Wednesday, March 13, 2013

In Celebration of Pi Day

Tomorrow, March 14, is Pi Day, so thought I would share some ideas for implementation in the classroom and for celebrating.

But first you might ask, "What is Pi Day and How Did It Originate." (See Scientific American post.)


In this blog post, PiDay! , find a list of activities, lessons, and more--including links to a variety of resources.

TeachersFirst Pi Day Resources lists activities by grade level to celebrate PiDay.

From Eutopia, check Celebrate Pi Day: Seven Classroom Activities for PiDay, with links to resources to lesson plans and more, including a link to the National Council of Teachers of Math site to find specific resources there.

And if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow NCTM at




From Flobabulary, click below to access information:

Circles: Circumference & Area

"All You Need is Pi and the Radius"


These resources are taken directly from the Annenberg Learner Update website under the category, Connecting Learning with Special Days:

"Pi Day (March 14) 
  
Celebrate the value of pi, approximately 3.14, with the following resources: 

Math in Daily LifeWe usually consider pi to be a universal constant, and it can be, but that depends on which universe we are talking about. Mathematics Illuminatedunit 8, "Geometries Beyond Euclid," explains why in a discussion on curvature and higher-dimensional space.  

Session 7, “Circles and Pi,” of Learning Math: Measurement investigates the properties of pi and its relationship to the measures of a circle.  

What do carpets have to do with pi? See practical applications of pi in the Math in Daily Life interactive. This section of the interactive demonstrates its value in home decorating.  

Elementary students use string and tape measures to approximate the value of pi in the lesson "Round About Pi."  


Here's a video you might want to share:





For younger learners, you might try this video:

 




What are your plans for Pi Day? Which of these resources were helpful to you? If we truly believe in interdisciplinary learning, then no matter what grade or level we teach, shouldn't we all be celebrating events like Pi Day and addressing mathematical concepts?


1 comment:

  1. I love that Pi Day is being celebrated in the upper grades! My 1st graders are a little young for this but I love that the video of students playing music to Pi. It is a great way to incorporate the multiple intelligences into a lesson.

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