Ketcham
Welcome to my corner of the Internet. Here you will find access to the syllabi for class.

I teach US History, Economics/Geography, Western Civilization, and College US History through FRCC.


About Me:
Self-proclaimed history geek (I read history books for fun!). Father of 2 kids, 12 and 9. Lover of football (Bayern Munich) and football (Denver Broncos). 

This is my 7th year at Jefferson Academy, but I have spent 1 year at Lakewood High School and 10 years teaching at Front Range Community College.

For all of my classes, I run them fairly lecture heavy, because I feel like the skill of being able to listen, digest what's being told to you, and take the proper and right notes for each student is an invaluable skill they will use for the rest of their lives.

I am one who truly values the relationships I build with each and every student. I feel that using those relationships allows me to help them understand the material, because I can put it in terms they would understand. Plus, I try to make my classroom a welcoming environment where students can be themselves, but also have a sense of respect for each other and for me as well.

About the classes I have taught:

College US History: This is the class I have a Master's Degree in history for. We begin with those native populations (Aztecs, Incas, etc) that are here before the European contact, and go all the way through 9/11 and the end of the Cold War. We will look at the Founding Fathers, the founding documents of the United States, and look at those who tend not to be in the history books as much, such as the Native Americans and slaves. We do spend time on all the wars the United States has been involved in, with specific attention focused on the Civil War and WWII, those cataclysmic events in our history which not only shape our country, but the world as well.

In US History, it's easy to get lost in the idea of what is good about the US and ignore the bad parts. My feeling is if you only focus on the good, the good no longer becomes special. If you look at both good and bad, while the bad may be hard to talk about, it makes the good that much better to look at.

This class will also focus on college-level tools, like how to take notes during a lecture, how to read for college (It's different than for high school), and we will write A LOT. Be Prepared!

Western Civilization: This class is the second half of European history. We will begin with the Renaissance, and move through all of European history, and include some Middle East and Asian history as well, until World War II. We will look at art, literature, movies, plays and other mediums to help convey what happened during this time frame.

Topics include: Industrial Revolution, Scientific Revolution, French Revolution, Reformation, WWI, WWII, Rise of Fascism, Rise of Mao and Communism in China. Meiji Restoration, and many others. The topics we talk about will be familiar to a degree, but we will look at them in a way to help you remember.


Economics: This class is focused on the study of choice. How people make choices and what do those choices mean. We are going to look at important ideas like Supply and Demand, which will be something that is integrated into every other topic that we talk about in class. This class is really focusing on MacroEconomics, which is the study of entire economies and how countries/nations/big business make choices and decisions and how those choices affect everything.

We are also going to talk about Personal Finance, which means the topic of basic ideas of checking, credit, balancing a budget; things that you will need and use throughout your entire life.

Geography: This class
 is much more than a class about maps and places. That information is there and is very important, but it is equally as important to focus on how each country and place interacts with each other, and with the United States. This should really be more of an international relationships type class. The students will watch videos and documentaries, talk about current events, and talk about different historical events and how those have affected the world around them. We will also look at things like elections, both domestically and internationally, and how those can affect how a country, whether the US or another country, is viewed in the world.

There is also maps and teaching the students where things and places are in the world, because as they graduate and move on, knowing the where of things is very important to the students' place in the world.

US History: This is my bread and butter class; the one I have a Master's Degree in history for. We begin with those native populations (Aztecs, Incas, etc) that are here before the European contact, and go all the way through 9/11 and the end of the Cold War. We will look at the Founding Fathers, the founding documents of the United States, and look at those who tend not to be in the history books as much, such as the Native Americans and slaves. We do spend time on all the wars the United States has been involved in, with specific attention focused on the Civil War and WWII, those cataclysmic events in our history which not only shape our country, but the world as well. 

In US History, it's easy to get lost in the idea of what is good about the US and ignore the bad parts. My feeling is if you only focus on the good, the good no longer becomes special. If you look at both good and bad, while the bad may be hard to talk about, it makes the good that much better to look at.



Mr. Ketcham
Mr. Ketcham's Spring 2023 class schedule (with room #):
(Along with the new bell schedule)

A Block (8:20 - 9:50) - College Geography (Room 240)
B Block (9:55 - 11:25) - US History (Room 240)
C Block (12:10 - 1:40) - College US History (Room 240)
D Block (1:45 - 3:25) - WWI to WWII (Room 240)

Syllabi
US History Syllabus
College US History Syllabus
WWI to WWII Syllabus

Contact Mr. Ketcham at [email protected] or by phone at 303-465-7681.

Office Hours
7:15 - 8:15am (Access hour) - Drop in to Room 240
3:15 - 4:00pm (Access hour) - Email or talk to Mr. Ketcham for an appointment