Celebrating Pi Day in English class?

That’s right! One of our favorite things to do in English class is make connections; and one of our favorite things to say in English class is, “Everything connects!” Even Math and English. In mathematical terms, Pi is an infinite number of digits, and Pi Day is celebrated annually on March 14, 3/14, which are the three first digits of Pi. Here at Oak Hill Academy, a New Jersey independent school, celebrating Pi Day has become a tradition. How can we celebrate Pi Day in English class? Here’s how…

• We can celebrate by writing Pi-ku poems! Haiku is a traditional Japanese form of poetry, consisting of 3 lines that follow a syllabic pattern:
  • 5 syllables
  • 7 syllables
  • 5 syllables
• Pi-ku poems are a creative spin on haikus, following a pattern of syllables mapped after the digits of Pi. Each line of a “Pi-ku” poem corresponds to a digit of Pi:
  • 3 syllables
  • 1 syllable
  • 4 syllables
  • 1 syllable
  • 5 syllables
• …and the Pi-ku could really go on forever! Talk about an epic poem!

• Another fun Pi Day activity is dissecting pie recipes. Students bring in their favorite pie recipes to share. In class, there’s a variety of English-related activities we can do with these recipes…
• One activity is sorting out the different parts of speech, starting with verbs and nouns. If you’re feeling really ambitious, extend the search to include adjectives, adverbs, even prepositions.
• To delve deeply into a study and exploration of verbs, students can rewrite the recipes in past and future tenses.
• To work on sequencing and order of events, students can mix up the steps and rearrange them in the proper order.

There are plenty more language related activities, but these are a few favorites!

3/14, Pi Day, is just one of many opportunities for interdisciplinary, cross-curricular studies!