I was excited when Miss. Emily Hunter invited me to co-plan a Minecraft EDU project for her Grade 3/4 class! She was working with the social studies theme of communities and the science unit focused on structures and materials, so we decided to focus on an interdisciplinary project that would target the outcomes from these units. Together, we planned a “build challenge” project that allowed her students to showcase their knowledge in both topics. Students worked individually or with a partner to create a community in Minecraft.
To show their understanding of curricular outcomes, students made plans for which biome they’d build in and how that environment would affect their community, students identified how their community would ensure residents basic human rights were met and constructed appropriate amenties based on this planning. Students also came up with laws/rules to be posted in their Minecraft communities and they determined which materials would be most effective for building their community structures (a link to their science outcomes). The Grade 3 and 4 students also demonstrated social studies skills from their curriculum through effective communication and collaboration, managing information and using critical and creative thinking skills.
Here is a snapshot of some of the planning students did before beginning their build challenges in Minecraft.
Once students had a plan, they were given time to build their communities in Minecraft. Students used the camera and portfolio to take some screenshots of what they had built and they've agreed to share them here so you can see some of what they've created!
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