Free teaching resource for War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. Printable.
Give pupils accounts of Joey's time with the British army and his time with the German brothers. Ask: what is similar about how the soldiers treat Joey? What does this suggest about the men on both sides of the war?
Pupils write three diary entries from Joey's perspective: (1) the day he leaves the farm, (2) his first experience of a cavalry charge, (3) the night in No Man's Land. Pupils must write as Joey — without human political understanding, only animal experience: sound, smell, fear, comfort.
Over one million horses served in the First World War. Pupils research what actually happened to British war horses and compare with Morpurgo's fictional account. What is accurate? What is different?