Grade Level: Year/Grade 11 (Ages 16-18)
Lesson Duration: 30 Minutes
Learning Objective
Students will be able to analyze the character of Roger in Lord of the Flies and identify how his actions contribute to the novel's themes of power, morality, and civilization vs. savagery.
Materials Needed
- Copies of Lord of the Flies
- Access to a projector or other device to display multimedia
- Handout on character analysis
Starter (5 minutes)
- Review of previous lesson on the novel's setting and themes.
- Quick-write activity: Have students write a short paragraph about a time they felt the need to assert their power over someone else.
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Recap of the novel's plot and introduction of the character of Roger.
Multimedia Component (5 minutes)
- Display an image or clip from a film adaptation of the novel featuring Roger's character.
Group Discussion (10 minutes)
- Prompt students with a question about Roger's character, such as "In what ways is Roger a reflection of the broader themes in the novel?"
- Have students discuss in small groups before sharing their thoughts with the full class.
Character Analysis (5 minutes)
- Provide students with a handout that guides them through key traits and actions of Roger's character.
- Have students complete the analysis individually or in pairs.
Closing (5 minutes)
- Return to the quick-write activity from the start of the lesson and have students reflect on how their perceptions of power relate to the events in Lord of the Flies.
- Wrap-up the discussion by emphasizing that the actions of individual characters like Roger contribute to larger themes in the novel.
Assessment
- Evaluate student understanding through the completion of their character analysis handout and the quality and participation in the group discussion.