My students love pixel art. I don't know what it is about coloring in little squares and watching all of those little squares become something special...but it is magic to them. When I realized we desperately needed practice simplifying fractions I knew I needed to combine the two concepts.
Hello - brilliant!
Let me introduce you to a classroom favorite!
The preparation is simple for this activity. Copy the blank grid worksheet for each student. Then I offer my students a little bit of advice. I tell them that a whiteboard or scratch paper can be extremely helpful. Tell them to pick a square. (Of course I model this for all to see.) I write the fraction, simplify, find the answer in the coloring code and color. If it is supposed to stay white I have my students draw a light line through it with a pencil. This lets them know it has been done and should stay white.
Next I tell my students that the next part is the most important part. They are welcome to do each fraction one square at a time. It works, but it can take a long time. Personally, I tell them, look through the puzzle finding all the other duplicates of the same fraction and color those in. This helps the picture appear a bit faster and students get excited to start to see the picture coming together.
TA-DA! This is what our picture turns into: a delightful cupcake!
This worksheet is great for giving additional practice, a wonderful fast finisher and a spectacular piece of extra credit. Click HERE to go directly to my TPT store. Give it a try. I know you will love it - my students do!
