| | | Creative Campus Public Holiday Closure We will be closed on the following public holidays: - Friday 1 May 2020 for Labour Day -- classes resume on Saturday 2 May 2020
- Thursday 7 May 2020 for Vesak Day -- classes resume on Friday 8 May 2020
We remain contactable via Whatsapp @ 88502499 [10am-5pm], or via email chalk@creativecampus.com.sg. Do give us some time to get back to you. |
| Campus News
Enhanced Security Measures on Zoom The online conference platform Zoom has recommended more secure sign-in for meetings. To protect your child and your privacy, please be informed of the enhanced security features for all our online lessons. Together, we can make cyberspace a safe learning environment for everyone. |
| Updated Class Schedule
Classes are ongoing at Creative Campus. Please refer to our updated class schedule.
For a list of our ongoing promotions, click here.
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Punctuation When we think about English, we often think about vocabulary, grammar, or perhaps even the different accents people use to speak the language. However, there is one aspect of English - indeed, one aspect of languages all over the world - that is sorely underlooked: punctuation.
Without punctuation, we would not be able to convey emotion or effect in written text as well as we do it today. After all, how would we create pauses in our sentences without commas, express excitement without exclamation marks, or ask questions without question marks?
The History of Punctuation Punctuation has its roots in Ancient Greece, when a scholar named Aristophanes began to use three kinds of dots to conveys pauses between different fragments of texts that were to be read aloud. - A pause between short passages of text, called komma, would be indicated by a dot placed at mid-level
- A pause separating slightly longer passages, called kolon, would be indicated by a low dot.
- The final dot, which was level with the top of the text, would indicate periodos, the longest pause.
Indeed, these correspond to the modern comma, colon (or semi-colon), as well as the period (also known as the full stop). The Trickiest Punctuation Mark Commas, full stops, and even question or exclamation marks are simple enough to understand. Unfortunately for us, modern-day English has a great number of punctuation marks, including the confusing semi-colon. This can easily be misused in writing, which may cause headaches for test-taking students.
Semi-colons Generally, semi-colons are seen in two situations. Firstly, they are used as serial commas, making them extremely handy when you need to provide a long string of information.
Take, for instance, this sentence: That fast-food chain has branches all over America, including in Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and New York City, New York. The semi-colon helps to separate the phrase “Columbus, Ohio”, which is a typical way to refer to cities within U.S. states, from the phrase “Los Angeles, California”, and so on.
Secondly, they are used to connect two closely related sentences. For example: I had a cat named Mittens; he often scratched my floor. Note that both parts of the sentence can stand alone as complete sentences; they are merely combined using a semi-colon, without the need for a word like ‘and’ or ‘but’.
Test Yourself
Do you know the names of these punctuation marks?
Q1. let’s Q2. e-book Q3. Hmm... Q4.“Hello”
Look at the following paragraph. Which punctuation mark should go in each blank? You can use the following punctuation marks, and each can only be used once: exclamation mark, comma, question mark, semi-colon.
I ordered chocolate Q5. ____ which comes specially from Switzerland; butter, because I ran out of it Q6. ____ and plain flour, since they didn’t have bread flour. Oh no Q7. ____ Should I have bought eggs as well Q8. ____
Answers
A1. apostrophe A2. hyphen A3. ellipsis A4. quotation marks A5. comma A6. semi-colon A7. exclamation mark A8. question mark |
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The Age of Virtual EducationThe current spirit of the times is centred around one thing and one thing only: a virus pandemic that may take years for countries all around the world to overcome. While the pandemic is primarily a public health crisis, it has not taken long for us to realise that both economy and education, among other things, are to be severely affected.
Schools, parents, and enrichment centres islandwide—Creative Campus included— have adapted to recent changes in the mode of education. With the temporary cessation of in-person instruction, educators have had to modify their pedagogy to suit the virtual sphere.
Added Flexibility Although there are inevitable teething issues, there are definite pros to virtual learning. First and foremost, the flexibility of online learning is a plus point for students, who can choose to learn at their own pace and time.
Unlike in face-to-face instruction, which ends as soon as the lesson bell rings, students are able to constantly refer to lesson materials (depending on their teacher’s mode/style of teaching) and go through the content at their preferred speed. This could potentially create less stress for students, who are already grappling with the stressful new changes they experience in their daily lives.
The Student is King Next, online learning puts students in charge of their own learning. Students are responsible for accessing their own lesson material and completing homework, since teachers can no longer remind them face-to-face. This is especially beneficial for older students, who may have more desire to take personal charge of their education.
For younger students, parents and guardians are inevitably involved in the process one way or another, be it procuring laptops, creating a conducive learning environment, accessing worksheets on their behalf, or being in charge of their homework submission and retrieval. This may be especially challenging for working parents who must get used to working remotely themselves. Rethinking Education In a recent report, educators in Singapore shared that they are trying to make virtual learning as engaging as face-to-face education by incorporating a variety of digital tools. These help to mimic and even enhance real-life classroom interaction.
If education becomes semi-digital in the near future, teachers, parents and students alike will continue working with today’s technological tools. This will ensure that learning on the online platform does not become any less effective to, or interesting for, the student.
Something to consider…
Q1. What are some other pros of online learning? - Instils self-discipline and direction
- Comfort
- All students can participate equally
Q2. How can I make online learning more beneficial for my child?- Create as conducive of an environment as possible, since issues like one’s physical environment or internet connection can affect effectiveness of lesson
- Create and enforce a routine that mimics the structured learning of school
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Have you checked out our ebooks?
Two of them are FREE! Useful for all students from Primary 3 and up, these ebooks are essential building blocks for your child to have a better grasp on the English Language.
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Visit the Shop Page on our Website to get your free copy!
Click here to find out more on our website.
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| Until the next time, The Creative Campus Team |
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For more interesting articles you can use as discussion tools, do like our Facebook Page where we share them weekly.
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* Closed on Sundays and Public HolidaysEmail: chalk@creativecampus.com.sg
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