Today, 3.14, is known as Pi Day in the Math world. Since our fifth grade students just finished a chapter on algebra and are now dealing with decimals, the day could not have come at a better time.
I decided to read a fun story called Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander. In this creative story, the knight, Sir Cumference, who has been turned into a dragon, is saved by his son, Radius, after Radius discovers the answer to a riddle. Through the story, Radius discovers that there is a relationship between the diameter of a circle and the circumference. This relationship which we know as "Pi" is equal to approximately 3 1/7 or 3.14159265358979323846...and is circumference divided by diameter. In the end, Radius saves his father and they all live happily ever after.
Engaging students in inquiry and stretching their thinking is something that we try to do here every day!
