The Blue Horse Who Wanted to Go to College

by Dr. Jose Arturo Puga, Soor-el Puga (Illustrator)

Overview

Ruben is a blue horse who dreams of going to college at a well-known university. He is determined to achieve his personal and academic goals, even though he faces obstacles. Although his schoolwork has suffered because he is a second-language learner, he is not ready to give up. Rubens high school counselor is not very encouraging, but with the help of a professor from a local community college, he soon learns that there may be another way for him to reach his dreams. The Blue Horse Who Wanted to Go to College seeks to encourage structured classroom conversations to allow students to reach high levels of academic language and to develop crucial skills related to second-language acquisition. It nurtures literacy skills by allowing students to read with a purpose, to integrate new information, and to identify the writers point of view. This bilingual tale of a blue horse hoping to go to college promotes active reading through relatable experiences among students working on second-language acquisition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546227816
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	02/24/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	46
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dr. Jos Arturo Puga is a middle school principal at Hays CISD in Kyle, Texas, and a retired US Army officer with twenty-one years of military service. His career in education, which spans more than two decades, includes experience as a bilingual teacher, school counselor, and administrator at the elementary school, middle school, and high school levels. Dr. Jos Arturo Puga earned his doctoral degree at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in bilingual education. He earned a bachelors degree in Spanish literature and a masters degree in school counseling from the University of Texas at Edinburg and at Brownsville. He also earned a masters degree in sociology from Texas Tech University at Lubbock. Dr. Jos Arturo Puga, his wife, and their family reside in the Austin area, where he enjoys traveling and spending quality time with his family.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Once I met a blue horse named Ruben who wanted to go to college. He hoped to go to a recognized university. Ruben went to his high school counselor to ask about a college application.

* * *

En una ocasión conocí a un caballo azul llamado Rubén, quien quería ir a la Universidad. Su esperanza era asistir a una Universidad de renombre. Rubén fue con el consejero para solicitar una aplicación para ingresar a la universidad.

"Mrs. Hayes, I would like an application for college," said Ruben.

She responded firmly, "Don't forget to include all of your grades and the awards you have received in school."

* * *

"Sra. Hayes, deseo llenar una aplicación de ingreso a la Universidad", dijo Rubén.

Ella respondió con firmeza: "No olvides incluir todas tus calificaciones y los premios que has recibido en la escuela."

Since Ruben knew he had struggled with the English language and his grades, he asked, "What kind of awards should I include, Mrs. Hayes?"

"Well, never mind, Ruben; with your grades, you probably will not be accepted in any of those colleges anyway", Mrs. Hayes quickly responded.

* * *

Como Rubén sabía que había luchado al aprender inglés y con sus calificaciones, Rubén pregunto: "¿Cuáles premios debería incluir Sra. Hayes?"

"Bueno Rubén, no te preocupes, de todos modos, con tus calificaciones, probablemente, no serás aceptado en esas universidades", rápidamente contestó la Sra. Hayes.

Mrs. Hayes added, "Just complete what you can, and we will send them later. Let's think about other opportunities, like the army; that might suit you just fine."

* * *

La Sra. Hayes añadió: "Completa lo que puedas y la enviaremos más tarde. Vamos a ver otras oportunidades, como por ejemplo, las Fuerzas Armadas, eso te favorece más."

"Let's check your high school graduation plan to make sure you meet the requirements before you start thinking about college or even the army. Well, what do you know? You do meet the requirements for the army. Congratulations, Ruben!" Mrs. Hayes added dryly.

* * *

"Vamos a verificar tu plan de graduación para la preparatoria para estar seguros de que cumples con todos los requisitos antes de comenzar a pensar en la universidad o las Fuerzas Armadas. Bien, ¿sabes qué?, sí cumples con los requisitos para las Fuerzas Armadas. ¡Felicidades Rubén!", añadió la Sra. Hayes en un tono seco.

The high school graduation date came, and Ruben and his parents were very happy.

"Congratulations!" said his mom and dad.

Ruben replied, "I will go to college and become someone important. I promise you, mom and dad!"

* * *

Llegó el día de la graduación de la preparatoria y Rubén y sus padres estaban muy contentos.

"¡Felicidades!" dijeron su mamá y su papá.

Rubén contestó: "¡Voy a ir a la Universidad y me convertiré en alguien muy importante. Se los prometo, mamá y papá!"

After the graduation, Ruben received a letter from a recognized university, and he was very excited. He could not wait for his mom and dad to open the letter.

* * *

Después de la graduación, Rubén recibió una carta de la Universidad y estaba muy ansioso. No podía esperar que su mamá y su papá abrieran la carta.

Ruben asked his mom nervously, "Mom, would you please open the envelope for me and let me know what the university has to say?"

* * *

Rubén le preguntó a su mamá muy nervioso: "Mamá, ¿puede abrir la carta y decirme que dice la universidad?"

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Blue Horse: Who Wanted to Go to College!"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Dr. Jose Arturo Puga.
Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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