Pi-Sembly

Ideas for an Interactive Pi Activities Assembly

Family math nights are opportunities to encourage students and their families in shifting their paradigms about Math. The activities are setup carnival style with game tables and fun activities. This night can also be used to encourage community involvement in the school. All activities should be designed by students with help from their teachers (fine arts and language arts tie-ins). Complexity of activity should reflect grade level standards. When students and families arrive at Math Night they will receive a Pi(e) Chart with a number for each activity/booth. Middle school teachers can encourage participation by offering extra credit if their students participate in a predetermined number of events (say 90%). Students move around the assembly space and have a chance to play each game. It is good to have prizes for the games this can be a way to involve the community businesses. Since food is a major draw to events like this, consider having Pizza (Pi) either for sale or give away. Other Pi(e)s might make good prizes too. Whether this is an evening event or a day event, consider a closing activity perhaps a competition between a student math team and the principal? Event Objective: Students will integrate math with other disciplines (language arts, art, music, technology). Students will learn about the number Pi and have opportunities to work with it. Students will learn about the Cartesian grid system and play a game with it. Students will have the opportunity to create their own math game based around Pi, geometry, or scale. Students will learn how to do logic puzzles (sudoku, pentominoes, tangrams) by other students. Students will be integrally involved with teaching their peers and families about math. Students will have opportunities to play with web based math games and art programs that integrate math

Event Preparation The event should be planned by students with the aid of teachers and administration. Activities and projects should be tested by students to insure they can be replicated and to insure that all materials and instructions are ready. A layout of the space should be created to determine how many tables, chairs, open spaces, volunteers, and support materials will be needed.

Development Overview: It is advisable to start planning at least six weeks before the event. This will allow for students in small math groups to begin developing the activities and figuring out how to explain their games to others. Because there are a number of details to be overseen, a team of adults may want to take on the responsibility for coordinating volunteers, overseeing the activity planning, making sure that each group has the necessary supplies. Plus they can assume the responsibility for buying supplies, making signs, getting tables and chairs ready, ordering food, setting up the event and cleaning up.

Ideas for Activity Tools: Chalk, Pencils, Chart paper, Strips of colored construction paper (10 colors preferred), String of various lengths (1, 4, 6 feet pieces), Paper plates, bowls, cups Cylindrical cans of various sizes (check with food services about these or have a canned food drive and donate the cans after the PiSembly) Poster Paper, Jeopardy Board/Pocket Poster, Laptop cart with computers, Laptop, projector, Screen or IWB, Musical instruments with at least 10 note range, Flat King Size Sheet, Markers, Yardsticks, rulers, and protractors Meet and Greet table with participant Pi Charts, flyers, event evaluation surveys, etc.

Game Ideas: The Pi Table: Various round objects were available so students could measure the diameter and circumference and try to calculate Pi. Other Pi activities also at this table. Pi Chain: The first 150 digits of Pi were printed out on a long poster. Each digit was represented by a different color. Students created a Pi Chain using the digits of Pi. Pi Art: Have sets of colored pencils or markers and grid paper. Markers will be numbered 0-9, and there will be a poster with the first 100 digits of Pi. Students can create a piece of art on the grid paper. Pi Music: This should be done either before the assembly. Have a Pi Concert from the music class, or have music students help others in playing a Pi score. Computer Math: set up a computer cart or use the computer lab with preset interactive math websites so students can play math and science games. Students could also be given a list of suggested websites. Math Bingo: Students answer math problems in order to cover up numbers on their game card, rather than just having a random number drawn. The questions can be targeted to Pi, geometry, etc. Pi Walk (instead of Cake Walk): Chairs are numbered with digits 0-9. When the music (with math songs) stops, a digit of Pi is revealed to choose the winner. Math Jeopardy: Categories can be created to align with standards (fractions, geometry, word problems, logic problems, and addition/subtraction). Each category could have problems based on what grade the contestant was in. This can be done with an IWB or pocket poster. Math Hang Man: Students create math problems for different grade levels. The game is played like regular hang man except that each space was for one part of the math problem. This can be done on an IWB, white board, or student white board.

Culminating Activity To mark the end of the event you can plan a Team Math competition. Perhaps students verses administration (perhaps the principal and a community member (perhaps a retired math professor??). Math questions could be taken from old state tests or math oriented competitions. Each team gets a turn to answer a math problem. If they answer correctly they receive a point. If they get it wrong, the other team had a chance to answer. Winners get ribbons. The effect of doing something like this is to draw attention to one place, thus making it easier for some to clean up yet still engaging the participants

Evaluation Method A short survey and drop box should be available at the meet and greet table about half way through the event. Request the participants to fill this out. Additionally the coordination team should do walk throughs and take notes on what worked and what did not. A planned debriefing of the staff should be done within a few days to review successes, barriers, and potentials for the next event.

For more suggestions or assistance in developing this event: http://ncesaz.org/2013-pi-day-resources/ Kalman Mannis STEM Education Specialist, Navajo County ESA 928-524-4000 x5581 or kalman.mannis@navajocountyaz.gov