If you’re looking for a way to engage your students and get them excited about learning, then you should definitely try using pixel art reveals in your classroom.
Pixel Art Mystery Pictures are activities that are made for use on a spreadsheet (so Google Sheets or Excel). They are self-grading and give students automatic feedback as they answer questions in the form of a pixel art picture slowly being revealed. I love creating them and many teachers say they are their student’s favorite type of activity! I add an extra special feature to mine by making the pixels magically move when students put their answers in. Here’s one I made in action:
If you’re not using pixel art reveals in your classroom yet, here’s why you should start:
1) They’re engaging
Pixel art pictures activities capture students’ attention immediately after they answer the first question. The element of mystery also adds an extra layer of intrigue and excitement to the activity. Your students will be so excited to see the finished picture they won’t even realize how many questions they have answered!
2) They’re time-saving
Since pixel art reveals are done on a spreadsheet, the program is able to grade answers automatically as students enter them in. This saves you time and energy as a teacher and means that students can get immediate feedback on their answers. It also frees you up to give individualized instruction to students that are struggling.
3) They’re versatile
You can use pixel art reveals for a variety of content and topics. There are endless possibilities in math as spreadsheets are made for calculations. You can even write formulas that will accept multiple answers or even open-ended answers. For example, you could ask students to write a number that will round to 2.5 to the nearest tenth and it’s totally possible to write a formula that will accept ANY number that rounds to 2.5 to the nearest tenth, even 2.495826472826473736.
BUT, they’re not just for math! You can use pixel art reveals to test vocabulary words in another language, identify the latitude and longitude of a place on a map, answer questions about weathering, identify the adjective from the sentence and so much more!
4) They are easy to assign to students
Pixel art reveals are so easy to assign to students in Google Classroom. All you need to do is create a new assignment, attach the Google Sheets Pixel Art file and then type out the instructions for the students. That’s it!
5) They involve no Busy Work
Unlike printable color by number activities, the pixel art automatically appears when students get the answer correct, so they spend more time learning, reviewing or consolidating and less time coloring.
6) They can be used throughout your lesson
They can be used as a quick review, for early finishers, as part of a choice board, as a warm-up or bell ringer, as homework, or use them in place of a traditional worksheet.
7) They’re just plain fun!
Let’s be honest, students love pixel art activities. These activities are a great way to add some fun and excitement to your classroom and they’ll be begging you for more!
Pixel art activities are a great way to keep your students engaged and having fun while still learning. They are time-saving, versatile, easy to assign and encourage work. I highly recommend using them in your classroom! If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of my pre-made pixel art math activities here. I promise you that these activities will be no-prep and engaging for your students throughout the year!
