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1
Here we are again, another edition of Epigram. I am
very excited about this particular edition. Here at
the department we have been very active this year
especially this semester. We have welcomed two
new part time professors. We had an increase in the
number of sections this semester and a slight
increase projected for next semester. But the most
important aspect of this semester was the
department’s most important objective, which was
to involve our students in activities outside the
classroom. With this goal in mind, the department
sponsored two major events. The first, the Reading
Marathon, in which over a 100 students participated.
During one afternoon our students sat on benches
and under trees and took time to read in English! It
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY CAME
Special points of
interest:
Read original poems
Read about research
abstracts
Read students’ essays
and stories
Read about activities
sponsored by the
English Department
Laugh with the
cartoons
In this issue:
Finishing the
semester
1
Scary Story 2
Pirates 3
Reading Marathon 4
More students’
writings
5,6
Essays, analysis 7,8
Abstract 9
Scary Story 10
Advertisement 11
Story and abstract 12, 13
Story 14
Bloopers 15
F i n d t h e w i n n e r s o f t h e S c a r y S t o r i e s
c om p e t i t i o n . . . r e a d t h em a n d BE SCARED !
Publication of the English Department, University of Puerto Rico at Ponce December 2014 Volume 3, Issue 1
From the Office of the Chair
epigram
was a sight that made us proud and once again proved
that are students are capable, willing, and up to any
challenge. I like to thank Professor LeCompte, who
came up with the idea and Professor Ortiz, who was
highly involved in the activity. The success of the
activity was not only due to them but to the
involvement of the entire faculty and non-teaching
personnel. The next major activity was in October.
The Halloween Writing Contest sponsored by the
department proved that our students are eager to
participate and are very creative (also proved I’m not
the only Walking Deadtm and Z-Nationtm fan on
campus!). The contest inspired students to write scary
stories and compete for the first, second, and third
place prizes (prize money and certificates). I must be
honest with you. When I came up with the idea, I sold
it to the faculty by saying that this is the first time we
will have this type of activity and most likely, if we are
lucky, maybe have 10-12 entries. To my pleasant
surprise, we had forty entries! Each one a reflection of
the quality and imagination of our students. You will
find the stories of two finalists in this edition. We hope
to make these two activities annual activities and
maybe organize some type of speaking activity for the
future.
Also, I must mention that in the courses INCO 4006,
Dr. Morales and INGL 3021, Prof. Ortiz, both
professors have involved their students in the area of
research. I am proud to report that research done by
students in INCO 4006 has been presented to the
Chancellor’s Office at the request of the campus
authorities. Well done! Professors and students!
Wishing all of you happy holidays. Take care and until
our next edition.
- - - Professor Regino Megill, English Department Chair
2
Ever since I was a little kid I had an
intense fear of the dark, so maybe
that's why I found it ironic that's what
greeted me when I opened my eyes. I
fought down the wave of terror caused
by the oppressive darkness, a physical
pressure that pressed against every
nerve in my body. I gingerly reached
out to where I keep my phone, the
only source of light when the power
went out. I checked the time and saw it
was just over midnight. Strange, I
usually slept until mid-morning.
Suddenly, I heard a thump and a scream
coming from above me. As I got up I
felt something brush against me, but I
paid it no attention since I was more
worried for the well- being of my
upstairs neighbor Mrs. Johnson. I
should have looked down, maybe then I
could have seen the puddle that was
slowly starting to make its way across
the floor and avoided this whole mess.
I made my way up the stairs, cursing
the fact that the power was out, and
reached Mrs. Johnson's door. I caught
my breath and was about to knock
when I saw the door was ajar. I slowly
opened the door and whispered her
name as I made my way to the kitchen.
I rounded the corner and was greeted
with a horrible sight: Mrs. Johnson lying
on the floor, horribly mauled, but still
alive, fighting for each breath, while a
A Grim Dream By: Denny Soto, 1st place winner of Scary Stories
Edited by: Prof. Michelle Méndez
creature fed on her, ripping chunks of
flesh out of her body from a gaping
hole in her stomach.
The sight made me gasp involuntarily,
and I hoped the sound wouldn't be
heard over the creature's feasting.
Suddenly, Mrs. Johnson locked eyes
with me, and I saw all her pain and
despair, the desire to fight and live, but
also a desire to let it all go, to have it
end.
The creature turned around and, as if
the universe wanted to torture me
further, the lights came on, giving me a
good view of the creature. It had a
vaguely canine body, only larger and
loaded with muscle and rotting flesh,
with an oversized head reminiscent of
a tiger, its jaws gaping in a perpetual
grin, its eyes glowing bright scarlet and
seeming to bore straight into my skull,
activating the part of the brain that
releases raw, undiluted fear, the kind
of primal fear that blocks out every
other sensation and screams at you to
run.
Just as I thought it couldn't get any
worse, it spoke in a deep raspy voice
that sounded like not even a single
drop of liquid had passed through its
throat in years. "Excellent, another
morsel. At least you look slightly
edible, this old hag was barely more
than a sack of bones. Now, prepare
to join the collection of souls of...
Dzoavits!!"
It lunged at me, but fell short as I
backtracked and grabbed a knife. It
tried for my throat again and I
stabbed it right where its carotid
artery should be, killing it rather
quickly. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in
my own neck and ran to check myself
in the mirror, stumbling slightly. As
soon as I saw myself, I noticed I had a
deep cut, right where I stabbed the
Hellhound, then everything went
blissfully black.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes and saw I
was back in my bed. "Thank God it
was just a dream", I thought to
myself. I decided to go check on Mrs.
Johnson anyway, just in case. As I
reached her door, I smelled
something delicious coming from the
kitchen. As I rounded the corner, her
eyes met mine, and her face was
suddenly transformed into a mask of
terror. I walked forward and saw my
reflection on the oven door, but
something wasn't right. The face that
looked back at me wasn't my own.
Trembling in fear and hunger, I
realized that the gruesome face
mirroring my own.... was Dzoavits's.
3
Pirates have always been a source of
fascination to children and to children at
heart. These dark characters who
settled in Port Royal, Tortuga and
Nassau plundered the Caribbean during
the late seventeenth century through the third decade of the eighteenth
century. Their feats and adventures have
become the source of legends and, of
course, the source of entertainment for
many. First, there were ballads, then
novels such as Treasure Island by
Robert Louis Stevenson. Indeed, this
British literary work was made into--
what was probably-- the first pirate
movie ever in 1908. However, the most
famous pirate silent movie was the 1926
film The Black Pirate whose script was
based on a story written by Douglas
Fairbanks who played the pirate in the
film. With the arrival of sound in the
1920’s, the industry bloomed and
numerous pirate movies were filmed.
There were even musical films about
pirates!
And then came Walt Disney. This
magician of the entertainment world
designed one of the world’s most
popular theme park attractions in
Disneyland : Pirates of the Caribbean. It
was opened on March 18, 1967. In time
it inspired the eponymous film series.
When Jerry Bruckheimer released
Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003, it
was a blockbuster. Three more films
followed and millions of fans were
mesmerized into following the
adventures of pirates. Bruckheimer’s
pirate saga triggered the revival of the
pirate genre in the twenty first century.
On January 25, 2014 pirate series
Blacksails, written as a prequel to Robert
Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island,
debuted in TV. On May 2014, NBC
released Crossbones, a fictionalization of
the life of pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Teach. The production of this series
began in Puerto Rico on October 15,
2013. Rene Figueroa, a student at UPR
-Ponce at the time, auditioned to cast as
an extra in the pirate series and was
chosen out of hundreds of candidates.
APirate at UPR-Ponce?
An Interview with Rene Figueroa Ortiz Part TWO
By Professor Frances Torres
. . .
FT: Would you share some
anecdotes about your feelings as
you were casting in the movie?
R: I’ve always been very positive
about myself in castings, when I left
home I knew I was going to be
chosen to act in the TV series, I
don’t know why, I just knew it and I
went for it, the casting was in the
Marriot Hotel at San Juan; it was full
of people, very full, I just went
down the stairs and filled in the
papers as fast as I could and then
waited until the casting girls called
me in. I met a lot of inexperienced
people in castings at the lobby.
People were disguised as pirates so
they could get chosen, and that’s
not how casting works; it’s enough
with just being who you are in front
of the camera, that’s what they
want, another thing that influences
is the body, skinny or bulked, but
the most important aspect is the
person’s own security of its own
self.
FT: Are you planning to combine
your career as an actor with your
career as a chemist?
R: If my future work as a chemist
analyst allows it, I will for sure
combine it, my job as an agent is
more like a hobby so I’m currently
not inclined to it, and the problem
is that filming requires a lot of
commitment and a lot of time.
There were days when we worked
for more than thirteen hours, and if
you don’t go to film one day, your
reputation as an agent will fall and
you will never going to be called
again, the Puerto Rico casting staff
is always the same, so they will
recognize you, and won’t call you or
hardly contact again.
FT: What are your plans for the
future?
R: I’m planning on doing more works
that bring me new opportunities and
adventures, new things for me and
my family, it doesn’t has to be all
about filming and modeling, I do
have other plans that doesn’t
necessarily has to do something with
similar to that filming, I’m open to
anything new that teaches me new
experience so I can share with my
friends, colleagues or whatever. We
were told a lot in the filming that we
had to do everything right because
we were never going to experience
that again in our lives, and that
makes me feel great, that’s exactly
what I want, I want to keep doing
exciting things so that maybe later I
can tell tales about my adventures.
This interview was edited by the interviewer.
4
A Reading Marathon is aimed at
all abilities and there is no age
limit for participating in this
event. Its main goal is to
encourage students to read and
to give them positive
reinforcements for reading on
their own time.
The Reading Marathon’s main
objectives are to:
•• Encourage people to read;
•• Raise money for schools and
libraries and other reading aids;
•• Encourage group reading, as
well as individual;
•• Give a motive for participants
to read;
•• Increase the number of people
in libraries;
•• Encourage parents to read with
children;
•• Encourage adult reading;
•• Encourage reading at home;
•• Aid people who find reading
challenging.
Reading Marathons are fun ways
to motivate people to read and to
give them extended periods of
time to experience the joy of a
great book.
READING MARATHON:
A Complete Success! By: Prof. Pier Angeli Le Compte
Goals and objectives
of a
READING
MARATHON
Francheska Cruz said:
“This activity is a creative idea to pro-
mote the students to read outside the
classrooms. I think it is a good activity to
encourage the students to read and to
be part of the environment at the same
time. I liked this activity because besides
being educational it is entertaining. I
read one chapter of the book of Tech-
nical Communication. What I liked the
most was the environment. The
next should be in a quiet place, because
not all people can read with noise.”
Julio Castilloveitía said:
“The reading marathon was cool. Dur-
ing that time I could really focus on my
reading, and there were fruits that I like
a lot. I read chapter 2 of Pocket Guide.”
Nashali Rivera said: “It is an activity
where you can improve your skills and
relax; it helps to take some time and
understand what happens in a story
and why the main character acts a
certain way. The book that I read
was different ... a boy that faces a
disaster but falls in love and wants
to be interesting to that girl but
along the way he finds different
steps to value himself. The author
expressed the emotions of the prob-
lems that actually happen
in the world…”
Professor Vanessa Austin said:
“Even for students who did not
come, the word spread! In my com-
position class we were ahead of the
syllabus, so I asked them if they
would like to choose a reading. Most
students knew that the story that
we chose was available on the Mar-
athon’s page in Moodle!!!”
It took place on Monday, Sep-
tember 8, 2014—The same
day of El Maratón Puertor-
riqueño de Lectura
We settled under the trees
outside the Student Affairs
Building. Readers sat on their
chairs placed over the white
cobblestones and a warm
breeze enveloped readers…
120 people participated and
completed 191 readings.
Thanks for participating!
Feedback of the Reading Marathon
5
True! Disturbed, very and utterly
disturbed I felt, for the young man
that’s often cared for me had been
acting suspiciously out of character for
the last few weeks ; a part of me
knew this meant something was surely
wrong. His kindness had reached new,
unfailing heights, specifically this week.
Of course this did not disturb me.
The disturbing was due to the fact
that every night, upon midnight, I
could feel an eerie presence lingering
about my room. Subconsciously, I was
always aware of my surroundings and
have always been very sensitive to
them in case of any threat; therefore, I
How? ...How did I end up here? Such
a dark place. This suffocating darkness
envelops me. I cannot move a muscle.
Where am I? ...When did I get
here? ...wait… She did this! It’s all
because of her! She planned to do this
to me. No wonder she was so much
nicer since last week. I am starting to
remember… Of course! It all fits
now! The noises I have been hearing
the last few days were hers. I could
not sleep because of those noises. I
tried to comfort myself by thinking
“My Tell-Tale Heart” [The tell-tale heart: the old man’s version] Jeremy Santiago Torres - English 3221 L03
that it was a mouse or the single
chirp of a cricket, but it was her, my
caretaker. She probably spied on me
all these nights to see if I could wake
easily. But, what happened the night I
stayed awake because I was terrified?
…She lashed out at me. The last
thing I remember was the crushing
weight of the bed. What happened
next? Wait, I can hear people above
me:
-“Villains! Dissemble no more! I
admit the deed!- tear up the planks!
My Tell-Tale Heart [The tell-tale heart: the old man’s version] Bianca Pérez Zapata - Sofía Pérez Zapata English 3221- L03
could feel this presence, this
heaviness in the atmosphere, even in
my slumber, although it was not
enough to completely wake me up…
until the eighth night.
Upon the twelfth hour I was awoken,
I heard someone entering my
chambers. In the midst of my fright I
cried “who’s there!?” but no answer
came. This scared me even more so,
as I was sure someone must be here
with me right now. For a while now,
I stayed in my bed, sitting, thinking,
unable to move. But what could it
be? Who could it be? Could it be the
young man? I dare think not, for I
have never wronged the fellow, and
he would not have reason to harm
me and torture me so. Convincing
myself of this, I moved on to the
thought that it must be a mouse
creeping on the floor or merely a
cricket which has made a single
chirp. I feel my heart pounding in my
ear as the suspense overwhelms me.
Petrified, with fear and anxiety, I feel
a light coming from outside and
pointing at my eye. I see him! It is
the young man approaching me as I
feel the crushing weight of his
betrayal and his first violent blows…
Here, here! – it is the beating of his
hideous heart!”-
I can see light… Ah! Is that my own
body I see? She killed me! That
harlot killed me! She shall pay for
her evil deed! She will feel the gaze
of my eyes until she dies, and hear
the beating of my angry heart for
eternity!
TWO VERSIONS OF POE’S CLASSIC
6
Recycling, a very important cause in this generation, is
beneficial and necessary for the growth and expansion of life.
Without it, human beings will continue to voluntarily do
harm to our environment. Its benefits are greatly ignored
among some individuals who claim it is too much of a hassle,
but they fail to realize how it can contribute to their day to
day activities.
By choosing to take up responsibility and recycle, we breathe
life into plants, which provide us with oxygen. We should
clean the oceans that maintain sea life alive and abstain from abusing the materials we use daily, not wasting more of our
resources. If we destroy our environment, we destroy
ourselves. Knowing how being irresponsible and polluting the
environment affect us, we should take action, yet we don't.
So, if we want a better environment, we need to start with
ourselves. Those around us that see the benefits will take
that next step through our example. Let's give recycling the
attention it deserves and help save our environment.
HUB of the Universe,
Port of New England, Educator of the Nation,
Cradle of Liberty and Modern America;
Liberal, Diverse, Innovative,
City of Neighborhoods:
I’ve been told you are lifeless and I believe it,
for I have seen your leafless trees in the
barren landscape of winter.
And I’ve been told that you are frigid
and I agree: It is
true, I have felt the piercing strike of wind
across my cheeks.
And I’ve heard that you are haughty and I admit: I
have heard many a native say, “there is no place like
Beantown.”
I turn to those who disparage this fair city and warn:
Beware the proud Bostonian, they do not bear
such nonsense.
On Recycling By Felix Vazquez Rivera
-English 3201, Prof. Frances Torres
I am a compound-complex sentence.
My thoughts and heart desires are
independent; but my soul will always
be subordinated to that person
whom I love.
Boston by Maria S. Oliver
--- American Literature Prof. Frances Torres
Compound
and Complex by Ivelisse Álvarez
7
District 9 Evokes Mathabanes’s Story Essay by: Carmen M. Jusino Santiago English 3221 of Prof. Frances Torres
Now that I think about it, as a kid
I behaved the same as the characters
in the story did with elderly people. I
especially remember an old woman
that every one of my friends
bothered with pejorative names one
I remember clearly is “calabaza”, I do
not know where that nickname it
came from. One day while I was
playing in the park with some friends
this old woman passed by, and my
“friends” called her “calabaza”. I was
about to do the same thing, just to
follow the trend, the next thing I
The Garbage Man Essay by: Kensy Bernadeau, English 3201 of Prof. Frances Torres
remember is that the old woman got
very mad and started yelling bad
words at us. I got very scared,
started crying and rushed home. This
experience hit me hard. I learned to
respect others not only because of
the old woman’s reaction, but
because it is disrespectful to treat
people like that. And as a second
lesson I learned to do not do things
just because my friends tell me to do
so, if it seems suspicious, they can do
it on their own. The behavior of
Curtin’s character in “The Garbage
Man” reminds me of the behavior of
some Puerto Ricans towards the
elderly people. It depends on what
framework of reference we see it,
not everybody behaves rudely with
old people, but there are some that
are cruel. In today’s l society it
seems that the ones who behave
more disrespectfully are the
children and young teenagers,
maybe because of the lack of moral
values. They do not think that,
eventually, everyone gets old.
There have always been people who
become victims of some kind of dis-
crimination. The poor and destitute of
the world are among the people who
receive more rejection. Africa is one of
the poorest countries in the world and
also one of the most discriminated.
The movie District 9, depicts these mar-
ginalized people comparing them with
aliens invading the territory of Johan-
nesburg, describing the abuse people
were subjected to. African writer Mark
Mathabane portrays how many Afri-
cans suffered and struggled to survive
during the Apartheid period.
In the film District 9, aliens have
come to Earth but far to conquer, they
have been caught as a kind of illegal
migrants in Johannesburg. In this situa-
tion, governments have created refu-
gee camps, so they could live and re-
produce until they return to their plan-
et. They were controlled, watched, and
tolerated. Amidst all this, a public em-
ployee is involved in such a situation
that makes him wake up to the atti-
tudes of both species.
The transformation he underwent is
similar to what might happen to a citi-
zen who suddenly looks lost in a place
where there is misery, and is treated as
one of those “undesirables”. In this
case the man suffered firsthand the
attitude he had with others, the racial
fear that this time is to avoid becom-
ing something that has always been
treated as threat, he made it happen.
This film should not be seen only
from the standpoint of science fiction,
but to understand the absurd
grounds of racial conflict that con-
front the human race since the world
began in addition to getting the mes-
sage of criticizing racial conflict.
In his biography, Mark Mathabane
retells a sad story of his childhood
based on the discrimination and
abuse that his family and race were
subjected to. The story begins on a
cold winter day in 1965 with a child
who had just woken up terrified of
his nightmares. In a few moments,
after having said goodbye to his fa-
ther, his nightmare comes true when
the police officers of Alexandra make
unannounced raids. His mother, fran-
tic, hastens to search for her pass
book. Once found, the mother goes
out of the house in search of a hiding
place. Mathabane is left alone with
the responsibility of his brothers
without being able to care for them.
This narration illustrates the suf-
fering of South African people. It is
sad to read or see these things but
this is the reality of the world we live
in. Many people treat others as
inferiors, sometimes for no reason.
Mathabane was the victim of this
abuse, but thanks to his mother’s
guidance, he became an educated
and talented human being. I wish
everyone could do the same and
show the world that all humans
have the same capabilities no mat-
ter the color or social status; they
are all equal and have equal rights.
Racial conflicts in the world
have not improved much. There
will always be and will continue
unless people are educated. This
should create awareness and sensi-
tivity about racism and discrimina-
tion of any kind and how it affects
all humans. The film District 9 and
Mark Mathabane ‘s story are ex-
amples based on real events that
should not go unnoticed. One of
the things that humans should
know is that if they search their
ancestors they could find African
race genes. There are no “pure
races”, we are all mixed, just for
that reason, color discrimination
should be automatically eliminated,
but many people still practice it
because of ignorance. In conclu-
sion, I must insist that humans
should be aware that they are citi-
zens of planet Earth and that they
should be helping each other, in-
stead of rejecting each other.
.
8
Analysis of the poem: “A Newspaper” by Stephen Crane
By Javielys M. Rodríguez Casiano - English 3201
During the academic semester 2014, Basic English students had
to conduct community service hours. Students worked in teams to
identify the needs of an institution or agency. These students tutored
children, served food at homeless shelters, cleaned beaches,
coordinated activities at nursing homes, collected toys, clothes, food
for animals, raised funds, participated in marathons, etc. Students
planned, prepared, and presented their PowerPoint in class. This
community service experience has helped students develop personal
and professional skills. Congratulations to these students who served
wholeheartedly, transformed lives, and motivated others to join
efforts to make our society a better place!
I'd like to congratulate six students that spent endless hours at
Colitas Sonrientes. These students provided health care, love and
lots of dedication to heal Dolores (the dog that was burned with hot
water in Ponce). These students will receive a Special Recognition
Award from the Mayor of Ponce, Honorable María Meléndez Altieri,
on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. at "Teatro La Perla".
CONGRATULATIONS Uriel Malave, Fabiola Torres, Valeria Rivera ,
Karina Santiago, Luis Sanabria, and Edgar Lebrón for this recognition!
RECOGNITION AWARD FOR BASIC ENGLISH
STUDENTS' COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK
Professor Lourdes Ortiz Soto
One of America's most
influential realist writers,
Stephen Crane, born in
New Jersey on Novem-
ber 1, 1871, produced
works that have been
credited with establishing the foundations of
modern American naturalism. poverty
during this period he was able to realistically
depict tenement life in his writings. By 1900,
Crane's health had rapidly deteriorated due
to general disregard for his physical wellbe-
ing. After several respiratory attacks, Crane
died in June 5, 1900 of tuberculosis at the
age of twenty-eight.
He died young, but he published impacting
and timeless works. The poem “A newspa-
per is a collection of half-injustices” pub-
lished on War is Kind & Other Lines in 1899
is one these impacting creations. This poem
describes many different purposes of the
press. Newspapers are used to inform sto-
ries that are not always real, and usually
consist of violence or negative topics in our
societies. It is also a form of business where
writers implant their "wisdom" to people
who do not know any better. Stephen
Crane contends that a newspaper is a game,
because the media is not taking seriously
what is happening in the outside world and
stories are used to entertain rather than to
inform. The media writes about somebody
else’s mistakes that makes winners and
losers, but the journalists do not tell people
how to manage the consequences of their
mistakes; they only exploit them. The other
aspects Crane mentions are that the skillful
person wins the game while others die. This
metaphor in today’s societies is viewed like
a video game, but the only difference is that
there is no restart button. In today’s news-
paper most of the articles are mainly about
slander, violence or catastrophes. There do
not seem to be many articles that make
people think critically. Readers just read
them and move on. Much worse, reading
those articles everyday is making people insen-
sitive about the tragedies happening around
them and regard them as an everyday life
event like eating breakfast. Crane implies that
the overall purpose of the press are to spread
"tales" and fabrications of the truth. The press
or “the newspaper” is seen as a plague in
society that citizens welcome into their
homes.
Stephen Crane’s poems are really vivid and
realistic. In his poem “A newspaper” he por-
trays newspapers in ways that are not so dif-
ferent from today’s papers. Analyzing his po-
em, we find that there is not much difference
between today’s papers and those in the
nineteenth century because the media pub-
lishes articles that can sell and beat the com-
petition and do not make an effort to instill
knowledge from their articles and make the
readers analyze and ask questions.
9
Community service is a service volunteered by
individuals or an organization to benefit a community or its
institutions source. (The American Heritage® Dictionary of
the English Language, 2009) Pre service learning is a method
of teaching that combines formal instruction with a related
service in the community. (The American Heritage Dictionary
of the English Language 2009). In both, community service and
pre service learning you gain experience, develop leadership
skills and awareness of needs. The researchers conducted a
community service and pre service learning investigation
project at a public elementary school in Ponce. This is a quasi-
experimental research design. This elementary school has a
population of 339 students. The sample was twenty
students; fourteen from special education, six from the
regular classroom. The sampling was a non-random sampling.
The purpose of the research was to determine the
effects of asking questions and thinking out loud strategies on
an elementary school student’s reading comprehension in
Spanish. According to the P.P.A.A. the student scored
eighteen percent in the Spanish area. The problem is that the
students are not reaching the established goal according to
the P.P.A.A. The goals have not changed in the past three
years. This means that academic achievement in Spanish has
not improved. The standardized test results in Puerto Rico
from 2012-2013 reveal that student’s academic performance
in Spanish have declined. The strategies used to help the
student in the area of reading comprehension were obtained
through extensive literature review. Kendeou (2014) suggests
“four tips to boost reading comprehension for students:
reading with a purpose, choosing the right texts, thinking out
loud, and asking “why questions”.
After permission letters were submitted and
approved, the researchers interviewed the school director
The Effects of Questions and Thinking Out Loud Strategies on An Elementary
School Student’s Reading Comprehension in Spanish
Written by: Jessie Ortiz Torres Written in collaboration with: Professor Lourdes Ortiz Soto
and 3rd grade teacher. The teacher assigned a student for the
researchers to tutor. The researchers administered a pretest that
would measure the students’ reading comprehension skills.
Afterwards, the researchers designed two lessons to determine the
student’s progress. The lessons were designed taking into priority
the student’s needs and interests. The treatment included ten hours
of tutoring in the area of reading comprehension. The method of
evaluation that the researchers used was observation, two quizzes
and short stories. As researchers, we recommend that teachers
should consider practitioners as valuable resources to help students
develop better reading comprehension skills in Spanish .
Table 1: Pruebas Puertorriqueñas de Aprovechamiento Académico
2011-2013
Table 1 shows that throughout the past years the students’
proficiency level in Spanish has declined from 25% to 18 %.
Year Proficiency in Spanish
2011-2012 25%
2012-2013 18%
Figure 1 illustrates that in the years 2011-2012 the Spanish profi-
ciency was 25% and the established goal was 83.18%. In the
years 2012-2013 the Spanish proficiency was 18% and the estab-
lished goal was 83.18%. Throughout the years of 2011 to 2013 ,
Proficiency has declined by a 7%.
25%
83.18%
18%
83.18%
10
She was a non-believer…
She lived everyday with the
assurance that the presence that
followed her was not real, just
figments of her imagination. Her
boyfriend had died recently, and
ever since she had felt an intense
chill that made her shiver. At first it
was exhausting, but, after
convincing herself it was not real,
she decided to wear a warm jacket
everywhere to make the cold a bit
more bearable. As the days went
by, the presence not only became
overwhelming, but more vivid.
Sometimes she jerked as she felt a
dead cold finger trace her spine.
Sometimes she felt it caress her
hair, or place its hand on her
thigh… The time passed slowly
and as it did things worsened. She
heard steps following her, and
incomprehensible whispers. In the
course of time she lost some
weight and even started to look
pale. Those close to her started
noticing something was wrong; her
smiles diminished and despite their
worries, she always replied the
same ‘I’m okay’ as she drew an
emotionless smile on her face and
continued what she was doing.
As the sunset painted the
sky orange and yellow, she was
feeling a bit relieved. The presence
had only left traces of it that day, as
The Non Believer By: Gadiel Y. Ramos Delgado, 3rd place winner of Scary Stories
Edited by: Prof. Pier Angeli Le Compte
it whispered to her in the morning
‘The lightless nights are the domain
of the undead’ or so she believed
she heard –not that she thought it
was real. By some twisted design of
fate her radio was on and the
weather forecast mentioned that
night would be a moonless night.
The pieces of the puzzle fell in
place and, as she realized what was
going on, there was a blackout.
Quickly she looked out of her
window, and saw the darkness
embrace the entire city. The
presence took human shape behind
her. She did not dare look. She
knew if she did, it would make her
fears a reality. She would believe.
Dead cold hands stroked
her neck with care. “Hello dear.” A
familiar voice said, “It has been
painful having you ignore me all this
time. I thought you loved me…”
He proceeded to kiss her neck
“Don’t worry, we’ll be together
soon. I’m counting the minutes for
Halloween. I promise neither of us
will feel lonely anymore.”
The presence faded and the lights
were back up. She rushed to her
calendar to see that there was a
week left before Halloween. How
could they be together again if he
was dead? The answer was
simple… only if she died. That
week he did not torment her, only
her thoughts. No cold, no
whispers, no footsteps, only the
thought that she would die.
On Halloween night she
did not go out. She wasn’t ready
to die. At 11:59pm, on Halloween
night, she finally felt safe.
Halloween was over. The night
was at its darkest when she felt
her dead boyfriend return, but
not as a cold eerie presence, but
as blood thirsty demon.
“Ready to be together forever?”
“No.” she replied, hoping it was
just a nightmare that would end
the moment the clock struck
twelve.
“You’ll get used to being dead.”
The spirit pushed her with
unknown force, sending her out
the window to the ground below.
Still conscious, she witnessed in
terror how the blood thirsty eyes
of her once beloved looked into
hers, with a love so deep that it
had turned into obsession. With a
kiss he finished the job, killing her
by painfully ripping her soul.
“Now we’ll never be apart. Don’t
worry; you can always visit the
living on Halloween.”
11
Students’
Creativity
in INCO: Selling a Product
Prof. Edda Rodríguez Tomassini
In order to expand and develop the
professional business communication
abilities, students are assigned to
create a product, a service, or an
idea in which they can apply the AI-
DA steps of the persuasive process.
The four-point persuasive steps are
appropriate for unsolicited sales mes-
sages.
To persuade the receiver of the ben-
efits of the product, students com-
pose advertising letters, video com-
mercials, and flyers as various persua-
sive channels to gain the audiences’
attention, interest, desire, and finally,
motivate for buying action.
This task requires students to
“hypothetically sell" the product.
The following is one example of a
sales persuasive communication ex-
ercise where a Security Service Plan
is advertised through various medi-
ums of communication:
Still of promotional video created by students
Sample of promotional flyer created by students
12
Community Service is volunteer work conducted by individuals or an organization to benefit a community or institutions (Houghton Mifflin
Company, 2009). Pre-Service Learning is a period of guided, supervised teaching, a service that helps future teachers to develop their skills in the
classroom (Virginia Wesleyan College, 2014). The researchers conducted a community service and pre-service learning investigation project at a
public higher education institution. The researchers carried out community service tutoring hours with one randomly assigned participant enrolled in
the Integrated Science course. This was a quantitative and qualitative research because the researchers used diagnostic tests and exams as well as
director and teacher interviews. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Computer Programs on a college student’s mathematical
reasoning skills.
The researchers submitted a formal letter to the director of the Physics Department. The director met with the researchers and answered interview
questions. The director mentioned that based on her experience, she noticed that students have more difficulties in the mathematical reasoning area.
Furthermore, “El Metro” newspaper (September, 2014) revealed the College Board scores from 2004 in the area of mathematical reasoning. Fifty
five percent of the students obtained 442 out of 800 which is the maximum College Board score. Compared with the College Board results of 2009,
fifty four percent of the students scored 439 in this standardized test. The College Board test is aimed at students with 11 years of schooling. It
consists of five sections, with at least 200 points and 800 as the maximum score. These results clearly evidenced that the problem resided in college
students’ lack of mathematical reasoning skills. According to professors who taught the Integrated Science course, students showed low-test scores.
As a result, there was a need to implement on-line
computer programs to enhance students’ mathematical
reasoning skills. => => =>
T h e E f f e c t s o f O n - L i n e C o m p u t e r P r o g r a m s o n a C o l l e g e S t u d e n t ’ s
M a t h e m a t i c a l R e a s o n i n g S k i l l s i n t h e I n t e g r a t e d S c i e n c e C o u r s e
Unexpected
The week had come. The arrangements had
begun and everything was ready; well, almost
ready. There was but one thing missing: Señor
Ratón had not arrived. He was facing a very
difficult situation being lost at the Deep Dark
Woods. Alone, he felt the hours eternal. He
could not bear the thought of waiting for
what would change his life forever. What can
I do? –he said to himself. I’m lost, and all the
roads seem alike. I may not get there in time!
Tic tac! -the city clock sounded at a distance.
Tic tac! Oh, what a despair! As he made an
effort to run once again, Señor Ratón felt a
presence begin to draw near.
Out of the darkened sky, an owl, ten times
bigger than the ones he had ever seen
appeared. He quickly hid himself in the nearest
shrub, and a huge wave of nervousness
surrounded him twice as fast. «Oh no…!» As if
things couldn’t get any scarier, a loud scream
suddenly echoed through the forest, and Señor
Ratón became frightened. The shock had made
him move, and the owl had heard it. There was
now but one thing left to do. He got out of his
hiding place and started running desperately.
Strangely enough, the owl yelled behind him:
“Stop! Stop, this instance!” Why would the owl
want him to stop? «This must be a trap!» –he
thought.
You just want to eat me! “No, please! SHE sent
me; you have to believe me!” –the owl
responded. «She?» He slowly lowered his pace;
he had no one to help him. If this was the only
choice, he would take it, even if it cost him his
life. As the owl came nearer, his legs trembled.
He felt her breath at his neck and thought: «Is
this the end?». “Hop on!” –the owl said; and
before he would have the time to change his
mind, he mounted on the owl. He was finally
where he wanted to be now. The owl had taken
him to his wife. Señor Ratón timidly approached
her bed and said: “I’m sorry I am this late”. But
his wife, with a soft smile, opened her eyes and
said: “Dear, you are not late; you are just in time.
Our son is about to be born.”
Written by Karin Torres and Linette Adames ENGL 3021 Professor Lourdes Ortiz
Abstract by: Abstract by: Bethzaida López and Hillary Colón Written in collaboration with Professor Lourdes Ortíz Soto
Figure 1.1 shows the participant’s diagnostic
test, and test scores. The participant scored 60%
on the diagnostic test. On the second and third
tests, the participant scored 100% after exposure
to on-line computer programs.
13
. . . C o n t i n u a t i o n o f T h e E f f e c t s o f O n - L i n e C o m p u t e r P r o g r a m s o n a C o l l e g e
S t u d e n t ’ s M a t h e m a t i c a l R e a s o n i n g S k i l l s
i n t h e I n t e g r a t e d S c i e n c e C o u r s e
As part of the methodology, the
researchers designed, administered,
corrected, and tabulated the diagnostic
test. The participant obtained 60% of
100% in the diagnostic test because the
participant did not illustrate the
specific procedure to solve the word
problems. Thus, lessons and tests were
designed to reinforce mathematical
reasoning skills. The results of the pre
-test helped the researchers identify
mathematical reasoning limitations.
The lessons were based on word
problems that were presented through
on line computers programs. Once
the lessons were completed, the
participant received corrective
feedback, and the tests were
administered. The test results were
corrected and tabulated with the
Microsoft Excel program.
The test results evidenced that the
participant improved. In the first test
and second test, the participant
showed the procedure and applied
the problem solving strategies from
the on-line computer program. The
participant scored 100% of 100% in
the two tests. Finally, the
researchers recommended
professors to identify students that
possess content course knowledge,
and mathematical reasoning skills
and to recruit students who can
serve as mentors to guide and tutor
students that have limitations in
mathematical reasoning skills.
Does This Sound Familiar?
14
Once upon a time there was a huge apple tree that loved a little boy called Elmo. Elmo loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow and loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went and the boy had grown up, and he no longer played around the tree anymore.
One day the boy came back to the tree, and he looked sad. “Come and play with me”, the tree said to the boy. “I am no longer a kid, and I do not play around trees any more”, the boy replied. “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, I do not have money. You can pick all my apples, sell them, and have money.” The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples from the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree waited for him to come back, but he did come back.
One day, Elmo who now turned into a man returned, and the tree was excited “Come and play with me”, the tree said. “I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house, can you help me?” “Sorry, I do not have a house, but you can
I Will Always Be Here
chop off my branches to build your house”, the tree said. The man cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy, but the man never came back. The tree felt lonely and sad.
On a hot summer day, old Elmo returned, and the tree was super happy. “Come and play with me!”, the tree said. ‘I am getting old. I want to go sailing to enjoy my life, can you give me a boat?” The tree answered, “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy, so Elmo cut the tree trunk and left to never come back.
Finally, Elmo returned after many years. “Sorry, my boy, but I do not have anything for you anymore”. “No more apples”, the tree said. “Don’t worry, I do not have any teeth to bite” , Elmo said. “No more trunk for you to climb on”, the tree said. “I am too old for that now”, Elmo said. “I really cannot give you anything, but the only thing left is my dying roots”, the tree replied with tears running down its trunk. “I do not need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years”, Elmo said. “Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest”. “Come, come sit down with me and rest”. The man sat down, and the tree was glad and smiled. The tree then whispered, “ I WILL ALWAYS BE HERE”.
W r i t t e n b y : C h r i s t i a n T o r r e s a n d J e n n i f e r R o m a n E d i t e d b y P r o f e s s o r L o u r d e s O r t i z S o t o
Question
everything
15
The Funnies
Address:
University of Puerto Rico at Ponce
English Department
P.O. Box 7186
Ponce , PR 00732
Phone:
(787) 844-8181
Extension: 2325
Webpage:
www.uprp.edu
C o n t a c t U s :
Language Bloopers, Blunders, Mistakes, Slip-ups, Mix-ups, Errors, and Gaffes
This is the section in EPIGRAM where we share with you common mistakes – sometimes funny, sometimes embarrassing, and
many times unforgivable- that people make while trying to communicate in English. In this installment we share examples of
FAULTY TRANSLATION.
— If you think Google Translation and Babel Fish are perfect tools to help you when you are writing in English, ...you are sadly
mistaken...
One of our professors shares this: A student wrote the mini lesson objectives on the board. The cognitive objective read: The
students will read and write prayers in class. I thought the mini lesson concept was connected to the traditional Thanksgiving cele-
bration. As the student presented the class, I kept asking myself when are the students going to read and write the prayers. After
the student presented, a classmate commented that the cognitive objective was not achieved. The student answered , “Por
supuesto que alcanzamos el objetivo cognitive, ustedes LEYERON Y ESCRIBIERON ORACIONES SIMPLES CON EL VERBO “SER” y
“ESTAR “ EN LA PIZARRA.”
You didn’t get it yet . The student meant to write: The students will read and write sentences on the board NOT PRAYERS!
- - - Professor Lourdes Ortiz Soto