War Horse Year 7 Novel Study Teaching Unit

Explore the emotional and powerful story of War Horse by Michael Morpurgo with this engaging Year 7 English novel study. This teaching pack helps students investigate themes of friendship, loyalty, courage, and the impact of war while developing strong reading comprehension and analytical skills.

Narrated from the unique perspective of Joey the horse, the novel follows his journey from a peaceful farm in England to the battlefields of World War I. Along the way, Joey forms deep bonds with the people he meets and experiences both the hardship and kindness that exist during times of war. Through Joey’s story, students gain insight into the human and animal experiences of war while exploring empathy and resilience.

The novel provides excellent opportunities for students to examine narrative perspective, character relationships, and historical context while engaging in thoughtful discussions and reflective activities.

What’s Included:
A structured sequence of ready-to-teach Year 7 lessons
Comprehension and discussion activities to support close reading
Character exploration focusing on Joey, Albert, and other key figures
Theme analysis including friendship, loyalty, courage, and the effects of war
Activities exploring narrative voice and point of view
Historical context exploration related to World War I
Scaffolded analytical paragraph writing tasks
Creative and reflective activities that deepen students’ connection to the story
Class Investigation Pack

You can:
Convert to PowerPoint: Upload the PDF to PowerPoint (File → Open) and it will automatically convert to slides.
Use in Google Slides: Upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click, and open with Google Slides.
Use digitally or print: Upload the PDF to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) or print it for handouts.
You could also use Canva to upload the PDF and convert and save as a PowerPoint.