Keith PondContactkpond@madisonprep.org
480-345-2306 ext 211 (Not currently available; please utilize email.) Hello to all of my classes. I hope that you are all staying healthy and safe during this very strange time in our history. I miss having everyone in class and hope that we can all return to normal very soon. In the meantime, we will be moving forward with adjusted classes. For all of my classes, I am looking simply to continue forward while reading some truly excellent literature. Read, enjoy, and discuss; participation is the goal, so do not worry about grades on quizzes or other assignments at this time. Office HoursIf students have questions, please email me and I will respond as quickly as possible. A live or recorded Zoom chat may be introduced if there are many issues with a particular section.
Classes/DutiesHS Literature
HS Composition Shakespeare ExtracurricularsAssistant Basketball Coach
AssignmentsWEEK Of: june 12 June 2020: Finals continue today. Final submission time is 3:00 this afternoon. If there are any issues with access, please email me ASAP.
1 June 2020: Finals for Advanced Composition and Classic Literature begin today. Both classes have a two part final which is scheduled to post at 8:00 am this morning. Please email with any questions and I will respond as quickly as possible. 29 May 2020: Updates have been continuing in the Google Classroom environments. The Shakespeare final has posted, and the time window for Adv. Comp. and Classic Lit. have been posted as well. 26 May 2020: I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend! All classes will be finishing up their works this week. Please see the Google Classrooms to stay current with the last reading assignments. 22 May 2020: Happy Friday! I hope you all have a great 3-day weekend. Keep up with your reading...finals are coming. 21 May 2020: Hello, and welcome to Thursday! Reading schedules have been given out in the lectures, so please keep up with those. Email me with any questions. 20 May 2020: New lectures have posted with updated reading assignments. Please be sure to check in with Google Classroom to stay current. 18 May 2020: Welcome back from the weekend! Check in to the Google Classrooms for new information. 15 May 2020: Happy Friday, everyone! 14 May 2020: Make sure to check out new lectures and keep up with readings. Remember to check the Google Classroom environment for assignments. Each class below does have a link to an archived list, if needed, for assignments that may have been missed. A always, please email me with any questions you might have. Thank you! Classroom expectations Advanced Composition: 26 May 2020: Welcome back from the long weekend! You all should be finished with 1984 by tomorrow. The final book lecture will post later today or tomorrow. 22 May 2020: You should be working towards finishing Part 3 of 1984. Students can schedule their progress, but need to be finished reading by Wednesday the 27th of May. (If anyone is has a copy of the book that ends at Part 2, please let me know right away.) I will be getting information out to everyone regarding the final by Tuesday at the latest. 18 May 2020: Welcome back from the weekend! Google Classrooms has new comments. Finish up Part 2 of 1984 and look for a new lecture tomorrow. Some older lectures. Newer ones are in the Google Classroom. Advanced Comp. Audio Lecture (about 75 minutes) Adv. Comp. Lecture 3 (18 minutes; points of interest in Chapters 2 and 3) Advanced Comp. Lecture 2. (50 minutes) Advanced Composition Lecture 1. (20 minutes) Archived Advanced Composition information. Classic Literature: 26 May 2020: Welcome back from the long weekend! This week, we will be finishing The Inferno. The reading assignment, as given on Friday, is to be finished by tomorrow. The final lecture for the piece will be posted tomorrow, also. I will post information about the final later today. 22 May 2020: Happy Friday! Look for a new lecture to post today. Students should be scheduling their time to finish Canto XXXIV by Wednesday, the 27th of May. I will also be getting information about the final out to everyone by Tuesday at the latest. 18 May 2020: Welcome back from the weekend! Check in with Google Classrooms to stay up to date. You should have read through Canto XXVIII, and look for a new lecture for tomorrow. Here are some older lectures. More recent lectures are in the Google Classrooms environment. Classic Lit. Lecture 3 (64 minutes) Classic Lit Lecture 2. (58 minutes) Classic Literature: Lecture 1. (26 minutes) Archived Classic Literature information. Shakespeare: 26 May 2020: Welcome back from the long weekend...and welcome to your last week as a senior! Congratulations! The final lecture for Othello will post later today, and I will have the information regarding your final today, as well. 22 May 2020: Happy Friday! The lecture for Act III has posted, and the plan is to have Act IV posted this afternoon. The reading schedule is given in the Google Classrooms page, so please keep up with that. Grades for all Much Ado About Nothing papers received have been released. I will have information about the process for the final by Tuesday at the latest. 18 May 2020: Welcome back from the weekend! You should be done with Act II (and thoroughly offended at Iago by this time) and well into Act III. A new lecture is scheduled to post this morning by 11:00. Here are some older lectures and information. Current lectures are available in the Google Classroom environment. Shakespeare Lecture 2 (39 minutes) Shakespeare's Money. Shakespeare Lecture 1. (38 minutes) Archived Shakespeare information. Class InformationAdvanced Composition: Use your
Writer's Notebooks! Remember to use your Writer's Notebooks! These should be used to store your observations about the world around you, and to write down ideas that you can utilize for inspiration. "You only fail if you stop writing."-Ray Bradbury 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. |
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 was home schooled deep in the enchanted forest and spent my time much like other children climbing trees and racing unicorns. 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. Who knew? 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 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. |
