What Does Pi Day (𝝅) Have To Do With Language and Literacy?

Lo and Behold! I turned the page on my calendar–Pi Day is fast approaching in just a few days!!

Every year for as many as I can recall, students brought all kinds of ‘pie’ to me the week of 3/10 or so since my birthday falls on 3/14 each and every year–LOL!  

Every year, I would thank them, and then go on to ask if they knew why they had had pie in school that day (and most had many kinds of pie–even kids in early elementary grades). Most simply responded with either “I don’t know” or “pie tastes good” or “we did it instead of math” or  “it was fun.” 

Never did any of my students even mention anything to do with math. The parents of my students didn’t seem to realize the significance of Pi Day either. Granted, most of my students had a diagnosis of dyslexia, but many of them were very sharp, especially in math! Not all of the parents had a diagnosis of dyslexia either…

So…I changed up the lesson I had prepared (I eventually anticipated it) to explain the significance of the day.  What does Pi Day have to do with language and literacy? It is important for students to be familiar with ‘content area vocabulary’ (math, science, social studies, etc.). It helps students to be more successful when learning, well, in the content areas. 

It also allows for parents, teachers, and other adults to teach students about ‘multi-meaning words’–there is a word for this: ‘polysemous’. Try saying it 3 times fast! The accent is on the second syllable: /pol/-/eé/-/see/-/mous/. It’s from the Greek: poly=many + sem=meaning + -ous (adjective forming suffix). Did you know that about 40% of all English words have more than one meaning?  Other polysemous ‘math words’ include: set, angle, second, cent, volume (and there are many more!). This can be confusing for children, but in time and with direct instruction and practice, most of we humans learn to be less confused and use context more efficiently.

Even children in the early elementary grades can understand the concept of 𝝅 if it is explained in a way they can understand–in other words, using ‘concrete’ materials they can touch and feel. I would simply take out a circle made of cardboard. I would then make a point in the center and then directly teach them (sometimes only orally) the meanings of the vocabulary words: radius, diameter, and circumference. Then I would take out cardboard circles of different sizes and point out the same vocabulary words (see diagram below). I would then tell the students that no matter the size of the circle, the ratio (yup, I taught that word too using pencils and pens) is the exact same, resulting in the number 𝝅 (a Greek letter representing the number 3.14).  I then used a piece of string to measure the diameter and circumference of several circles–then a calculator to show the students that 3.14…. was the number they got each and every time we divided the length of the circumference by the length of the diameter every single time no matter the size of the circle–talk about high levels of engagement—every single child could have talked about this and played with the circles and strings endlessly.

Of what use is 𝝅 to an elementary aged student? 

1 – Most students by age 8 are familiar with the concepts of ‘perimeter’ and ‘area’ of shapes such as squares and rectangles. Knowing about 𝝅 helps them to know how to figure out the perimeter of a circle.

2 – We would then talk about the practical use of this knowledge–for example, how many inches of trim would need to be purchased in order to trim a dress or any other circular item, etc.

Of what use is 𝝅 to an older student? 

1 – By seventh grade, students are expected to be familiar with algebraic equations such as the area of a circle (A=𝝅r²).

2 – By sixth or seventh grade, students learn about ‘irrational numbers’ (numbers that cannot be expressed as a finite or ending decimal since 𝝅 is an infinite non-repeating decimal)

3 – Again, practical use of this knowledge to calculate area (number of square feet of material needed to create a circular rug, for example), volume (how much liquid can fit into a particular container, etc.)

For more information about teaching 𝝅, I refer you to Socratica Kids’ video entitled ‘Pi for Kids’.

For more information about math vocabulary kids need to know organized by grade level, I refer you to the internet to search by the grade level needed. I attempted to do a search myself for a larger list; however, I was, sadly,  unsuccessful. It is on my ‘to do’ list now!!

Now just some quick facts concerning the history about Pi Day kids will enjoy. To avoid confusion, it likely should be written as 𝝅 Day.  

1 – It was first celebrated in 1988 in California during a retreat of the staff of Exploratorium, a science education museum, and it is celebrated there annually, complete with a parade.

2 – Congress declared it an ‘official’ holiday in 2009. 

3 – Babylonians first ‘discovered’ 𝝅 about 4000 years ago, calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse, one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world

4 – 3/14 is also another great mathematician’s birthday–Albert Einstein! Perhaps you’ve heard of him? Many also celebrate the life of Einstein on the anniversary of this birthday.

Celebrating 𝝅 Day is “as easy as pie.”

If you are wondering, I prefer cake to pie for my birthday–red velvet or carrot if you please!! And I am glad to share my birthday with Albert Einstein.