perspective?
After students have had time to think about these prompts in small groups, we have a short class discussion to share ideas.
Plan on showing your class the Lord of the Flies Movie? Read Books with Movie Adaptations: 5 Tips to Not Mess Up Your Film Study
#3 Introduce Lord of the Flies by showing a trailer from Survivor
I share some history about the Survivor Franchise, like how at the time it was one of the first reality TV shows of its kind on mainstream channels. What better Lord of the Flies introduction is there than to share a REAL LIFE example of a “survive on an island” scenario.
You can select any series trailer, but I linked my favourite one below.
I then propose the same viewing questions to students:
- What kind of story is this trailer setting up?
- What makes this clip very engaging and exciting from a viewer’s perspective?
Have your grabbed your Lord of the Flies Freebie yet?
#4 Introduce the Symbols of Lord of the Flies before reading Chapter 1
I like to introduce the main symbols in the story right away, using these symbolism visuals.
These visuals stay posted on the board for the entirety of our novel study. Doing so puts symbolism front and center (literally) of students’ minds before we even begin reading.
After introducing the symbols, I get students to make predictions about possible themes or topics the novel will explore.
Visual resources create a concrete starting point to explore the use of abstract literary devices.
With a concrete visual displayed on the board, students can more easily recognize the variations and layers of symbols and motifs that get brought up again and again in the play.
Grab your own set of Symbolism and Motif Visuals
#5 Introduce a CONTROVERSIAL Theme from the Novel
Lord of the Flies is an old novel, and the language can be a shock for students. Especially ELL students or developing learners.
Displaying the symbols and the themes on the board will allow them to get a glimpse of the whole picture – without giving any spoilers away. I always make the abstract themes in Lord of the Flies concrete with Theme Visuals.
I believe it is in all students’ best interest to get a big picture idea of the novel before they begin reading.
I ask students: What predictions can they make? – This makes a great ticket out the door prompt.
Themes in Lord of the Flies
- The question of human nature
- War and the future of humankind
- Primitivity vs civilization
- The need for social order
- The struggle to build a civilization
- The power of fear
- Savagery & “the beast”
- Spirituality & Religion
- Hierarchy of the weak vs. strong
- Wisdom and Knowledge
- The dangers of mob mentality
- The loss of innocence
- Human’s inherent evil
Themes are all about reading between the lines, which is a challenge for most students.
- Theme visuals keep ME and my students focused on what matters in the play.
- They act as visual targets to narrow and focus our daily discussions.
When planning your Lord of the Flies Introduction lesson, think about ways you can spark student interest (showing movie clips) and be clear and explicit about what they should be looking out for.
Looking for inspiration before teaching Lord of the Flies? Read Thoreau on Nature and Human Nature, the Tonic of Wildness, and the Value of the Unexplored.
Plan on showing your class the Lord of the Flies Movie? Read Books with Movie Adaptations: 5 Tips to Not Mess Up Your Film Study
Make sure to check out Key Characters from Lord of the Flies: New Teacher Cheat Sheet
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Carley 📚 Teacher Author @ Visual Thinking Classroom
B.A., B.Ed., Graduate Certificate in Teacher Librarianship // carley@visualthinkingclassroom.com
