Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Lesson plans, activities, resources

| Biography and Background | | Lord of the Flies |

Biography and Background

William Golding
The author's official site, with biographical timeline and resources for students and teachers.

William Golding
The author's biography from Wikipedia.

William Golding
Follow links to hear Golding's Nobel Lecture and Banquet Speech.

Lord of the Flies

Teacher Guide to Lord of the Flies
How might students use storyboards to demonstrate and to extend their learning? Check the resources here. Includes plot summary and diagram, essential questions, themes, symbols, motifs, character mapping, vocabulary, and discussion of dystopia. Note: Storyboard That helps sponsor this site.

60-second Recap: Lord of the Flies
A series of short videos to introduce students to the novel.

Defining Moments: Charting Character Evolution in Lord of the Flies
Students analyze characters by noting the ways in which defining moments shape personalities. In this lesson, students chart the evolution of Jack and Ralph in order to gain perspective on how life on the island affects them. Students will chart changes, note the "direction" of their characters, support their conclusions with textual evidence, and present their findings. As a post-lesson assessment, teachers can also use the essay reflection directions and rubric.

Digital Booktalk: Lord of the Flies
This short video (1:34) can serve as a prereading activity. After students finish the novel, they can create one of their own.

Figurative Language in Lord of the Flies
26 quotations drawn from the novel. Students identify metaphor, simile, personification, or hyperbole. Answers available. Can be printed as worksheet (4 pages) or completed online.

Just Because poems
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a classic example of how voice can be controlled, limited or taken away altogether in a society with an unbalanced power structure. Writers will analyze the distribution of power, and with it, voice, as Golding’s makeshift community evolves and write "Just Because" poems that give voice to those not being heard on the island. Finally students will look at today’s society and find those in need of voice, possibly even themselves, and write new "Just Because" poems so they, too, can be heard.

Lesson: Lord of the Flies … for the teacher
Students explore the themes of power, control, abuse and respect among the characters. This 9-page document offers several activities and discussion questions. It requires Adobe Reader for access.

Lord of the Flies
Instructional timeline and student handouts, including prereading activities, vocabulary, journal topics, setting and character analysis, graphic organizers, types of conflict, comprehension questions, literature circle guides, Socratic Seminar guidelines and questions, symbolism, themes, an assignment for a presentation and its rubric, persuasive writing prompt and its rubric. 58 pages; Adobe Reader required for access.

Lord of the Flies
A variety of reading strategies and reading activities: a directed reading-thinking activity, a guided imagery activity, practice identifying symbols, a debate on ethics, and more.

Lord of the Flies
A teacher's support materials: links to a biography, printable study guides, a culminating activity discussing who is responsible for Simon's death, and links to 2 YouTube videos.

Lord of the Flies
Students explore power, control, abuse and respect between the characters in the novel. This 9-page document requires Adobe Reader for access and is sponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

Lord of the Flies
Author study, study guide questions, vocabulary, follow-up activities, and more.

Lord of the Flies
Skip the first two pages of this document; the teaching ideas begin on page 3. Requires Adobe Reader or compatible application for access.

Lord of the Flies
Analysis here includes plot summary, symbols, more.

Lord of the Flies
This study guide is designed to support a theatrical production and includes useful classroom activities. Synopsis of the play, characters, background information and timeline, writing and analysis. Activities are aligned with CCSS.

Lord of the Flies
An extensive list of post-reading activities and rubrics.

Lord of the Flies Lesson Plans
What happens to civilized people when the structures of civilization disappear? Group work, adaptations, discussion questions, vocabulary words, extensions, suggested reading, and related links. A comprehensive site.

Lord of the Flies
This online game is an interactive review activity with emphasis on character analysis, symbolism, and theme.

Lord of the Flies Student Resources
Online quizzes, puzzles, study guides, project ideas, and related links.

Same Setting, Different Moods
Writers will examine and discuss techniques that writers use to link moods to setting descriptions. Next they will choose a mood and an interesting setting, and they will imagine a character in their chosen settings. Finally, each student will write a setting description, and he/she will attempt to establish a mood by imitating techniques that have been talked about and examined. This lesson focuses on voice and word choice.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 5 titles inspired by Lord of the Flies .

Text to Text: Lord of the Flies and "A Fight Club for Flies"
This lesson plan pairs Chapter 8 (hunting the sow) with scientific research on aggression in fruit flies to address the key question, "What is the relationship between aggression and gender?" Includes handouts, links to additional information.

Understanding Lord of the Flies
A very thorough site for background information, analysis & critique, lesson plans and webquests, and other topics.

Vocabulary from William Golding's Lord of the Flies
Words are presented in context and with definitions. Click on a word for pronunciation, examples of recent use, more.