Pi Day Ideas

Pi day is one of my favorite days of the year!  This year my students are going to learn about Pi through a variety of interactive activities.

First, I am going to begin with one of my favorite books, Sir Cumference and the First Round Table.  One of the places it can be purchased is amazon:

 https://www.amazon.com/Cumference-First-Round-Table-Adventure/dp/1570911525/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489351631&sr=8-1&keywords=cir+cumference


 It is also available on youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ4MbU8928c

My class is currently working on comparing and contrasting traditional literature as well as sequence of events/timelines. Therefore, as a part of our discussion, we are going to look at components of this story and discuss its genre, sequence of events, practice summarizing, character traits , etc.

Next, we are going to put theory to the test. Does Pi really equal to 3.14? Students will work with variety of circular objects in small groups to figure out value of Pi. Here are a couple of examples of what I'll be using in class. Students will practice multiplication, measuring skills, and will discuss their findings in small groups as well as with the whole class. 

Pi day wouldn't be truly interactive without a S.T.E.M. activity. While searching on TPT, I found this exciting packet that I will be able to use for several activities, but for PI day specifically , I will have my students work in small groups to complete the "Plate Transformation" challenge. This entire packet is an excellent resource because it provides plenty of activities for critical thinking and discussion while requiring very few supplies. For example, "Plate Transformation" only requires paper plates and scissors. 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Paper-Plate-STEM-Challenges-Great-for-Pi-Day-3022280

After our S.T.E.M activity, students will work with a partner to complete  the graphic organizer activity poster. Each student will have their own poster, but they can work together to discuss. Students will present their work in small groups. 

This product is available FREE on TPT , grab yours while you can. I am certainly excited about using mine in the classroom!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pi-Day-Graphic-Organizer-Activity-Poster-Freebie-595161

Last, but not least, I am going to test my students' memory. Over the weekend, I posted on class dojo what Pi stands for. It will be also displayed on the document camera throughout the day. Their job is to memorize as many numbers as they can and on Tuesday (Pi Day) we are going to have a friendly competition. The winner and the runner up will receive, a pie of course! If you are short on time, one way to do this is to give each student an index card or a sticky note and have them write out as many numbers they remember that stand for pi. Then you can collect their cards and announce the winner when time permits. 

 

I can't wait to try out these Pi day activities with my students on Tuesday and will share with you photos of how it looked in my classroom.  I hope you found these ideas and resources helpful and enjoy your pi day!


I would love to hear your ideas and any resources you'd like to share to engage students in learning about Pi


Always learning,

Irina Swanson