Cypris Chat 2

CyprisMagazine

cool

Volume 2 - September 2010

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Cypris Chat is a not-for-profit virtual world English language learning community located on Cypris Village III island in Second Life. Cypris Chat is not a school, however we offer “practice times” in the form of organized lessons, discussions, chats, events, and activities. We have a strict policy for maintaining peace in our group, and ask our members to be as active as possible in order to encourage communication within the family. Come see for yourself just how exciting this new way of learning can be. Join Second Life at http://secondlife.com and then teleport to Cypris Village III.

Visit our website at:http://cyprischat.org/

What is Cypris Chat?

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CON

TEN

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Cypris Chat Magazine

Featured ArticlesInterview : Mystie Slade pp 5-6

Featured Villagers pp 12-13

We are talking about reading circle with Mystie, who is an excellent reading circle leader. She gives us chances to read and talk about the stories every week.

There are two brilliant villagers who have improved their English better and made many sweet friends at Cypris Chat. Let’s talk about their story!

Words from worlds - p4

Cypris Village Photos -p7

Featured Spots -p8

The Family - p11

Donations - p14

Credits - p15Cypris Chat Activities pp 9-10Every week there is something fun to do at Cypris Village. In this article, We talk about DJ hosting and activities at the Tiki Bar.

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Words from the world!

내가 사랑하는 많은 사람들이있는 곳. CYPRIS. 난 이곳에서영어와 사람의 정을 배운 것 같다.

Ann Queenstown (Korea)

Amal Cliassi (Saudi Arabia)

Cypris Chatは、世界の

人々めぐり合い、ボイスチャット

できるセカンドライフの

中では数少ない場所です.

(Japan)Showshow

Camel

Cypris — это место, где Вы можете встретить интересных людей и попрактиковать Ваш английский язык.

Kedo Dawodu (Russia)

(Spain)

我很喜欢Cypris,在这里你可以认识来自全世界的朋友和练习英语

Leee Megadon (China)

Second life helps me learn new things, be creative, meet new people and help in ways I never expected.

PinkSamurai (Egypt)

Cypris is el mejor sitio para aprender ingles en SL! Muchismas gracias a todos los profesores, sin ellos esto no seria lo mismo. Saludas.

Yomisma Aura (Spain)

Talking about

ReadingCircle

Reading circle leader Mystie at Cypris

Interview : Mystie SladeMini Reading Circle was formed after Professor Merryman made the real Reading Circle class earlier this year. There are 6 different roles for participants. Every week we read a short story and prepare in advance for a 5 minute presentation according to each role, then discuss it.

Sitting around and talking about weekly story

What do you like most about the members who come to Mini Reading Circle?

I like everyone because they are all motivated and enjoy participating. I am really happy to have people who are committed. It is interesting to learn different ideas and opinions, too.

How can we make the activity a better experience?

We are doing great so far, but if anything, I hope to see people stop typing in local chat when someone is reading or speaking because we get distracted. I prefer everyone uses text chat only when really necessary.

Do you think reading stories is helpful to those who have just started to learn English?

I don’t think this activity is for absolute beginners because they can neither understand the story nor say what they want to say. I do try to find stories with audio recordings so that we can listen and understand easier, though. I hope it

helps.

What do you think will attract good speakers of English to participate?

Hmmm. I only wish for members to join who really love reading and participateing actively.

Do you think you can find a solution to a larger number of participants?

We have a limit of only 5-6 people maximum in one group. That is one of the reasons why I don’t advertise in notices. We only have 5-10 mins per person, but actually we spend15-20 mins in each discussion. Everyone should have enough time to speak, so time is limited. Hopefully someone else will start their reading circles at different times/days in the near future.

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Join us in the secret garden every Wednesday from 5:00-6:30 AM (SL time PDT)

Reading Circle (cont’d)

What advice would you give to those who organize such activities in SL?

I’m not an expert. I can only say that you need to be patient and be open minded. Professor told me on the first day to keep a smile on my face while leading a class. ;) What do you think about observers, how can you help them to participate in the activity?

If they are interested, they can sit around us and listen to what and how we are doing. They are also welcome to join in the discussion when we start talking. What is your greatest joy before, during and after Mini Reading Circle started?

Before I started this activity, I was worried at first because I didn’t know how many people would like to join. Then after attending the Reading Circle organized by Professor, I thought I could do something because it was really fun. I am very happy to see people keep attending this activity every week, and enjoying it. My only concern now is how to keep finding good stories.

Thank you very much everyone. :)

Interviewed by Cata Charisma

The Reading Circle

Everyone must read the story assigned for that week. Each person is given a role to present at the next class. These can be: Discussion Leader, Summarizer, Word Master or Grammarian, Passage Person, Connector, or Culture Collector. When the class meets the following week, each person has 5-10 minutes to present their role to the class.

Role based langusge learning is a fantastic way to incorporate reading, writing, listening, and speaking...and it’s fun!

Professor Merryman

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Tiki bar

Chat Ring

Reading CircleWelcome Area

Cypris Village III

INTERVIEW SECTION

a

This welcome area screams “summer camp” with the log chairs, wood plank flooring, log handrails, and the community’s official flag. Visitors get the rustic feel the moment they teleport to the sim. An introduction of Cypris Village and other helpful information are posted in this area. There are volunteers who receive visitors and help out newbies with their voice chat settings.

Every Wednesday, a group of ESL students gather at the Secret Garden for a reading and sharing session called the Reading Circle. The group reads a story and each of its members has an assigned role in the structured discussion that follows. Although this activity is intended for ESL students, casual observers are always welcome.

All the free classes (yes, FREE!) are held in the Chat Ring. It’s a simulated outdoor classroom where students and observers attend classes given by the tutors. There’s no fixed curriculum. Most of the lessons are for intermediate and advanced learners, considering the English level of most attendees who come frequently. These sessions last for about two hours and sometimes there are group trips with the tutors to other sims after class.

The resident DJ/tutor, DukeVan Acker, hosts chat parties every Sunday at the Tiki Bar. And Himiko Allen hosts Idiom Practice sessions on Fridays. These are both great ways for us to meet friends and learn something at the same time.

Featured Spots

The Welcome Area

The Reading Circle

The Chat Ring

The Tiki Bar

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Every Sunday, Cypris Chat members get the groove in their heart as DukeVan Acker plays excellent music that really livens up the tiki bar.

The DJ sessions are a great opportunity for Cypris Chat members to get their dancing shoes on and boogie on down. Sometimes to mix things up (much like a cocktail you may want to have) these DJ sessions are themed. You can really go to town creating a crazy avatar and who knows you might not look out of place! It’s also a great chance to improve on your own avatar with some ideas you may have never thought of. Now you finally have an opportunity to don that Elvis costume you’ve

always wanted to wear! The tiki bar has an excellent array of dance moves available so you can easily find something that suits your mood and the music. Plus there’s nothing stopping you from dressing up as Michael Jackson and doing the moves like the master himself.

The DJ sessions also allow Cypris Chat members to mingle and to

really get to know each other, further

strengthening their strong bonds while at the same time giving them an opportunity to practice their English skills. But of course you don’t have to dance, you can sip a nice Martini or juice beverage of your choice at the bar whilst soaking in the atmosphere and maybe trying to casually join in on the amusing conversation .Or you can just sit down, close your

Cypris Chat ActivityDuke’s DJ night on SundaysBy Curtis Deezul

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eyes and let the excellent music do the work .

The DJ sessions are a great way to meet new people, and when the alcohol is flowing you may see a side of them you never thought you’d see! This provides for entertaining conversation in the morning…assuming you can remember the excellent night you had!

The sessions allow an open door to discover new music from different countries and cultures. This is good

for everyone as it

is also a great conversation topic. The atmosphere is always lively and buzzing with enjoyment. How about putting on the midnight setting whilst Duke plays a chilled out tune and dance with your favorite Cypris Chat member? Now that’s a great photo for the album!

If you are feeling competitive, why not have an arm wrestle?

The DJ sessions are an awesome way to introduce new members to Cypris Chat. It will certainly be a first day to remember. The music will provide an excellent ice breaker. It also shows new members that Cypris Chat is a relaxed and friendly place. This encourages communication.

The brilliant sessions start on Sundays from 6:00 AM SLT to 8:00 AM ALT an announcement will happen regarding the theme so that you can get an amazing avatar prepared and to “wow” your fellow Cypris Chat members.

Check the calendar for all upcoming activities. Go to:

http://cyprischat.org

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We are theCypris Chat Family!

Featured Villager

leee Megadon

My name is  leee Megadon  in Second Life. I’m from China. I have been in Cypris Chat for more than one year.  Looking back, I have had a lot of fun and had many good times. Cypirs Chat is a totally great place. It’s a place where you can meet great people and exchange and share your thoughts in English.   It’s likes a family. The first time I  came here I could just speak a little  English  and now my  English has improved tremendously because of the most talented tutors and learners in the world. leee Megadon

Cypris is a very international community  too. People can learn something more than English and know how to get along well with people from different countries and backgrounds.  You can make some connections with those  countries  and  of course you can get knowledge about those countries as well.  So  I  really  appreciate  that we have this kind of environment and hope everyone reading this magazine  will join Cypris

Chat right now!

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cacy Karu

Hello, everyone.

I’m very happy to have this opportunity to talk about my experience at Cypris Chat. It was Kazy Dover who brought me to Cypris Chat the first time. She is really a nice girl. After all, she is my niece in RL.

I have met many friends here. They are all kind, respectable, mischievous and fun.

My brightest memory here is joining a reading circle class, organized by Professor, with Mystie, Himiko, Christine, Vamp and Ann.

Actually, it was hard to finish the weekly assignments in time for class. It made me recall a

far away feeling of being a college student. It was a really enjoyable and pleasant time for me. Therefore, I’ m still a member of the mini reading circle at Cypris Chat with Lee, Pink, Cata, Ann, Mystie and sometimes Ivory.

I enjoy this virtual world deeply in my mind along with my husband. I’d like to sincerely say thank you to all members of Cypris Chat. Thank you!

cacy Karu

Featured Villager

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Each month we must pay for our virtual real estate, something like hosting fees similar to a website, to the amount of $125.00 USD/mth. We must also pay for the website’s hosting, currently $20.00 USD/mth. We also pay for activities and events, donations, rewards and incentives for our active members, plus various costs related to maintaining growth including advertising, statistical analysis, as well as formal presentations and workshops given which help to spread the word of virtual world language learning. Any support we receive will be greatly appreciated.

DonationsCypris Chat is supported solely by donations from our members. Its growth and prosperity depend entirely on volunteer efforts and monetary support.

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Magazine Staff!!!

Now,I can REST!

←Ann Queenstown (man)

lol

Article Writers Content Advisors

Chief Editor

Ivory ishelwood Cacy Karu Curtis Deezul Mystie Slade Leee Megadon Cata Charisma

Kazy Dover Amal Cliassi

Ann Queenstown

And a little help from Professor Merryman...:-)- 15 -