All 5 of my kids (ranging from ages 7 to 15) love Minecraft. To this day my 15 year old can still spend hours playing Minecraft. For many kids, Minecraft is engaging and provides a context they care about. Minecraft education edition has a library of pre-made lessons. There is even a whole world created for learning chemistry. No matter the grade level, Minecraft can be a way to create immersive lessons.
In addition to the pre-made lessons, check out the ability to code within Minecraft.
“the ‘Coding with Minecraft’ curriculum is based on CSTA standards and covers foundational Computer Science concepts like conditionals”
C for Code
In Minecraft, students can press C to engage the coding editor. If you do not know, Microsoft is a partial owner with Mojang of Minecraft. Choose “Microsoft MakeCode.”
Block Coding
Microsoft is bringing the option to code in Python, however, to introduce students to coding, MakeCode uses block coding. What do you need to know? NOTHING! Press C to start the code builder and see what students can figure out. It’s a place to start that gives students an application for their coding.
Gillispie Minecraft Challenge
Check out Lucas Gillispie’s Minecraft challenge. This challenge sheet is about using Minecraft. Coming soon, from me, is a template and different challenges for using Minecraft for academic learning objectives.
