St Francis School, Cospicua, recently placed first in the 2008 Best Language Practice of the Year award competition with a project entitled 'Teaching through drama various aspects of healthy environmental values across the curriculum'. Through the project, the school showed how drama could be used in schools as a mode of learning and a teaching method that runs across the whole school curriculumto facilitate teaching and learning.

The project involved three Year 3 classes performing a musical called The Litter Muncher by Nicki Davies, which dealt with the importance of keeping the country clean and tidy. As preparation for the musical, the classes first collected information via the internet regarding types of waste, waste management, harmful waste, recycable and non-recycable waste, waste separation, bulky waste, batteries, pollution and its impact on our environment, our health and the positive use on our environment, when using biodiesel.

The classes then carried out another project entitled 'Waste or Waste Separation' that involved a field trip to Buskett. Through the research work, field trip and other activities, the children practised teamwork and the four language skills, that is, speaking, listening, writing and reading, in an enjoyable and practical way. Moreover, the activities also helped them develop important thought processes, namely coherent thinking, general reasoning, imagination and creativity.

Finally, the experience of taking part in the musical, having to learn and recite verses, helped to improve the pupils' English comprehension and speaking skills.

This was the sixth edition of the competition, which is organised by National Curriculum Council together with the Department for Curriculum Management within the Education Division.