War Horse Lesson 5: Captain Nicholls - PowerPoint

In the fifth lesson of a series on Michael Morpurgo's "War Horse," students delve into the character of Captain Nicholls, aiming to consolidate their understanding of the novel's events up to this point. The lesson's objectives include reading and discussing chapters five and six, with a particular focus on Captain Nicholls, as well as other characters such as Corporal Samuel Perkins and Topthorn. Students are encouraged to complete a table of events for the earlier chapters to ensure they have a solid grasp of the story's progression. They are then asked to reflect on their impressions of Captain Nicholls, jotting down descriptive words or phrases that capture their view of him.

Further exploration into Captain Nicholls' character is facilitated through an examination of how the author uses description, dialogue, and action to shape his portrayal. Students are tasked with identifying quotations from the text and determining whether they are descriptions, dialogues, or actions, and what these reveal about Captain Nicholls. They are then guided to write a paragraph, using provided sentence starters, to articulate how Morpurgo presents Captain Nicholls to the reader. The lesson concludes with a plenary where students share their paragraphs with the group to discuss and evaluate different interpretations of the character.