Student version

War Horse Online Worksheet

Write brief answers while watching. Use specific scenes for your analysis afterward.

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Before viewing

1. Identify one characteristic of WWI you have studied. How might it affect someone experiencing the war?

2. How might following an animal help an audience understand war differently from following a general?

Part A · Albert, Joey, and the farm

3. Why does Joey become important to Albert and his family beyond being an animal they care about?

4. Identify an action Albert takes that shows how his relationship with Joey develops.

5. When Joey is sold to the army, how does war affect Albert before he becomes a soldier?

Part B · Joey enters the war

6. How does Captain Nicholls respond to Albert’s concern about Joey? What does this reveal?

7. What happens when the cavalry charge encounters machine-gun fire? What does this suggest about traditional cavalry tactics?

8. What does following Joey to the opposing side allow the audience to observe?

Part C · Soldiers and civilians

9. What decision does the older German brother make to protect his younger brother? What consequences follow?

10. How do Emilie and her grandfather’s experiences show the effects of war on civilians?

11. When soldiers take the horses, what does this reveal about military needs and civilian wishes?

Part D · The demands of war

12. What work do Joey and Topthorn perform? Identify a detail showing its physical cost.

13. How does Joey become trapped in no man’s land? How does the setting create danger?

14. How do British and German soldiers cooperate to help Joey? Why does their cooperation stand out?

Part E · Reunion and aftermath

15. How does Albert recognize and connect with Joey again? Why is this important?

16. Why does Emilie’s grandfather want Joey? What leads him to let Albert have the horse?

After viewing

17. Explain how the cavalry charge illustrates a problem with older tactics against modern weapons.

18. Choose two people from different national backgrounds. Explain an experience, concern, or value they share.

19. Does Joey’s rescue suggest the soldiers’ differences have disappeared? What does the scene show—and what does it not establish?

20. Identify a historical detail you would investigate before accepting it as representative of WWI. What source could help?

Final written response

How does War Horse help viewers understand the costs of WWI? Write a paragraph with a claim, two scenes, reasoning, and one limitation of using the film to learn history.

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