I'm basically splitting out Minecraft usage into three units: A humanities unit using Eric's World of Humanities map, a redstone unit, and a society-building unit tying all of the previous lessons together.
For the World of Humanities map, I put together a handout that requires the students to explore multiple civilizations, taking notes along the way, before deciding which civilization they want to settle in. It's primarily a way to keep them focused while they explore the world and get used to the game. The final task is building a house in the style of the civilization's architecture and writing a 'book' about what life in that society would be like. I'll copy the handout at the end of this post.
Things I've learned:
It's okay for girls to be gamers. This project was probably the most poorly received amongst the girls in my classes (a little more than half of my students are girls), but after a day or two of just exploring the world and getting used to the game, many of these girls have become avid fans. More than one parent has approached me saying, "You cost me 25 bucks," because their daughter went home and asked for a personal copy of the game. More girls have also started attending my after school Minecraft club and playing during my open session on Fridays after school. This might be what I'm proudest of so far.
It's okay to be a gamer. Last week, one of my more video game-obsessed students looked at the 'popular' group in class and said, "You used to make fun of me for playing this, and now you ask me questions about it all the time!" They laughed and agreed.
In all of my classes, the kids who are Minecraft pros have taken the initiative and help out students who hadn't played before. Social groups that normally don't interact are mixing freely and discovering that they all have something to offer. I'm paying close attention to this, as I hope its effects continue to trickle outside of just my classroom.
It's hard to quantify learning. The parts of this unit I'm happiest with so far have nothing to do with content -- it's all either social or general problem solving skills. That's the stuff I blog about the most, and it's the stuff I care about the most. I believe those are the two most important areas to focus on with middle school students, so I'm okay with the inherent ambiguity, but having concrete evidence of skill and standard comprehension is, for better or worse, still a necessity. The students started building their houses and writing their books this week and, so far, it looks like they are genuinely absorbing information about the civilizations they've explored and decided to live in. I'll post screenshots next week and you can decide for yourself.
I need to model better. I should have made my own house and written my own book at the beginning of this unit so the students had a constant example to return to. I didn't, and I think it has led to some unnecessary inconsistency and confusion in their work.
Handout:
_________________’s World of
Humanities Travel Log
Greetings,
traveler! You are about to undertake a journey into a world unlike any place you
have ever been. As you travel through past, present, and future, you will explore
the civilizations of Ancient Rome, Mesopotamia, Japan, and Mesoamerica, to name
but a few. You will train with Spartans, explore long-lost sea caves, scale Big
Ben, and visit a towering city of the future.
Like
any young Marco Polo, you must write down your adventures for the sake of
posterity. This document will serve as your travel log. In it, you will
document the civilizations you visit
(at least 5), a monument from each civilization, and at least three facts about
each culture.
Eventually,
you will weary of your travels and decide to settle in one of these fascinating
lands. After much deliberation and reviewing of your travel log, you will decide and document where you want to live and why you chose
that civilization. Hoping for successful integration with the land’s
people, you will then build a house in
the style of your chosen civilization’s architecture.
Enjoy
the many wonders of the world, brave traveler. And good luck.
Exploratory Phase
Civilization:
Monument:
Observations:
1.
2.
3.
Civilization:
Monument:
Observations:
1.
2.
3.
Settlement Phase
Congratulations,
intrepid traveler! You have explored and documented at least five civilizations
in this vast World of Humanities, and now the time has come to choose where you
will make your home. This is not a decision to be made lightly, and so you must
consider the following: which culture do you find
most appealing and why?
Your three-paragraph
response should include at least three
facts about the civilization, a paragraph comparing/contrasting your chosen
civilization with another culture represented, and a paragraph explaining what
you think life in your chosen land will be like.
You will also need to build
your home in a culturally sensitive fashion, so your materials and design
should match the local aesthetics. Below, please
list the materials you will need to build your home and sketch a blueprint of
your design.
Civilization:
Materials:
Sketch:
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