War Horse Lesson 13: Headline News - PowerPoint

In Lesson Thirteen of the 'War Horse' teaching series, students delve into the world of journalism by analysing example newspaper stories. The aim is to equip them with the skills to write a compelling newspaper report that demonstrates their understanding of the plot and characters from Michael Morpurgo's 'War Horse'. They begin by examining local newspapers, focusing on layout, writing style, and common features found in news articles. This analysis sets the groundwork for their own writing task, where they will apply what they've learned to create a newspaper report.

The main activity requires students to craft a detailed story for the front page of 'The Devon Daily News', centred around Joey, the beloved horse from 'War Horse'. They are guided to answer the '5 Ws'—Who, When, Where, Why, and What—to ensure their report is informative and engaging. The students must also pay attention to the presentation, arranging their work to mirror the format of a real newspaper story, complete with a headline and appropriate journalistic style. Once their stories are written, the lesson concludes with a plenary where students have the opportunity to share their reports with the group. These stories could potentially be used by the teacher to create a display that celebrates the novel 'War Horse' and the students' hard work.