A Journey Into Literature
On Monday the 15th of April the Senior 1 year group was accompanied on an interesting school outing which now seems to be turning into an annual tradition – the Narnia based literature outing to Valletta.
Together with a group of accompanying LSEs and the 3 Senior 1 teachers of English, our group of 48 girls were led into Valletta to journey through a WW2 memorable adventure.
Our first stop in Valletta was at Malta 5D to watch a 20 minute 5D movie experience based on Malta’s most historically prominent stages. What was of our utmost focus this time round was the scene giving prominence to Malta during the WW2 years of 1939-1945, since the background to the novel ‘Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ covered in class , focuses on The Blitz, air raid attacks and sirens, WW2 child evacuees and the like.
The girls enjoyed every bit of the movie and the 5D effects must have worked their magic judging from the thrilling moments and unexpected surprises the girls spoke about on their way to our next stop.
At 10am a Valletta fun train stood waiting at the steps of St John’s co-cathedral where our Senior 1s were finishing off from their first short lunch break. Then again, the aim of the train ride around Valletta was for our girls to pause at various sites around the Capital, which are WW2 related, and thanks to the ongoing-recorded commentary on board the girls made the most of this second activity.
Next and final visit was to the Lascaris War Rooms. After a second short lunch break at the Upper Barakka gardens, the girls were guided round the corner down a flight of steps and a walk through a tunnel towards the entrance to Lascaris War Rooms. The semi-lit tunnel itself already seemed to give off a WW2 atmosphere and the girls already appeared to be intrigued by what was yet in store for them.
We were warmly welcomed at the entrance and were led to a front room where our guide introduced himself and gave us a brief outline of the layout of the War Rooms and their actual function throughout WW2. We were then led through quite a number of passages and rooms, some of which were larger than others and which held originals as well as replicas of a number of WW2 artefacts. We were proud to observe our eager students as they asked the guide quite a number of interesting questions. This showed nothing but their deep appreciation, keenness and enjoyment in learning more about our rich history in an enjoyable way.
The girls had a delightful morning and they did not cease to show their gratitude for this immersive English literature learning experience.
Senior 1 Teachers of English
Ms. Margaret Vella
Ms. Stephanie Gatt
Ms. Caroline Pullicino
