War Horse was the runaway star at the 2011 Tony Awards last night, with the stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling novel scooping 5 awards, including Best Play. What’s more, the story is set to become even more popular as filming has already begun on a cinematic version directed by Steven Spielberg, due for release in early 2012. In light of this spectacular success you may want to think about reading this thrilling novel with your Key Stage 3 classes now (before they find out what happens at the end!)
Set at the outbreak of the First World War, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, although still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to the trenches to find him and bring him home. Narrated from an unusual perspective, Morpurgo’s classic novel vividly brings to life the sufferings of animals caught up in human warfare.
This month, Collins have published a brand new edition of War Horse as part of Collins Readers – our series durable, student editions of well-known classic and award-winning contemporary fiction. We’ve also created a complete (and completely free!) War Horse scheme of work to accompany your study of the text, including lesson plans, activities and worksheets, a PowerPoint presentation and more! Let us know if it’s helpful and share your experiences of teaching War Horse here.
Kimberley
Collins Education Blog
