After seeing all the wonderful work Jason has been doing with Minecraftedu I decided to attempt a series of Minecraft lessons based around measurement.
I created a booklet that included four tasks that each require a concept to be taught in class, followed by a Minecraft activity. The activities consolidate understanding of a variety of perimeter and area concepts.
Here is a link to the “Measurement World” booklet for this series of lessons: Minecraft measurement world
It is aimed at a grade 5 level.
Some of the tasks were completed alone, some in pairs and the pool task was completed in groups of 4.
I used a flat world that Jason has created and teleported groups of 6 into 4 different areas.
Throughout the lessons my avatar wandered around each of the areas, commenting as I went. If I saw something mathematical worth sharing, I would freeze everyone (I love this Minecraftedu feature) and project the image onto the screen.
I was surprised at how wonderfully collaborative Minecraftedu was. As students worked together to complete the tasks, they would problem solve, make attempts at new things, and share the various things they created. The end of each session was met with groans of disappointment and a promise that we would continue soon.
Chantelle