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