Minecraft in the Classroom

What Did We Learn?

• Minecraft is an open-ended, interactive world created by destroying and creating blocks.

Kind of like extreme Legos

• The more popular the game became, educators began to notice and study its educational potential.

What Did We Learn?

• Minecraft Edu:

o Version of Minecraft created for the sole purpose of being used in education

o Suggested lesson plans created by other teachers who have used them and provide feedback/assessment materials

What Did We Learn?

Skills Practiced• Creativity• Geometrical thinking• Critical thinking• Collaboration, • and it’s fun!

It Can Be Used to Serve ELLs

• Criteria of SIOP Model

• to use English while reading, writing, listening, and speaking

• promote interactions with each other and with the teacher – students interact with each other and teacher orally, and

listening– write an essay of their plan, or read a passage

It Can Be Used to Serve ELLs

• Criteria of SIOP Model

• implemented with ease for nearly any subject area or grade level– Language Arts – Social Studies, construction of some historical site – Science, construction of a biome– Foreign Language, writing in another language or

communicate using other language – Math, perimeter/area

It Can Be Used to Serve ELLs

• Criteria of SIOP Model

• provide information for the teacher to use for review and assessment of content and language objectives– assess the students in the classroom through

observations – evaluate what the students have done, which gives

information for review.