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I really really enjoy this ELBC session because I believe that it will help me throughout the school year, I met a lot of nice friends and Ms. Liza has always been a caring and helpful teacher. She makes learning english very fun with her games and movie time. I learned how to debate, how to create a good speech, how to do comprehension and listening but most importantly, because of Ms. Liza, I learn manners and people skills.

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This ELBC has been a really fun experience. I learnt a lot of English and got an overview on the O-level English paper, which would help me be more prepared in the future.

Aside from that, I managed to get to know everyone a lot better during this month. We played games together, we did projects together and completed tasks together. I feel very happy to have such good friends and classmates, and I actually don’t want to part with them.

Ms Liza, thank you for your guidance during this whole month. To be completely honest, at first sight I thought you would be a really serious teacher. But turns out you were really nice and humorous!! You are a really good teacher, I will miss you!! I hope you won’t forget me too. Hope your teaching journey ahead would be filled with joy and happiness too.

Regards,

Xing Yie

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I really enjoyed ELBC. I was originally scared of ELBC but the more classes I attended, the more I enjoyed it. I really like how Ms Liza balances between materials and games so that ELBC wasn’t too boring and we still learned a lot of new stuff. Debating was definitely a first for me and I was really scared to try it. But now, I’ve gotten more used to it and I’ve gotten better. I’m glad we did ELBC because now I have more friends from different countries. I feel really sad that ELBC is ending soon and school is about to start. I hope we stay in the same class next year.

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Over these 22 days, I had fun in ELBC. These few days I learnt essay writing and shortening it, creating our own haiku, and even debate in a more professional setting. I am glad I had great classmates, some may not cooperate as they were told but the results were bearable. I believe this course is beneficial, not just to learn English, but to make more friends, build meaningful connections and build up confidence in ourselves.

I’m sad that ELBC is ending and we have to start school soon. I hope we get Ms Liza next year when school starts too.

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1. The new idioms I learnt today is “paint the town red” which means going drinking and dancing, “drive a coach and horses through something” which means to completely destroy a rule, an argument or a plan. Lastly is “the best thing since sliced bread”, used to describe something or someone that one thinks is very good, useful.

2. I realised there are some great artists in class. The clues they gave are quite specific, but because we don’t recognise it so we couldn’t come up with the idiom. Which is why I think I need to gain more knowledge on this field. I observed that everyone was more at ease collaborating compared to our first idiom session at the start of ELBC, which makes me feel happy and satisfied.

3. I like how everyone was strategising to win the game, we were actively guessing the idioms even though we don’t know. We just randomly spammed words that would become an idiom, which made this session really fun.

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3 new Idioms I learnt:

Paint the town red

No skeletons in the closet

By the bullet.

2 things I observed:

My group chose many idioms that were quite easy which made it easier for the opposing team more likely to guess our idioms.

Some idioms are hard to draw. Even with colours and movements. Some are like, bite of more than you chew

1 thing I liked:

Naming, listing and guessing the idioms

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3 new Idioms I learnt:

The next best thing since sliced bread.

It takes 2 hands to clap.

By the bullet.

2 things I observed:

My group chose 2 idioms that were the same as what the other groups chose by accident.

Some idioms are really hard to draw, it’s easier to say it. Example: “jack of all trades, master of none.”

1 thing I liked:

Drawing the idioms on the board.

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On today’s debate I feel like I’ve improved writing and finding the information more. I was a reserve and not a speaker so I didn’t need to stand up and talk to the audience and opposing team. But, I still listened to the proposing team and my own team. I helped my teammates make a reply and I feel like I’m getting better at writing replies.

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Today’s debate was an even more exciting one. The first debate I was the chairman and I had lots of fun addressing everyone. I could hear everyone’s speeches and points clearly in the front. In the second debate, I had a new POV as a reserve speaker. It was really fun to summarise everything and think of rebuttals although I couldn’t speak. I think that my team has performed fairly well compared to their last debate, and I feel proud of them as they became a more braver them.

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As a debater:

I learned that I have to stay alert during the debate. I was having many stops in the middle of the debate, this is one part I have to improve on. I also have to create more iconic and convincing rebuttals for my reply teammates too.

As an audience:

Today’s debate was an interesting and memorable one. It was so humorous and funny. Although I know debaters should accept POIs so that they can further prove their points but they rejected almost all POI and we found it very funny.

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movie review: the wonderful story of Henry Sugar

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I think that I could write the essay pretty well. Before writing it, I thought about the possible answers to the essay topic and made a list. I finally went with one answer and then listed what I learned and gained from the activity. After that, everything was smooth. Although, I did struggle a bit in the beginning. I couldn’t think of anything meaningful that I did in my free time and I spent about 20 minutes thinking about it.

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I get to finish my essay in the library. It was very cold and comfortable there. I wrote about the activities I do to occupy my free time meaningfully. This was a time for me to relax after all the concert dry runs and rehearsals. I hope there will be more time to go to the library, for reading, research or for tasks Ms Liza gave us, especially after rehearsals.

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I really did a personal reflect into what I like doing and what is meaningful to me when writing the essay. I think I executed my ideas quite well without exceeding the word limit, I was able to convey my feelings through the essay. I think I could try to use more in depth words to make the essay more impactful and give the readers a more enjoyable and meaningful experience.

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Beige Green Vintage Watercolor Creative Portfolio Presentation.pdf

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My POV:

I found the activity really fun and interesting because we had to hide items and make clues for the other group to find. My favorite part was making the map and also doing the treasure hunt itself. We got the treasure hunt made by group 2 and we finished first.

Team POV:

When my group and I were hiding the items, we all helped each other to find a good spot. Especially Kevin since he’s the tallest in our group. I helped make the map and Jasmine, Phat, and Kevin helped make the haiku’s. Jasmine, Phat, and Kevin wrote some really good haiku’s for our treasure hunt that gave the other group enough clues but not enough for them to discover it instantly. When it was time to do the treasure hunt, my group and I did the treasure hunt made by group 2. But, Jasmine wasn’t with us because she was the guide for group 2. We all helped each other find the items from the other group and it was really fun. I think the hardest item to find was the green staples box because it was really small and it blended in with the surroundings.

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POV: Me

I get to create the clues and draw “maps” with Hazel. Our clues were a bit too informative and obvious I guess. I had a lot of fun participating in this treasure hunt. From clueless, to understanding, exhaustion, and at last frustration. I never thought the items were hidden in almost impossible places. Darren Lim was honestly an informative guide. (Although he gave the wrong instructions) It was also super exhausting because I had to run 44 rounds around a pillar singing a song. (Which was by Darren Lim also)

POV: Members of the team

Our members are undeniably very creative. Brandon found many hidden spots to hide the items. Brainard and Alvian made a good team in doing their tasks. Hazel and I paired super well too. With only a specific amount of time given, communication and collaboration is super important. Overall, I think our group did a great job, playing our own tiny but important role in the group. I am glad this activity brought us together in an interactive way.

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Individual:

I really like this treasure hunt session. It was really fun to find the items, make the map and haikus, and discussing the clues given. I think I may have a knack to find food, as I found a sweet under a leaf and a banana behind a glass wall. Overall, it was really exciting!! Would love to do it again.

Member of the team:

Our team is really talented. Darren Wong is good a mapping, I think he may have read a lot of detective novels, as he is well versed in hiding clues within the map.

Darren Wijaya is good at finding haikus. He has a lot of resources and gives interesting ideas on hiding the items. He is very energetic and it is influential.

Nhat is helpful in this journey, as he often gives his point of view, which really contributed to the team.

I would also like to add an extra compliment for Hans. He is a good host and really adds to the vibe which encourages us to find the items more enthusiastically.

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My essay was based on a true story that was experienced by my previous classmates. But, I changed it so that it was in first person in my essay. I don’t quite know how to write horror stories yet so my essay doesn’t have a scary vibe. So, I need to work on that.

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I got my inspiration from a movie I watched online. I might have seen supernatural objects such as the story I wrote before but I forgotten most of it.

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Last month, I attended a camp organised by the scout headquarters. This camp was hosted in a college institution and we set up tents on the field. It was a girl guides and Boy Scout collaboration activity. Hence, all girls who attends have to go home at 10p.m. and arrive at 7:30 in the morning the next day.

I slept over at my friend’s place that night. We were too excited for the camp and we wanted to spend more time around at our campsite. Hence, we went there through a quiet alley way shortcut. The air was still, and the only sound was the crunch of leaves under our feet.

Ahead, he saw a woman standing by a banana tree, her long black hair covering her face. Thinking she needed help, Amir called out, but she didn’t respond. As he approached, her head slowly turned—too far, twisting unnaturally—and revealed hollow, black eyes.

Amir turned to run, but the jungle path was gone. Behind him, the woman whispered, “You shouldn’t have come here.”

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I actually got the reference of my horror story from a video that I watched a year ago. It was based on Karak Highway, which leads to Genting Highlands, a famous tourist spot. There is a fair share of horror stories in Genting Highlands, especially in hotels, but I feel it is a bit repetitive, so I think that the Karak Highway one is more interesting.

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The library session was useful to me because I got to know more about Singapore and the history of the racetrack that is now used for the Singapore F1 Night Race. I also explored the library a bit more because my partner, Kayla, helped make the presentation together so we finished designing our presentation early.

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1. The library session was useful, in my opinion. It was quiet and has a productive environment. I also got to touch on topics that I normally wouldn’t. I learnt how to summarise points from a long text, as we are going to do a presentation not a publication.

2. It was a very fun to do this review in pairs. My pair Shun Ning was very helpful, we could exchange points of view and ideas. We also occasionally made jokes, not in a bad way. Without her, this presentation would not be possible.

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Week 2: Flying pen & Star formation reflection

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Week 2: Flying pen & Star formation reflection

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Activity 1 - Flying Pen

I learned how to communicate well with my friends and write the word independence. Even though it looks a bit messy we still managed to finish second.

Activity 2 - Star Formation

I learned how to make a star using just strings with my friends very quickly. We learned how to coordinate and be fast at the same time.

Similarities:

Uses communication skills

Learn how to think quickly

Differences:

Different goals

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It was a dark night, with only a faint moon glow shining upon our car. My friend, Astra and I were on our way to our vacation spot. I was in a half-asleep state, looking at my faithful watch to count down the time till we arrived at Genting Highlands. Bored, I looked out of the window. Then, I saw a neon yellow Volkswagen driving in front of us. It kept blocking our way, making us drive like a slow tortoise. Frustrated, Astra stepped on the accelerating panel. It soon became a Formula 1 competition. The yellow Volkswagen didn’t want to lose, as they also started driving faster. Astra couldn’t tolerate it any more, and decided to give it the final blow and our car shot past the yellow Volkswagen.

We were very curious who would drive so annoyingly, so we decided to take a peek when we were alongside the yellow Volkswagen. There was no one there. We both held our breath as we realised it. In a blink of an eye, the yellow Volkswagen was suddenly in front of us again. We were scared, perspiring like crazy. Astra immediately changed the route, even if it took a longer time to arrive.

That night was forever engraved in our memory. I never took that route to Genting Highlands ever again, terrified to meet that ghostly yellow Volkswagen again.

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Week 2: Flying pen & Star formation reflection

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Week 2: Flying pen & Star formation reflection

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Activity 1 - Flying pen

We had to write the word “independent” on a paper. I realised Darren Wong and Gabrielle are good planners while Darren Lim is a good listener who follows our instructions well while adding his own opinions.

We had to cooperate well with each other to write words which made me realise we needed a better strategy, which is writing all the words in capital letters.

Activity 2 - Star Formation

This game needed us to recover our childhood memory to form the rubber band star. Gabrielle was exceptionally good at it and she guided us to finish it. 3 of us each got assigned a role and we finished the star in less than 3 seconds.

Ms Liza gave us all 2 packets of Liza for break too!

Compare

Similarities

1. Both needed cooperation and strong strategies to work well and fast

Difference

1. Flying Pen focuses more on cooperation and strategy while Star Formation focuses more on skills and memory.

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“Great things start off small”

-James and the Giant Peach

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Week 2: The Open Window Reflection 28/11

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Week 2: The Open Window Reflection 28/11

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3 things I discovered about the short story:

Vera is a liar

Framton had a sister who stayed in that town four years ago.

Framton is sick.

2 things I enjoyed about the activities:

I enjoyed reading the story aloud with my friends

I enjoyed discussing which person should read which part and practicing it.

1 useful thing I can use for English language:

I can use the pronunciation that I practiced when reading the story out loud.

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The best view comes after the hardest climb

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As a Debater

As a debater, I still need to work on my public speaking skills, specifically during debating. I tend to get nervous when giving my speech in front of everyone so my words jumble up and I don't get my point across.

As part of the Audience

As part of the audience, I learned how to observe more and listen well to the speech my friends are giving during the debate. Although, sometimes I space out and don't know what my friends just said.

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Today I went to the boarding school library for the first time and learned how to read an article and summarize it into a few presentation slides quickly.

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Formal Debate Reflection

3 things I learnt:

- I learned how a formal debate works.

- I learned how to ask questions and act as a judge.

- I learned how I should speak when giving my speech.

2 things I will put into practice:

- Be confident when saying my speech.

- Get straight to the point first and not repeat my words.

1 thing I enjoyed:

- I enjoyed seeing my friends debate and seeing their different perspectives.

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Debate Reflection

3 things I learnt:

- I learned how a debate usually works.

- I learned how to make a speech for a debate for the first time.

- I learned that I tend to get nervous when debating.

2 things I will put into practice:

- Be more confident when stating my impromptu points.

- Be less nervous when debating.

1 thing I enjoyed:

- I enjoyed listening to my friends debate.

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Grid Game Reflection

3 things I observed:

- Some people don’t pay attention and rely on their teammates to guide them.

- Some people ask questions and communicate well with their leaders.

- Some people rush in and didn’t listen to their teammates.

2 things I learnt:

- Asking the right questions is important.

- We need to listen first before rushing in.

1 thing I will put into practice:

- Ask questions when I need to.