On 9th October 2018, German A-level students from Strethearn and Bloomfield Collegiate schools, as well as boys from Campbell College Belfast, participated in a creative German language storytelling performance based on lives and legacy of the Men Behind the Glass (MBTG) project.
The purpose of the project was to help year 13 and 14 pupils develop their written and spoken German language skills, stimulate their imaginations, assist them to present confidently in German and gain an awareness of the cultural background and heritage of Germany, with reference to the events and legacy of WW1.
The initiative was facilitated by award-winning fiction writer Sheena Wilkinson. Sheena has written adult and children’s books and her latest publication, Star by Star, has been awarded the Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction. Over the last couple of weeks, she worked with students to explore different creative approaches, discuss how history can be fictionalised and consider how to present effectively in public.
During the morning, the students performed their original works in German based on their interpretation of letters, memoirs and documentary records left by the MBTG that included poems and other short pieces. Films of the morning are below.
OVERVIEW. A brief overview of the German language storytelling performance based on lives and legacy of the 126 men from CCB who were killed in the Great War.
TOP TIPS. Sheena Wilkinson sets out top tips for German language students to explore different approaches to writing and presenting poems and other creative outputs as inspired by the stories, experiences and lives of the Men Behind the Glass.