Vol. 9.2 Feb 2005elc.polyu.edu.hk/ecNews

Steve in action

Kelvin and friends at a birthday party

English Award Scheme

The Language Improvement Periodfor the English Award Scheme iswell underway. We have had a verykeen response this year with over160 applicants. Students are usingthe resources in CILL andparticipating in extra-curricularactivities such as the English Club,PIFS, the Reading Club, the DramaClub and Big Mouth Corner to improvetheir language proficiency. They arebuilding up portfolios to record theirself-study efforts which will besubmitted on or before 1st March,2005.

There have been 3 consultationsessions so far and the EAScommittee members have beenimpressed by the candidates'enthusiasm.

The award winners will be able tostudy on summer programmes ateither York University, Toronto orUniversity of California, Los Angelesin 2005.

English Award Scheme

The Language Improvement Periodfor the English Award Scheme iswell underway. We have had a verykeen response this year with over160 applicants. Students are usingthe resources in CILL andparticipating in extra-curricularactivities such as the English Club,PIFS, the Reading Club, the DramaClub and Big Mouth Corner to improvetheir language proficiency. They arebuilding up portfolios to record theirself-study efforts which will besubmitted on or before 1st March,2005.

There have been 3 consultationsessions so far and the EAScommittee members have beenimpressed by the candidates'enthusiasm.

The award winners will be able tostudy on summer programmes ateither York University, Toronto orUniversity of California, Los Angelesin 2005.

English Club"Enrich and Gain" is the theme of the English Club this year. In order to encouragethe PolyU students to enrich themselves through all opportunities and gain invaluableexperience in using English, the English Club organised a great variety of exciting andexhilarating activities in semester one, including a series of Cantonese lessons and aCultural Trip in Hong Kong for international students, an English Speaking ActivityWorkshop for primary English teachers in Guangning, a small town in rural China, theweekly English conversation forum Big Mouth Corner and a 5-day Winter Study Tourto Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, South Korea.

Don't be surprised if you hear riotous laughter on the podium every Thursday evening.This is because students are having fun at the Big Mouth Corner. Big Mouth Corneris one of the most popular activities organised by the English Club. Held every Thursdayon the EF Podium, the English Club provides students with valuable chances to learnabout different cultures and practise speaking English with youngand energetic native English speakers. In semesters one, theparticipants tried doing Scottish dance and tasting Scottishfood, Canadian and British party games and many other excitingactivities at the Big Mouth Corner. In semester two, the nativeEnglish-speakers facilitators will continue to bring us more fungames. If you want to be part of this, drop in and meet us onthe EF Podium on Thursday evenings.

In semester two, the English Club will organise lots more activities and continue toprovide students with chances to "Enrich and Gain". These activities include a SportsDay, a series of English Teaching Workshops in a local primary school, as well as BigMouth Corner. For details, please visit our web site: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/englishclub

English Club"Enrich and Gain" is the theme of the English Club this year. In order to encouragethe PolyU students to enrich themselves through all opportunities and gain invaluableexperience in using English, the English Club organised a great variety of exciting andexhilarating activities in semester one, including a series of Cantonese lessons and aCultural Trip in Hong Kong for international students, an English Speaking ActivityWorkshop for primary English teachers in Guangning, a small town in rural China, theweekly English conversation forum Big Mouth Corner and a 5-day Winter Study Tourto Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, South Korea.

Don't be surprised if you hear riotous laughter on the podium every Thursday evening.This is because students are having fun at the Big Mouth Corner. Big Mouth Corneris one of the most popular activities organised by the English Club. Held every Thursdayon the EF Podium, the English Club provides students with valuable chances to learnabout different cultures and practise speaking English with youngand energetic native English speakers. In semesters one, theparticipants tried doing Scottish dance and tasting Scottishfood, Canadian and British party games and many other excitingactivities at the Big Mouth Corner. In semester two, the nativeEnglish-speakers facilitators will continue to bring us more fungames. If you want to be part of this, drop in and meet us onthe EF Podium on Thursday evenings.

In semester two, the English Club will organise lots more activities and continue toprovide students with chances to "Enrich and Gain". These activities include a SportsDay, a series of English Teaching Workshops in a local primary school, as well as BigMouth Corner. For details, please visit our web site: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/englishclub

Big Mouth Corner

The Centre forIndependent Language Learning

IELTS and Mini Courses

The ELC is running 20 hour courses to help students prepare for the IELTSexamination. You can sign up for any module Speaking (6 hours), Writing (6 hours),Listening (4 hours), Reading (4 hours).

We are also running Mini Courses focusing on Grammar (8 hours), Vocabularydevelopment (6 hours), Practical Pronunciation (8 hours).

Information and registration CILL. You can also find information on the websiteshttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/IELTS/inCILL.htmhttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/miniCourses

Many courses are already full, so hurry.

Speaking Assistance Programme - SAPSAP is available in CILL. You can practise any kind of speaking in a group for 3- 5 students with a teacher. Many groups like to practise for the IELTS speakingtest, or job interviews, or just practise their discussion skills. The choice isyours!

Writing Assistance Programme - WAPWAP is a popular CILL programme where students can get individual help withtheir writing. Students often take application letters, resumes, final year projects,essays to get one-to-one help. The teacher can help you with organisation, layout,content, but will not proof-read for you.

The Centre forIndependent Language Learning

IELTS and Mini Courses

The ELC is running 20 hour courses to help students prepare for the IELTSexamination. You can sign up for any module Speaking (6 hours), Writing (6 hours),Listening (4 hours), Reading (4 hours).

We are also running Mini Courses focusing on Grammar (8 hours), Vocabularydevelopment (6 hours), Practical Pronunciation (8 hours).

Information and registration CILL. You can also find information on the websiteshttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/IELTS/inCILL.htmhttp://elc.polyu.edu.hk/miniCourses

Many courses are already full, so hurry.

Speaking Assistance Programme - SAPSAP is available in CILL. You can practise any kind of speaking in a group for 3- 5 students with a teacher. Many groups like to practise for the IELTS speakingtest, or job interviews, or just practise their discussion skills. The choice isyours!

Writing Assistance Programme - WAPWAP is a popular CILL programme where students can get individual help withtheir writing. Students often take application letters, resumes, final year projects,essays to get one-to-one help. The teacher can help you with organisation, layout,content, but will not proof-read for you.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTRE

Reading GroupDiscover how reading can bring you joy and enrichyour life. Reading Group, organised by the ELC, providesan environment in which you can improve your English,broaden your general knowledge of the world, and,perhaps more importantly, enrich your life throughreading and small group discussion. You choose andread any books, fiction or non-fiction, in which youare interested; then you share your thoughts withother students in the regular meetings facilitated byELC teachers. The books we read in the last semesterare "Fragrant Harbour", "Dead Poet Society", "ThePresent", "The Alchemist", "The Five People You Meetin Heaven", "The Da Vinci Code", etc.To find out more about the Reading Group, pleasevisit our website at: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/readgroup

Reading GroupDiscover how reading can bring you joy and enrichyour life. Reading Group, organised by the ELC, providesan environment in which you can improve your English,broaden your general knowledge of the world, and,perhaps more importantly, enrich your life throughreading and small group discussion. You choose andread any books, fiction or non-fiction, in which youare interested; then you share your thoughts withother students in the regular meetings facilitated byELC teachers. The books we read in the last semesterare "Fragrant Harbour", "Dead Poet Society", "ThePresent", "The Alchemist", "The Five People You Meetin Heaven", "The Da Vinci Code", etc.To find out more about the Reading Group, pleasevisit our website at: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/readgroup

BRICKERS - The ELC Band

The latest Brickers line-up, calledBrickers VI, performed on Friday 21January. This was probably the mostsuccessful performance ever by the ELCBand. The audience clapped along to somesongs and applauded and cheered morethan ever before. It was also the firsttime the audience have demanded anencore. Highlights from the show included the quieter, solo spots; Wilsonsinging More Than Words, backed only by his acoustic guitar, and Kay singingLover's Concerto, which also featured Emily on the piano. The show endedwith two rousing rock songs; Surrender sung by Kiki and Yesterday OnceMore, an updated, energetic adaptation of the Carpenters song, whichfeaturing some impressive guitar solos from Wilson and Ivan.

BRICKERS - The ELC Band

The latest Brickers line-up, calledBrickers VI, performed on Friday 21January. This was probably the mostsuccessful performance ever by the ELCBand. The audience clapped along to somesongs and applauded and cheered morethan ever before. It was also the firsttime the audience have demanded anencore. Highlights from the show included the quieter, solo spots; Wilsonsinging More Than Words, backed only by his acoustic guitar, and Kay singingLover's Concerto, which also featured Emily on the piano. The show endedwith two rousing rock songs; Surrender sung by Kiki and Yesterday OnceMore, an updated, energetic adaptation of the Carpenters song, whichfeaturing some impressive guitar solos from Wilson and Ivan.

PIFSLast semester, the PolyU International Film Society(PIFS) screened five films from differentcountries, which presented different cultures andsocial values to members. Eighty people attendedthe first film event which demonstrated thepopularity of the PIFS and established our greatreputation to new students including exchangestudents from abroad. Many participated in thelively discussion sessions which follow the filmshows.

In the coming semester, the PIFS will continueto present excellent movies from all over theworld to PolyU students and staff and holddiscussions in English to promote greaterunderstanding of the films and improve languageskills.To continue to attract more members, the PIFSwill arrange activities such as O’Night, activitieswith other societies and podium shows. We lookforward to seeing you at our events this semester.

PIFSLast semester, the PolyU International Film Society(PIFS) screened five films from differentcountries, which presented different cultures andsocial values to members. Eighty people attendedthe first film event which demonstrated thepopularity of the PIFS and established our greatreputation to new students including exchangestudents from abroad. Many participated in thelively discussion sessions which follow the filmshows.

In the coming semester, the PIFS will continueto present excellent movies from all over theworld to PolyU students and staff and holddiscussions in English to promote greaterunderstanding of the films and improve languageskills.To continue to attract more members, the PIFSwill arrange activities such as O’Night, activitieswith other societies and podium shows. We lookforward to seeing you at our events this semester.

Debate ChatroomThe online Debate Chatroom was launched lastSeptember with the aim of giving students a platformto argue about current issues in order to improve theirwriting and analytical skills. We have organised 3 debateson:* whether the Olympic Games can alleviate international tension* whether Hong Kong needs some radical democrats* whether the new American president can bring about world peace.We presented book vouchers and transcripts to thebest debaters in January. Please check the website<http://dev.elc.polyu.edu.hk/dChat> for moreinformation. In addition, a discussion forum is beingdeveloped to let more students post their writing. Forupcoming events, please see the PolyU portal.

Debate ChatroomThe online Debate Chatroom was launched lastSeptember with the aim of giving students a platformto argue about current issues in order to improve theirwriting and analytical skills. We have organised 3 debateson:* whether the Olympic Games can alleviate international tension* whether Hong Kong needs some radical democrats* whether the new American president can bring about world peace.We presented book vouchers and transcripts to thebest debaters in January. Please check the website<http://dev.elc.polyu.edu.hk/dChat> for moreinformation. In addition, a discussion forum is beingdeveloped to let more students post their writing. Forupcoming events, please see the PolyU portal.

English Drama Club

Fun never stops in the English Drama Club (EDC). Over the past semester,a series of EDC activities have brought together knowledge of dramaand members' enjoyment. Starting with an amazing O' Night, membersof various nationalities had a lot of excitement on the campus podium.Inspired by members' enthusiasm, regular gatherings were held withsuch dynamic sessions as gaming, acting, staging and mini-drama.

Undoubtedly, public productions each semester are the highlight of theClub. "Flush", a modified version of the 2003production, was performed on Information Day inOctober. "Death Angel", a large-scale home-madeproduction held in November, was the fruit of a jointeffort by the existing committee, devoted membersand teacher advisors. It is all about a struggle between

Dr. Joe and Death Angel (a devil) in a hospital. Its success also resultedfrom expert workshops hosted by a drama consultant, in which newknowledge was learned by both actors and stage workers.

Coming up this semester, the club is preparing for a still more enjoyablesemester for the members. If you would like to find out more, checkout the website http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/EngDrama/. Join the family andupcoming casting: Be a Star! Watch out for all this!

English Drama Club

Fun never stops in the English Drama Club (EDC). Over the past semester,a series of EDC activities have brought together knowledge of dramaand members' enjoyment. Starting with an amazing O' Night, membersof various nationalities had a lot of excitement on the campus podium.Inspired by members' enthusiasm, regular gatherings were held withsuch dynamic sessions as gaming, acting, staging and mini-drama.

Undoubtedly, public productions each semester are the highlight of theClub. "Flush", a modified version of the 2003production, was performed on Information Day inOctober. "Death Angel", a large-scale home-madeproduction held in November, was the fruit of a jointeffort by the existing committee, devoted membersand teacher advisors. It is all about a struggle between

Dr. Joe and Death Angel (a devil) in a hospital. Its success also resultedfrom expert workshops hosted by a drama consultant, in which newknowledge was learned by both actors and stage workers.

Coming up this semester, the club is preparing for a still more enjoyablesemester for the members. If you would like to find out more, checkout the website http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/EngDrama/. Join the family andupcoming casting: Be a Star! Watch out for all this!

BRICKERS performing