This week's Education World STEM Roundup touches on girls in STEM, a new and engaging science program called Project Innovation, and news about Robai and Intelitek collaborating on a new line of educational robots.
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gathered a collection of links to ideas and activities that will help you plan a Pi Day celebration for your classroom or school.
If one day of the year screams Party! in math class, that day is March 14. Each year on 3/14, teachers in classrooms across the globe take a break from the normal routine to plan a special celebration in honor of pi, or the number 3.14...
March 14 also happens to be the birth date of Albert Einstein -- which makes the day an extra special one for planning math challenges and math fun!
According to Dr. Math, Pi Day activities are meant to enrich and deepen students' understanding of the concept of pi. Activities might include investigations of the value of pi, special pi projects, and parties with pizza or other kinds of "pi."
Because pi is 3.14159…, some schools hold their big Pi Day celebrations 3/14 at exactly 1:59 p.m.
Education World editors recently took some time to surf the Internet in search of ideas around which teachers might build Pi Day celebrations. The resources below offer a library of great activities, lesson plans, and other resources to help you celebrate Pi Day in style!
LESSON PLANS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR PI DAY
We have gathered more than 2-dozen links to Pi Day activity ideas. (Appropriate grade levels for each lesson resource appear in parentheses.)
Make a Pi Chain
Use 10 different colors of construction paper. Choose a different color to represent each digit, 0 to 9. For example: 1=red, 2=blue, 3=green, 4=yellow… In that way, 3.141 would have rings of green, then red, then yellow, then red. Continue creating the chain for 3.14159…
See this activity and others at Pi Day (Week) Math Lessons.
March 14 Is Pi Day!
Great Pi Day Activities for Teachers
How to Celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day WebQuest
Pi Day Lessons from the Math Forum (Grades 5-8)
Making a Pi Necklace (Grades 5-8)
The Derivation of Pi (Grades 6-8)
Proving Pi (Grades 9-12)
(Pizza) Pi Project (Grades 4-8)
Buffon's Needle: An Analysis and Simulation (Grades 9-12)
Monte Carlo Estimation for Pi (Grades 9-12)
Pi Day in Math Classrooms (Grades 8-12)
Pi Day Ideas from Mrs. Highley (Grades 4-12)
Pi Day Connections (Grades 6-12)
PiQuest (Grades 7-8)
Circles in Geometry (Grades 3-5)
Pi Day Activities (All grades)
Cross-Curricular Activities for Pi Mathematics (Grades 5-8)
Pi Day Activities for Trigonometry Classes (Grades 9-12) (archived copy)
Pi Day Activities for Algebra II Classes (Grades 9-12) (archived copy)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Ask Dr. Math: What Is Pi?
Project Mathematics: The Story of Pi
Pi Day Greeting Cards from 123Greetings.com
Pi Day Songs
Finding the Value of Pi
Slice of Pi, Anyone?
A History of Pi
Ask Dr. Math: Middle School Pi
The Joy of Pi
Archimedes and the Computation of Pi
Graphics for the Calculus Classroom: Archimedes' Calculation of Pi
Let's Take Another Look at Pi Day
Where Is Your Birthday in Pi?
Liz's Pi Poems
Poetry for Pi Day
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © Education World
Updated 02/23/2015
pursuit of engineering.
Education World has gathered a list of websites teachers can use to find resources, activities, and other information they can use in the classroom during National Engineers Week.
NSBE.org: With this site, teachers can access a number of websites that will help them learn more about National Engineers Week, and find a list of activities they can bring to their classrooms.
National Society of Professional Engineers: Teachers can share information with their students who are interesting in pursuing a profession in engineering.
DiscoverE: This website offers a list of activities for teachers, activities for students, and activities for parents. DiscoverE also provides a list of resources including videos, PowerPoints, images, artwork, and logos.
ScienceNetLinks: With ScienceNetLinks, teachers can access a list of resources, tools, audio, and lesson plans for students grades K-12, including:
Build a Better Pencil
Systems 1: Simple Machines
TheInstitute: With this website, teachers can have access to background information regarding Engineers Week to share with their students.
Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor
these five crafts.
They can create leprechaun traps out of shoeboxes and attempt to catch the elusive little creatures that are popular for this holiday, and put them in strategic places around the classroom.
Other projects include creating rainbows and shamrocks, integrating a variety of new and different materials, and even writing activities. Check out what Education World has rounded up for the holiday:
Leprechaun Trap
Source: TheCraftingChicks.com
Materials: Shoe box, construction paper, markers, gold glitter, green paint
Grade Level: K-2
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
This project is great for younger students. Start with a tale about a leprechaun, (like Ten Lucky Leprechauns or The Leprechauns Gold) and how on St. Patrick’s day, leprechauns will sneak into the classroom looking for a pot of gold. Students will be able to get creative making their own leprechaun traps with little more than a shoebox painted green and some glitter. For the gold leprechaun bait, try using chocolate coins or gold-wrapped Rolos the kids can enjoy after the holiday is over. For a bit of good fun, stamp little leprechaun feet around the classroom, and trigger some of the traps just to learn that the leprechaun escape using magic!
Rainbow Writing Craftivity
Source: FirstClassTeacher.Blogspot.com
Materials: construction paper, shamrock printouts on green paper, rainbow party streamers, tape or glue
Grade Level: K-2
Difficulty: Easy
This project combines writing and arts and crafts for a lot of colorful fun. First, give students a writing prompt like “What would you do if you found the leprechaun’s pot of gold?” or have them write a letter to a leprechaun. Their responses will be taped to their own pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, made of streamers and construction paper. They will also look great hanged around the classroom.
“Handmade” Four-Leaf Clovers
Source: Fun.FamilyEducation.com
Materials: pencil, scissors, glue, green construction paper
Grade Level: K-2
Difficulty: Easy
Students will have fun tracing their own hands and using them as the petals of a four-leaf clover. Using green construction paper, have you students trace and cut out their own handprints, and arrange them in the shape of a clover. For a bonus activity, have them write ideas like what they think is at the end of the rainbow on each hand. The finished project will look great decorating a bulletin board, windows, or classroom walls.
Recycled Scrap Paper Rainbow
Source: NoTimeForFlashCards.com
Materials: white paper, pencil, glue, scrap paper/craft materials
Grade Level: K-3
Difficulty: Easy
The fun of this project is making a rainbow out of anything! Bring your students a bin full of scrap construction paper, scrapbook paper, even pom-poms, pipe cleaners and stickers, in a wide array of colors. Kids will enjoy using what they find to create a colorful rainbow that can then be used to decorate your classroom.
Shamrock Suncatchers
Source: HandsOnAsWeGrow.com
Materials: contact paper, glitter, green tissue paper, green grass paper
Grade Level: K-2
Difficulty: Easy
These bright and glittery shamrocks will be wonderful classroom window decorations when they’re finished. Using sticky, clear contact paper, have students press green tissue paper, gold glitter, and green grass paper into their shamrock shapes. Encourage them to be creative with their designs, and let them stick them to the classroom windows where they think they look best.
Compiled by Samantha DiMauro, Education World Contributor
