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.) 6 January 2025: Welcome Back! HW: Read Act I, ii from lines 90 to 164. Pay particular attention to Hamlet's soliloquy. 7 Jan: HW: Act I scene iii to line 94. 8 Jan: HW: From last night's reading, review Polonius' advice to Laertes (lines 59-88). 9 Jan: HW: Continue with Polonius and his advice to Ophelia. Finish I.iii. 10 Jan: Finish I.iv and read I.v to line 98. 13 Jan: HW: Finish Act I. 14 Jan: Read II.i. 15 Jan: Read II.ii to line 181. 16 Jan: HW: II.ii to line 390. 17 Jan: HW: II.ii to line 444. Classic Literature: 6 January 2025: Welcome Back! HW: Finish Book VI. 7 Jan: HW: Read Book VIII. 8 Jan: HW: Be caught up with the reading. We are coming to the end of the work and the test will be early next week. 9 Jan: Short bridge lecture. Time given in class to begin reading HW, which is to finish The Aeneid (Book XII). Test is, at the present time, scheduled for next Tuesday. 10 Jan: Study for test over The Aeneid on Tuesday. Review on Monday. EDIT: Test is moved to Wednesday. 13 Jan: Review game. Test over The Aeneid on Wednesday. 14 Jan: Final review lecture. Test tomorrow. 15 Jan: Test over The Aeneid. First reading for Beowulf (intro to Masterpieces of the Middle Ages and intro to the poem itself). 16 Jan: Read the Prologue to Beowulf. It will also be helpful to look over the class handouts from today's lecture. 17 Jan: HW: Read Book I Beowulf. Shakespeare: 6 January 2025: Welcome Back! HW: Finish Act III (very short reading) and then read IV.i to line 89. 7 Jan: HW: IV.i to line 279. 8 Jan: Finish IV.i. 9 Jan: HW: IV.ii to line 173. 10 Jan: Finish Act IV. 13 Jan: HW: V.i to 130. 14 Jan: HW: Finish V.i and read V.ii to line 24. 15 Jan: Short lecture and then time to work on sonnet recitations. 16 and 17 Jan: Sonnet recitations. 17 Jan: HW: V.ii to line 264. Self-Reliance 17 Jan: Finish Automotive Unit. Test on Tuesday. 21 Jan: Automotive Unit test. Shakespeare's Money. Class Information"Advanced 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"- Ralph Waldo Emerson Assorted Benjamin Franklin writings "The Cherokee Memorials" Short stories from Washington Irving The Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel Hawthorne 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: 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. |
