Most of my teaching career, I taught in a departmentalized setting. Almost all of that time, I was the ELA and Social Studies teacher. As most in our community know, I love to incorporate hands on activities in the classroom. The last couple of years in the classroom, I would feel a bit of FOMO hit when Pi Day showed up. I would see the kids walk in all excited about the fun activities they had just completed in their math class. I wanted to keep that energy going, so I created a list of Pi Day Ideas for the ELA classroom.
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1. Pi Day (or Pie) Related Read Alouds
Nothing engages students more during an ELA class than a fun read aloud. Here are some engaging picture books you can share with your students on Pi Day.
In the book, Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Nesschwander, Sir Cumference is turned into a dragon after drinking a potion. Radius goes on a quest throughout the castle to solve a riddle that will lead to the cure. The cure is related to pi.
Albert Einstein’s birthday was on 3/14/1879. Pretty cool that his birthday lands on Pi Day, right? On a Beam of Light, by Jennifer Berne, is biographical picture book that tells the story of Albert Einstein and how his differences made him unique.
While we are on the topic of biographical picture books, Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott is a great read aloud that intersects a pie theme and Women’s History Month. This book tells the story of Georgia Gilmore who cooked and baked to help sustain the Montgomery Bus Boycott during the Civil Rights Movement.
Enemy Pie! by Derek Munson teaches about kindness, being courteous, respect, and being a good friend.
The Princess and the Pizza is a fractured fairy tale. It combines different fairy tales to tell the story of a “used to be” princess who finds an opportunity to perhaps become a princess again. Unknowingly, she creates a delicious dish that becomes very popular … a pizza. Although this book is not technically about a pie, some in the states refer to pizza as pie. It also makes a great connection since it is a circle.
2. Pi Day (or Pie) Related ELA Activities
Although pi is a math related topic, bringing the engagement into the ELA classroom is very possible. You just need a little creativity or a few engaging ideas. Here are a few ideas to help you take advantage of that fun theme day.
Plot Maps
If you took the opportunity to read a pie themed story to your students, have them create a Pie Shaped Plot Map. It’s engaging and makes a great display for a bulletin board.
You can also have students pick out a picture book, read it with a partner, and create a story map together.
Having students work with plot maps has many benefits. It allows students to analyze the text, as well as, helps scaffold students as they write a well planned out summary.
Incorporate Pie Themes in Grammar Review
Pi Day just happens to land in the middle of test prep season in my area. Tying review opportunities into Pi Day is a great way to engage students in the review process.
Having students sort pie pieces into categories is a fun and sneaky way to get students reviewing their grammar skill in a fun way.
You can create pie tins for any category. Then, make pie pieces for them to sort onto the tins.
I have created some for the following topics:
- Frequently Confused Words (to, too, two, there, their, they’re)
- Parts of Speech (conjunctions, prepositions, interjections)
- Identifying Sentences (complete, run ons, fragments)
Classroom Transformation
A restaurant or bakery themed classroom transformation is one of the cheapest and easiest to set up. It’s also one of my students favorites year after year.
I purchased a chef hat and apron on Amazon. Then, I grabbed a few table clothes at Party City, and a few fake tea lights at the Dollar Tree. I was set.
In full disclosure, I decided a couple of years back to add some pizza boxes and students loved them, but they were not necessary. Students in previous years loved the set up all on its own.
I created a pizzeria transformation where students had to edit a menu and a passage using macaroni elbows. It was a hit!
Pi-Ku Writing
This idea did not originate from me. I found it online a few years back and absolutely loved it! It’s quick, easy, and fun. @reach.then.teach
First, teach the students what a haiku is. Then, adapt it into a Pi-Ku. Inspired by haiku, these quick poems have a different number of syllables in each line, based on the digits of pi.
First line: 3 syllables
Second line: 1 syllable
Third line: 4 syllables
Have students create their own Pi-Kus using pies as their theme.
3. Pi Day Themed Puzzles
Incorporating puzzles in the classroom is a great way to get students thinking critically as well as help them expand their vocabulary. An extra bonus is that students absolutely love them.
They are great as early finisher activities, morning work, or during brain break opportunities.
4. Pi Day ELA Review Packet
We are smack in the middle of test prep season. This Pi Day ELA Review Packet is a great way to give students an opportunity to implement a few of the skills they have learned. Some of these include: idioms and roots.
I hope these Pi Day Ideas for your ELA classroom help keep the FOMO away this year.
