The integration of faith and learning into the teaching of geometry, specifically shapes, seems daunting if not impossible.

How do I include Christ in a lesson about squares, rectangles, circles, and rectangles? How do I praise God through my teaching of right angles and isosceles triangles? I prayed during the process of creating my unit plan that God would reveal His plan of teaching through faith, I believe the Holy Spirit questioned me Who made the heavens and the earth? And the cry from my heart was The earth is the Lords and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1). God created the heavens and the earth, He saw it was good, and is allowing me to be a steward of His creation by teaching about creation through geometry. Geometry was first discovered in 4000 B.C. by the Babylonians, then a new level by the Egyptians in 3000 B.C., and India in 1500 B.C. Each of these discoveries was made by god worshippers, not Christ believers. As a believer, I know God can use all things for good as J Stronks and G. Stronks clearly state Christians believe that the world around us is Gods creation, whether or not people call it that. That world has a natural order that fills us with wonder and amazement because it is, to use a phrase of C.S. Lewis, like us, one of Gods creatures (Stronks & Stronks, 1999). Therefore, my teaching of geometry must reflect God s creation in geometry. A key concept in teaching the shape unit is to look in creation yes, walk outside discovering what God has created that resembles squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and rhombi. By finding shapes in creation, the action fulfills the part of common core criteria to identify shapes at the kindergarten level while also being consistent with my worldview. As

the students look out a window at the trees, which have neither leaves nor buds, they can see a rectangle for a branch and the trunk, circles at the end of the branches, and can form twigs into squares. The students will use shapes to create a penguin which will assist their conceptual understanding of how shapes interact and how shapes are part of the building of the penguin project. The key is integrating the concept of similarities, differences, and properties while using multiple mediums for learning. The students will look outside, talk about what they see, cut shapes out of paper, and think how the shapes can be used to form a penguin. The integration of bible based games in geometry is consistent with my worldview. I would include games such as fish and the loaves where the students will count shapes that represent fish and loaves, while adding the two categories of shapes together to include addition learning. Another game would be having shapes represent the animals which walked into the ark. The students would pick out two identical shapes to represent the animals which walked 2 by 2 onto the ark. Multiple sizes of shapes would be in the basket to choose from, thereby I will be able to assess if the students understand the concepts of shapes including similar shapes, size and properties. The activities listed above will assist students to develop, in an appropriate way, how their own worldview affects how they learn about geometry and the interaction of personal faith. As I have been thinking and researching how to teach a unit on shapes, I discover more deeply the responsibility of teaching while on my knees in prayer. I must surrender myself; both body, soul, and mind to God and how He will choose to use me.

References Holy Bible, (2005). New International Version. Zondervan. Grand Rapids. Stronks, J. & Stronk, G. (1999). Christian teachers in public schools. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.