Searching for Pi Through a Child’s Eyes…
A search for pi is a search for ultimate truth.
Ten third grade students, who call themselves the Elementrees, are asked to search for pi, on their first two days of class, by their eccentric, new teacher, Ms. Applewood. She asks them to each bring in an example of pi the next day. She does not mention that this task is impossible.
As the students wholeheartedly search for pi, they discover its fundamental properties: that it is invisible, intangible, irrational, and infinite. The most shocking truths about pi, they discover much later. Searching for Pi teaches about pi in a fun, easy to understand way. It also gives learners a new way of studying math, through the narrative of a funny story.
Ms. Applewood teaches her students about pi because she wants them to become master creators of their own lives, discover their own unique talents, and not be unconsciusly led down false paths. She succeeds in accomplishing all this with the help of a math symbol known as pi and her trusty potato masher.
Searching for Pi is a must-read for teachers, math enthusiasts, students who need a new way of learning math, and anyone who enjoys a great middle grade fiction story.
