In honor of National Pi Day on March 14, 2013, the sixth grade class participated in a special themed day: The Ancient Greeks. Students and teachers alike enjoyed special classroom activities focusing on the contributions of the Ancient Greeks to literature, drama, science, mythology/religion, music, and math.
Examples of classroom activities included:
In Language Arts, Sujata Biswas and Anne Williamson guided students in putting together a Prezi on word roots. The Prezi contained links to a scratch video, the classic scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the dad is connecting every word back to Greek, and a short multiple-choice game. To conclude the class, students wrote Pi-kus. (a Pi-ku is a poem like a Haiku but the syllable pattern is 3–1–4.)
In Science, Kelly Long and Bob Shaw led an online lab about density and the Archimedes Principle using Gizmos on Explore Learning.
In Math, Jody Marberry led a lab on determining the value of pi using canned goods which were ultimately donated to the St. Louis Area Foodbank, string and rulers.
In History, Mark Duvall created Greek Jeopardy with the following categories: mythology, Greek monsters, Olympics, and random Greek facts.
In Band, Scott Shaw led students through a rehearsal of a piece of music entitled “Zephyrus: God of the West Wind” by composer Patrick Burns. Students also studied a second song with ties to Greek mythology called “Mythos” by Sean O’Loughlin.
The student who brought in the most canned food items earned a special prize – the chance to throw a pie in the face of Sixth Grade Math Teacher Jody Marberry during a special afternoon closing ceremony that featured the entrance of Greek Gods (a.k.a. the sixth grade teachers dressed as Greek Gods) via chariot, and Olympic games. Students and teachers wore togas during the school day and the Food Service crew provided a “pi” themed lunch.