8,000 schools use Gynzy
92,000 teachers use Gynzy
1,600,000 students use Gynzy
General
March 14 is Pi Day! Make Pi Day entertaining and educational with this presentation filled with activities for the day. Teach students about the history of Pi and how it is calculated.
Learning Objective
Students will be able to identify Pi, use it to find the area of a circle, and examine the relationship of area to circumference. They will learn about Pi's history and have some Pi competitions.
Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.4
Introduction
The lesson begins with a table of contents that links to different activities. First, Students learn what Pi is and the history of Pi. Then, they learn to use Pi, radius, and diameter to calculate the area of a circle. Finally, students participate in several activities including a paper chain and a memorization competition.
Instruction
Students learn what Pi is (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) and understand that it is an irrational number. Next, students learn the history of Pi, from its origins with the Babylonians to the calculation of mathematician, Zu Chongzhi. Then, students practice calculating the area of a circle using radius, diameter, and pi. After this, students participate in an activity called, “Cutting Pi” in which they use a string and cut to measure the circumference of a circular object. With this string, they see how many pieces of string fit within the length of the diameter of the object. It will always come out to 3 with a little string left over.
Closing
Students create a paper chain, using a different color for each digit of Pi. Next, they try to memorize as much of Pi as they can within 5 minutes and view a mirror image of the number 3.14 which looks like the word, “pie”!
Instruction materials
For the “Cutting Pi” activity, you will need several circular objects, like cups, plates, or other instruments. You will also need string and scissors. You can have students work in pairs or groups for this activity.
The online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools
Save time building lessons
Manage the classroom more efficiently
Increase student engagement
Discover more!
About Gynzy
Gynzy is an online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools.
With a focus on elementary education, Gynzy’s Whiteboard, digital tools, and activities make it easy for teachers to save time building lessons, increase student engagement, and make classroom management more efficient.