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: (Remember to closely read, take notes, and look up unfamiliar vocabulary.) 19 Sept: Continue with terminology for the Rhetorical Situation. Continue drafting work on the Oedipus Rex essay. 20 Sept: Rhetorical Situation notes. Continue working on essay due on Friday. 21 Sept: Full period discussion of approaches to essay writing. HW: Work on essay that is due on Friday. 22 Sept: Demonstrations of page setup, MLA formatting, hanging indents, and quote integration. Essay is due tomorrow, and the points covered today are expected to be done properly in the essay. 23 Sept: Go over Oedipus Rex test. Continue with Rhetorical Situation unit. Hand out the next reading (the Shakespearean comedy As You Like It). HW: Read Act I scene i. 26 Sept: Students should be sure to be caught up with the reading from Friday. We covered the majority of the characters in As You Like It during class today. 27 Sept: Finish Act 1 (scenes ii and iii). Please remember to read closely, look up vocabulary, and bring questions for our discussions. THE RHETORICAL SITUATION TEST IS FRIDAY THE 30th. 28 Sept: The assignment is to re-read and look up unknown words in Act I. 29 Sept: Study for the Rhetorical Situation test tomorrow. 30 Sept: Rhetorical Situation test. If there is time, we will start the audio for As You Like It. No reading HW. Have a great Fall Break! Classic Literature: 19 Sept: Read Book IX to line 688. 20 Sept: Finish Book IX. Bridge lecture tomorrow. 21 Sept: Full period lecture on implementing the writing process and general approaches to essays. 22 Sept: Continue with yesterdays discussion, review middle of Book IX. HW: Make sure Book IX has been completed. 23 Sept: Bridge lecture to cover books that will not be read in The Iliad. HW: Read Book XVIII to line 62. 26 Sept: HW: Read Book XVIII to line 454. 27 Sept: Hw: Read Book XVIII to line 638. 28 Sept: Finish Book XVIII. 29 Sept: Read Book XIX to line 356. 30 Sept: We are caught up until after vacation. Have a great Fall Break! 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 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) 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 attended school deep in an 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. 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. |
