"Lord of the Flies" Survival Game

Seventh graders are immersed in an "island survival" adventure related to their study of William Golding's 1954 classic Lord of the Flies. The novel tells the story of a group of school-age boys marooned on an uninhabited island, where they struggle to survive without a government or rules.

In this creative, unique activity that spans 10 class sessions, our boys are assigned to belong to one of two "tribes." Using knowledge gained from history classes in the fall, they first determine what type of government system to adopt.

During the simulations, they strategize methods to overcome obstacles and acquire resources such as wood, food, shelter, and water. The simulation requires the boys to negotiate, debate, and reflect critically on their decisions as they face challenges to their survival.

In journals, they regularly write about their thinking, their decisions and consequences. Writing skills are further developed and honed. In addition to analyzing the themes, conflicts, and characters in the novel, they analyze their own actions, bringing a component of personal reflection and introspection to the activity. In a recent class, the boys' writing assignment was to identify which character in the novel they felt they were most like and why, based upon their own behavior in their tribe.

This new learning experience is an example of the in-depth, active learning that crosses disciplines at Saint David's, allowing our boys to dig deep and grapple with important life issues.

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NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

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The second year of our unique partnership with the American Museum of Natural History-Hayden Planetarium kicked off on Friday when the sixth grade had their first session of the Digital Universe unit. The session included a private viewing at the planetarium in which boys were able to explore the entire universe. They and their teachers were invited to view the show from the vantage point of the floor in the center of the round theater, staring up into the apex of the dome. What an amazing perspective! Museum educator and astro-visualization expert Nathan Belomy took the boys on a tour of the observable universe, allowing them to get a feel for the scale of distance and size in the universe. In a fun activity related to scale, the boys set down a volleyball (representing the sun) at 79th Street, and walked for blocks down Columbus avenue with the planets in our solar system represented by a variety of smaller objects – a cupcake sprinkle, a marble – predicting and then measu

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