http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html The University of Michigan animal classification website.  There is info and pictures on many kind of animals here.

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Reserve/7416/mi.html The snakes of Michigan with pictures and information- this is the poster in the back of my room.

http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/default.htm A quiz on taxonomy (the study of animal organization).

 

    Our goal is to help each other see God, His love, and His story through the narrative in the Bible, the order and design in creation, and each other.

My Faith and Learning Statement

    Stimulating a student’s sense of wonder is a large part of my teaching.  In Science, we explore many facets of God’s creation, and I try to bring up many unusual things that the students did not know or find amazing.  As David writes in Psalm 139:13-14 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  In Biology, students learn in detail how they are created and grow, from the basic body system review to the Eighth grade unit on reproduction and development.  We also spend time learning about various creation and evolution theories, culminating with the students writing a paper presenting and backing with evidence from nature and the Bible their view on the origin of the earth.
    In Physics we study the rules and laws that God has established in our universe.  We study how these rules and laws not only govern our existence, but how they can help us to accomplish many things that we take for granted.
    In Math we study the patterns and the systems that we find everyday in our lives.  God’s organization and planning is clearly evident in much of what we do in this subject, and the manipulation of those items is a primary focus in Algebra.
    In Bible we see the story of God’s creation, man’s fall, and the continuing story of God’s plan of redemption for man, with the culmination in the life and death of Jesus.  In the New Testament we especially see that  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).  Following this, we study how God, through Paul and the other New Testament writers, wrote an unchanging, always applicable book that was not only a guide for people and churches in the past, but is a guide for people and our churches today.

    Leading by example and showing the students that Christians and Christ need to be an active part in our lives, homes, and work is a primary focus of my teaching.  The students need to see and understand that often times the only Christ a person will see is us- His followers.  They need to understand that our actions speak far louder than our words, and no matter what we say, people will see Christ in us through the way we act in school, work, and in play.  The application of our Biblical studies and coursework is of major importance to our Christian walk with God among our neighbors.  We must let our light shine, no matter what our position is in life.  Whether we become garbage men, fast food workers, teachers, doctors, nurses, or politicians, we need to remember “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).  This is of the utmost importance in our lives, and I hope, that through my teaching, it becomes the guiding principle in our classroom and in our student’s lives.

Classroom info and policies: