TeachersFirst's Pi Day Resources
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students celebrate Pi Day and everything Pi through related projects and classroom activities. Whether you “circle around” Pi for one class or spend an entire unit on this very special number, the ideas included within the "In the Classroom" portion of reviews will launch discussions and meaningful projects for student-centered learning. Here’s Pi in your eye!
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All About the Holidays - PBS Learning Media
Grades
K to 12
tag(s): back to school (57), chinese new year (4), cinco de mayo (11), easter (11), elections (74), fathers day (9), fire prevention (11), flag day (6), halloween (31), hanukkah (13), holidays (132), july 4th (7), kwanzaa (14), labor day (6), martin luther king (32), mothers day (9), new years (8), pi (24), presidents (114), rosh hashanah (7), st patricks day (12), thanksgiving (26), valentines day (12), veterans (19), womens suffrage (31), yom kippur (8)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to use as a resource for teaching material during holidays throughout the year. For each holiday use a bookmarking site such as Wakelet, reviewed here, to organize and share lesson materials, videos, and game sites for your students. Instead of worksheets or written reports, enhance student learning by asking them to create infographics sharing information about any holiday. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, is a very easy to use tool that includes pre-made templates. Don't keep student learning to yourself, share their knowledge through holiday podcasts for your entire school and community to hear. Anchor, reviewed here, features many kid-friendly tools to get you started with creating and sharing podcasts. Learn more about podcasting in the classroom in this OK2Ask session archive.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips - Discovery Education
Grades
K to 12tag(s): agriculture (48), animals (283), careers (135), constitution (87), design (82), energy (163), england (53), explorers (63), holocaust (37), lincoln (59), nutrition (141), pi (24), planets (124), shakespeare (88), spain (11), STEM (215), virtual field trips (69), weather (180)
In the Classroom
Immerse your students into your studies with a close-up in-depth look through virtual field trips. Visit places where time, money, and mileage inhibit your dreams for bringing your students into wondrous worlds. Find ways to visit where your class has never gone before. Find ways to motivate your most reluctant learners. ESL/ELL learners will appreciate the visit. Reach all types of learners through a class visit. Use field trips as a whole class anticipatory guide, a center activity, a home connection, or even as extra credit. Challenge your gifted students to be guides in their own learning by choosing topics of interest. Then transform their learning and ask these students to share research findings in a video with discussion questions to go with the research and with links to outside resources using a tool such as Vizia, reviewed here. Be sure students create a script to read from before beginning to produce their own video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCTM Illuminations Measurement Resources Grades 9-12 - NCTM
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): congress (37), estimation (37), geometric shapes (147), measurement (149), motion (49), pi (24), ratios (58), temperature (31)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this interactive for use when teaching different types of measurement. Share Dynamic Paper on your whiteboard or during small group lessons and discuss problem-solving ideas with students. Add a link to this interactive, along with other online games, to your class website for game play at home. Consider using a site like Symbaloo, reviewed here, as an excellent way to organize and share your resources. Extend learning and ask your students create videos sharing problem solving techniques used during these lessons. Use a video creation tool such as Vizia, reviewed here, to create interactive lessons (can add quizzes and questions). Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCTM Illuminations Measurement Resources Grades 6-8 - NCTM
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): area (58), geometric shapes (147), mass (24), measurement (149), number sense (79), patterns (73), percent (67), pi (24), ratios (58), statistics (117), volume (42)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use during your unit on measurement or to provide hands-on activities throughout the year. Share interactives on your whiteboard or during small group lessons and discuss problem-solving ideas with students. Add a link to interactives along with other online games to your class website for game play at home. Consider using a site like Symbaloo, reviewed here, as an excellent way to organize and share your resources. Extend learning by having students upload a photo of a problem or portion of an activity and add an explanation about what they learned using a tool such as Add Text, reviewed here. Have groups of students participate in a Google Hangout, reviewed here, with students from another classroom to discuss problem-solving ideas and suggestions. Google Hangout can be used for a variety of assignments in any classroom that is integrating technology as an enhancement.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCTM Illuminations Geometry Resources Grades 9-12 - NCTM
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): area (58), flips (8), geometric shapes (147), logic (193), pi (24), probability (116), problem solving (246), pythagorean theorem (25), ratios (58), turns (3), volume (42)
In the Classroom
Keep this site with your professional favorites to find supporting technology and lessons for teaching geometry. As you find practice or extension ideas for student use or at home reinforcement, share specific links on your class web page or classroom computer center for students to access independently or as you assign them for needed practice. The full selection can be overwhelming for most parents, so share the specific areas that fit your curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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TeachersFirst's Math Resources for Algebra - Grade 6-8 - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): data (137), number lines (35), order of operations (33), percent (67), pi (24)
In the Classroom
Introduce these resources on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share the resources on your class website for students to use for remediation or review. Share tools on your interactive whiteboard or in your BYOD classroom. Use these sites to differentiate for students in pre-algebra and algebra.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math in Real Life - TEDed
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): estimation (37), geometric shapes (147), money (144), movies (54), pi (24), place value (46), puzzles (164), riddles (15), shakespeare (88), simple machines (26), space (216), symmetry (37), video (241)
In the Classroom
Math in Real Life isn't just for math class! Find videos from this series for use in all subject areas. Use the questions, additional resources, and discussion available for each video. Create your own lesson using the "Customize This Lesson" link. Use this option to personalize video lessons for your classroom. Have students dig deeper into any of the content of videos, then extend their learning by challenging them to make a mashup using ytClipper, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Resources for Algebra - Grades 9-12 - TeachersFirst
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): data (137), number lines (35), percent (67), pi (24), quadratics (27), ratios (58)
In the Classroom
Share these resources on your class website for students to use for remediation or review. Share tools on your interactive whiteboard or in your BYOD classroom. Use these sites to differentiate.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NCTM Illuminations Algebra Resources Grades 9-12 - NCTM
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): charts and graphs (177), critical thinking (104), data (137), functions (61), geometric shapes (147), number lines (35), percent (67), pi (24), quadratics (27), ratios (58)
In the Classroom
Keep this site with your professional favorites to find supporting technology and activities for teaching algebra. As you find practice or extension ideas for student use or at home reinforcement, share specific links on your class web page or classroom computer center for students to access independently or as you assign them for needed practice. Consider using a tool like Symbaloo, reviewed here, as an excellent way to organize and share your resources. The full list of interactives could be overwhelming for most parents, so share the specific areas that fit your curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Art for Kids: Pi Skyline - Erica (MomandKiddo)
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): charts and graphs (177), pi (24), STEM (215)
In the Classroom
Create a classroom display with all of your students' Pi Day Skylines. Take this idea and apply it to other number series. Have students take pictures of their creations. Then show them how to embed media transforming their work into a true digital story using Ourboox, reviewed here. Ourboox creates beautiful page-flipping digital books in minutes, and you can embed video, music, animation, games, maps and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NBC Learn Free Resources - NBCUniversal Media, NBC News
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): brain (55), civil rights (140), news (241), olympics (41), pi (24), sports (83), STEM (215), sustainability (14), video (241)
In the Classroom
This site is perfect for flipped or blended learning classrooms but will spark interest in most classroom lessons. Use the search box in the upper right corner to find free content of interest. The whole class can watch the videos, many of which are parts of a series. Create a Padlet, reviewed here, for each group and have individuals or small groups view and extend their learning by sharing information. The transcripts and close captioning will be helpful for struggling learners. Transcripts can be used alone for informational text reading practice. If your school or district doesn't block YouTube, you may want to investigate the NBC Learn playlists here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Math Monday - National Museum of Mathematics
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): colors (62), fractions (200), geometric shapes (147), origami (15), pi (24), puzzles (164)
In the Classroom
Share articles with students and replicate activities included in the article. Share the video demonstrations on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Transform learning and challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos sharing problem solving techniques used during these lessons. Use a video creation tool such as Vizia, reviewed here to create interactive lessons (can embed quizzes and documents), or edpuzzle, reviewed here. Use activities in the article as inspiration for Math night activities or Math Fair projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Numberphile - Brady Haran
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): calculators (36), negative numbers (15), number lines (35), numbers (154), pi (24), prime numbers (26), video (241)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector as wonderful math journal and discussion starters. Choose a video about an interesting number fact that can be used to hook students into a particular lesson or unit. Use the videos to show the fascinating side of mathematics. For example, 666 and its peculiarity in mathematics would be interesting to students. Make a math enrichment center for your gifted students or "hook" math-haters (or girls) by letting them select and critique their own video choice from this site. Embed a video on your class wiki and have students use the discussion tab to comment on what they like about it or were surprised to learn. Use in your blended classroom by flipping and having students view the videos at home to discuss the next day in class. (This is a great option if YouTube is blocked in your school.) Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students (and their families) to access at home. Modify learning by having students make their own advertising videos about their favorite or "lucky" number using a tool such as Vizia, reviewed here, where students can embed questions, comments, and polls into videos. Then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Honner - Math Appreciation - Patrick Honner
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): blogs (70), logic (193), photography (134), pi (24), social networking (83)
In the Classroom
Use this blog as a resource for finding new classroom activities such as the custom pi necklace mathematical Valentine. (Use the search bar near the top of the page to find these items if not found on the home page.) Have students complete activities found on the site then extend their knowledge by challenging them to create an online graphic to share using DesignBold, reviewed here. Share the site with your art teacher for collaborations in art and math classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Better Explained Archives - Kalid Azad
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): exponents (38), mental math (23), number sense (79), pi (24), problem solving (246), pythagorean theorem (25), square roots (17), statistics (117), vectors (19)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Choose the appropriate topic, explore the explanation as a class, and then ask students to provide an explanation in their own words. Transform learning by challenging students to create their own multimedia presentation of one of the topics presented on the site using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Spark for Education, Kizoa, and Synth.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pi Day - 314 Solutions, Inc
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): flips (8), pi (24), puzzles (164), vocabulary (246)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to explore the site on their own, with a group, or in your blended class have them explore at home. Use some of the ideas on the site when celebrating Pi Day in your classroom. Share the site with students as a resource for Pi research projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Joy of Pi - David Blatner
Grades
7 to 12Caution: there is a link to American Pi which is a spoof on the movie, American Pie, and may contain some adult themes.
tag(s): pi (24)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. A good activity for this introduction is to complete the matchstick activity as a class (you could have students or small groups of students draw their answer on an index card to show you). Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Enhance student learning by asking teams to report back on interesting Pi facts or information found using a video explanation tool like FlipGrid, reviewed here. FlipGrid provides a tool for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. Include The Joy of Pi site with your Pi Day celebrations!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WebQuest: Pi - Leigh Ann Forde
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): pi (24)
In the Classroom
Have students work in cooperative learning groups to complete this Webquest. Share the introduction on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Rather than having students use YouTube to share videos, as the WebQuest suggests, have students try an educational video sharing site such as TeacherTube, TeacherTube, reviewed here. For the Youtube video on the site, teachers whose school filters the site may not be able to access it, but there are work-arounds or alternatives. You could flip your classroom and have students watch the videos at home.This simple website should inspire you to make your own WebQuest to invigorate learning. This one used Googlepages, but there are many other internet hosting sites that offer free or nearly free pages. Learn more about webquests at TeachersFirst's Webquest 101 and read a review of a possible tool to use, Zunal Webquest, here here.
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Simpson Math - Dr. Sarah Greenwald and Dr. Ansdrew Nestler
Grades
11 to 12Of greater use is the link to "Classroom Activity Sheets" that provides engaging ideas for using Simpsons' scenarios to solve problems in class. Note: These are thought-provoking activities that are open ended and require considerable critical thinking. Examples include: "Are the Simpsons 2D or 3D?", "2D universes," "Pi," "Blackboard Equations," and "The Simpsons Lottery." At the top of the Activity Sheet page is a link for "suggestions" for successfully implementing these activities as well as cautions for changing math gender bias in society and the classroom.
tag(s): critical thinking (104), equations (137), pi (24)
In the Classroom
Use these as a springboard for problem solving group work in class. These activities can also be used to jumpstart your own ideas for tying pop culture and other media into your classroom. The articles on gender bias and promoting math and science for girls can help promote math and science education for all students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Library Presentations - Free Club Web
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (173), air (115), angles (63), folktales (38), literacy (87), moon (76), parts of speech (45), pi (24), punctuation (29), reading comprehension (120), solar system (110), sun (65), writing (289)
In the Classroom
Get your interactive whiteboard or projector ready and use these wonderful FREE resources in your classroom or library/media center. If you are planning to assign a research project or book reports, these shows may help prepare your elementary students. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any unauthorized, copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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