Discover 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 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 unconsciously 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.Searching for Pi has been professionally edited by a team of editors at First Editing.
Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaways
I was so excited when I won this book and so disappointed when I began to read it. I could not finish the book for several reasons. The book is set in a 3rd grade classroom with a brand new teacher right out of college. The beginning of my issues with the book began on page one as the other teachers at the school tried to find ways right away to undermine the teacher and get her into trouble with the administration. This became so distracting to me that I had a hard time looking past it.
While the teacher presented some cool ideas about pi to the class, the students were so unrealistic that I struggled to stay involved with the story. I finally gave up in the middle of the book and did not finish the rest of it.
While I appreciate the author's obvious passion for the subject of pi and I believe she has many good ideas for teaching the subject, all of that was lost in the muddiness of adults being mean to each other.
Ms. Applewood is the rookie teacher at Green Lawn Elementary school. An idealist, for sure, Susan Applewood believes her innovative ideas will change … well, if not the world, at least how her grade three class learns new things.
This belief uppermost in her mind, on the first day of school Ms. Applewood jumps in feet first — so to speak — and serves her students pi.
That’s right pi, not pie.
Ms. Applewood dishes up pi with a potato masher. (Yes, a potato masher. Watch for it.)
It is no surprise that some of the senior — and perhaps jaded — staff are not impressed with this young missy who dares to shake the status quo, to upset the applecart.
To prevent Ms. Applewood from stepping on the toes of intrenched pedagogues, Assistant Principal Tammy Cross and her sidekick, fourth grade teacher Matilda Moody, attempt to undermine the “new girl’s” efforts.
Squash her pi, if you will.
With pi on their plates, however, Ms. Applewood’s students eagerly accept the challenge of investigating the mystery of pi, that intangible relationship between the circumferences and the diameters of prefect circles.
As to the why of pi (!), the immeasurable, transcendental nature of pi, Ms. Applewood explains to her students — “You are in school to become master creators of you own unique lives. You are in school to learn to think for yourselves.”
Now there’s a novel idea, eh b’ys?
Ms. Applewood’s class have fun searching for pi, finding natural — yet imperfect circles — and exploring their circumferences and diameters, and locating their center points, and looking for pi.
Most amusing example of a center point being identified?
Cool Cal, a Boston terrier — the President of the Elementrees as the class have dubbed themselves — runs up to an oak tree, lifts a hind leg and marks the tree as “a suitable center point.”
Searching for Pi is intended to be a fun story for young readers, meant to present youngsters with an entertaining way of dealing with a mathematical concept, of discovering pi.
And so it is.
What about the potato masher and the dog that is class president?