Reading Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922)
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what happens in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ including exploring some of its major themes.
Key learning points
- Mansfield (1888-1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic.
- Mansfield was part of the modernist movement: she rejected traditional ideas about what literature should look like.
- ‘The Fly’ presents two men, both of whom lost their sons in World War One.
- ‘The Fly’ (1922) was perhaps inspired by her own experiences of loss in World War One: her brother was killed in 1915.
Keywords
Modernism - a literary movement in which writers rejected traditional ideas about what poetry and other forms of literature should look like
Universal - applicable to all people regardless of circumstance
Experimental - new, innovative, untested
Theme - an important idea in a text, often this idea is universal, for example, love
Nihilism - the idea that life is meaningless
Common misconception
Mr. Woodifield intentionally tries to upset the boss.
Mr. Woodifield seems unaware that he has upset the boss, and his cruelty in mentioning his son's grave in Belgium is thoughtless rather than deliberately cruel.
Teacher tip
Consider how you want to read 'The Fly' with your class. What questions do you want to ask to check for understanding, how will you move between readers and what words will your pupils need quick definitions for?
Equipment
You will need a copy of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' which can be found in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'Literary perspectives from the First World War', the texts you read are written from different perspectives. Match the perspectives to their definitions.
writing about yourself using pronouns like "I", "me", "mine" and "we"
a narrator talks directly to a reader using pronouns like "you"
a narrator tells the story but isn't in it; uses "he", "she", "they"
Q2.Here is one of the first lines of 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield. "His talk was over; it was time for him to be off." What perspective is the short story written in?
Q3.All of these words are important to Katherine Mansfield's short story 'The Fly'. Match each word to their definition.
applicable to all people regardless of circumstance
new, innovative, untested
an important idea in a text
a story that is often designed to be read in one sitting
Q4.Inferring is an important skill when reading any text. What does it mean to infer?
Q5.Telegrams feature in much of the literature about World War One (Literary perspectives from the First World War). Why were telegrams dreaded by those on the home front?
Q6.In Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly', one of the characters is described as a "broken man". What language technique is being used?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Starting with the first, put these plot points about Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' in chronological order.
Q2.Katherine Mansfield wrote 'The Fly'. What is true of Katherine Mansfield?
Q3.What is true of the boss in Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly'?
Q4.What is true of Mr. Woodifield in Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly'?
Q5.In Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly', we are told that, for the boss, " itself had come to have no other meaning" since the loss of his son.
Q6.In Katherine Mansfield's story, 'The Fly', Mr. Woodifield tells the boss about seeing his son's grave. Mansfield writes "Only a in his eyelids showed that he heard.
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Reading Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 English lesson on: Reading Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘The Fly’ (1922), 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 Literary perspectives from the First World War unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.