Penning Pi-kus (Pi Day 2015)

This was my second year to celebrate Pi Day with my students.  During my first year of teaching, I fully intended on celebrating Pi Day, but the day ended up being spent at urgent care and in the emergency room.  So not fun.  This year, I added a new element to our celebration.  We wrote pi-kus.  The first line of the poem must be 3 syllables.  The second line must be 1 syllable.  The third line of the poem must have 4 syllables.  I didn't count on having to explain to my high school students what syllables were.  Some students never did grasp the syllable idea.



Here's an example of one of my student's pi-kus.  I find it interesting that he started a poem about hating math but decided to change that part way through...

Pi Day Pi-Ku

I'll do a full write up of our pi day celebration soon, but I wanted to share my students' poems first.  This was a quick, fun activity that gave my students a chance to be creative!  With my first hour class, I wrote a pi-ku as an example for them.  Their poems consisted of taking my poem and changing a word or two.  For the rest of the day, I gave them no guidance whatsoever.  Their poems were much more thought-out and creative!  Some of my students struggled with the idea that a pi-ku didn't not have to be mathematically themed.

In each class, I gave out a certificate for the best pi-ku.  This was done by a class-wide vote.  My students will seriously do almost anything for a certificate!

Since there were quite a few pi-kus written, I've bolded my favorite poems for those who just want a quick taste of what my students came up with.


Wonderful
Pie
You taste so good

No more math
Cause
Spring break is here

I can say
Pi
Math Equals Love

Pi Oh Pi
Why?
Makes me so sad

Girl In Gray
Sat
On Her Bootay

Math sucks really
bad
but that's okay

The horse runs
down
the steep hillside.

Make pi-kus
Why?
What's going on?

Sleep is good
Sleep
is what I like

There was pie.
Food
is infinite

I love pi.
Me.
Do you love pie?

Food is good.
Food
is what I like.

Math is great
but
when is spring break?

Super pie
Fly
High in the sky

Ms. Hagan
is
radiculous 

Bed is good
Bed
is very good

Pi is good
Pi
is very good

Let it be
Spring
Break Already

Pie is great.
Yes.
I love it so.

I love you
Pi
I eat you all!

Three point one
four
one five nine two

I like pi
it
is rational

(So, maybe we need to work on classifying real numbers...)

I just ate
the
last slice of pie.

You light up
my
day like Pi Day

I hate pi.
Pi
is so stupid.

I am so
sad
that you are here.          

(My student assured me that this poem was not directed toward me!)

Starts with 3
Pi 
Awesome number

Will you please
give
me candy please?      

(And, yes, I did give the student candy.  After all, he did say please. Twice!)

Australia
is
where the heart is.   

(Glad to know that my long-distance relationship is on my students' minds.)  

No pie it
makes
me want to cry.

Crazy pi
is
never-ending

Go home pi.
You
are very high.

Stupid pi
is
irrational

Starts with 3
1
Ends with a 4  

(Ummmmmmmm...I think there may be a little misunderstanding here...)

Pi Pi Pi
Pi
Pi Pi Pi Pi

(This one may very well be my favorite!)  

The number three
one
and also four

Ain't pie day
Dang
I wish it was

Ms. Hagan
loves
math and pi day                

(Yes she does!!!)  

Math is bad!
Duh!
It is so dumb!

Why no pie?
Man!
There should be some.

I hate math.
Yes.
It is awful.

I hate this.
I'm
not creative.

Pi is long
So
I'll sing a song

Math is great
Pi
is very long