Keith PondContactOffice HoursOffice Hours by appointment. I will be available most days until 4:00 pm. Just let me know that you will be coming by and we can work on any questions!
Classes/DutiesHS Literature
HS Composition Shakespeare ExtracurricularsArt Club
Assignmentsupcoming trimester:The Google Classroom environment will be used for turning in essays. For classroom-related questions, please email at the .net address above. Thank you!
Advanced Composition: (During readings, remember to closely read, take notes, and look up unfamiliar vocabulary.) 2 Sept: No classes. 3 Sept: Read to the middle of pg. 18. 4 Sept: Essay correction points. 5 Sept: Read to the middle of page 22 (skip the Chorus). Begin working on translation of Oedipus' speech. This translation is due Tuesday, September 10. 6 Sept: Read middle of page 25 (entrance of Jocasta). Remember that translation is due next Tuesday. 9 Sept: Read to page 27 (Creon's exit). Translation is due tomorrow. Classic Literature: 2 Sept: No classes. 3 Sept: HW: Finish Gilgamesh. 4 Sept: Final Gilgamesh discussion. Test is Friday. 5 Sept: Review 6 Sept: Gilgamesh test. Essay prompt is available in the Google classroom (due 19 Sept.) First reading from The Iliad (introduction). 9 Sept: Hand back language essays and go over legibility concerns. American Literature: 2 Sept: No classes. 3 Sept: Continue with Ben Franklin discussion. 4 Sept: Read "Information to Those..." 5 Sept: Read "Remarks Concerning..." 6 Sept: Be sure to be caught up. No new reading. 9 Sept: Continue with "Remarks Concerning..." Test over Franklin will be this week (date TBD). Shakespeare's Money. Class InformationAdvanced Composition:
Use your Writer's Notebooks! Remember, you use your Writer's Notebooks for more than just class prompts! READING LIST (may be updated): Oedipus Rex - Sophocles Assorted short stories and poems from Edgar Allan Poe Corman's movie version of "The Pit and the Pendulum" As You Like It - William Shakespeare Hamlet - William Shakespeare 1984 - George Orwell Classic Literature: Gilgamesh The Iliad (excerpted) "The Apology of Socrates" The Aeneid (excerpted) Beowulf The Inferno (with excerpts of Purgatorio and Paradiso time permitting) American Literature: "Self-Reliance" and "Nature"- Ralph Waldo Emerson The Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne TBD Shakespeare: Othello Much Ado About Nothing Macbeth Movie List for Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. MGM. 1993. Film. Much Ado About Nothing. Dir. Joss Whedon. Lionsgate. 2013. Film. Othello. Dir. Trevor Nunn. Image. 1990. Film "Shakespeare in Our Time." National Endowment for the Arts Presents Shakespeare in Our Communities, 2011. Film. "Why Shakespeare?" National Endowment for the Arts, 2011. Film. 19th Century Literature: (Reading list is still being finalized.) Frankenstein - Mary Shelley Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson "The Purloined Letter" - Edgar Allan Poe "A Scandal in Bohemia" - Arthur Conan Doyle |
Hello to everyone. My name is Keith Pond, and I am the Composition and Literature teacher here at James Madison Preparatory School. I feel extremely fortunate to be a member of the team here, and look forward to bringing my love of reading and writing to the students.
I was born to a small family of traveling performing elves and was handed off to a band of assorted woodland creatures when I inexplicably outgrew my family's caravan of ferret-powered wagons. I attended school deep in an enchanted forest and spent my time, much like other children, climbing trees, racing unicorns, and foraging for precious gems. After an unfortunate incident involving a neighboring tribe of goatherds and a 1967 Chevy Nova, I was forced to find employment writing ads for shady furniture stores and ghost-writing personal ads in free newspapers. Here, I found my calling. Even though I am quite old, I only age in years that are prime numbers, therefore I am technically considered orange. Pardon me? Uh...okay...yes, sorry about that. I am being told that the purpose of this bio is to give real information. So... I have lived in Arizona for most of my life, graduating from Dobson High School in Mesa and receiving my BA in Literature from Arizona State University. Like many, my path out of college consisted of some twists and turns. I was involved in bicycle racing and the outdoor industry through college and into the first phase of my professional life. In that environment, I have worked every conceivable position from floor sweeper to mechanic to shop owner. After deciding to move on, I became involved in the retail cellular phone business. For ten years I worked in a variety of positions, finally culminating in regional management responsibilities. In my spare time I enjoy mountain biking, reading, writing, drawing, and basketball, among other things. And, of course, I love being with my family as much as possible. I have seen how important it is for young people entering college and professional life to be able to present their thoughts and ideas in a cogent and readable fashion. I hope to bring excitement to this process, and look forward to the school year ahead. Thank you. |
