Minecraft Education - Coding with Minecraft

Introduction

In this video, students will meet the team of co-teachers that will be working with them throughout the project and will also learn more about each of the 5 lessons that will be covered. 

Coding in Minecraft Grade 2-3 Intro Video

Activity 1

Suggested Materials (in addition to M:EE): Microsoft Word or pencil and paper for brainstorming (Word is preferred as it would allow students to copy & paste).

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the world of computer science and code. Why do we need computer code? How does it function in the “real world”? Students will learn about the code builder environment, and they will begin their work in Minecraft: Education Edition by learning to find, manipulate, and create with block coding. It will be important for students to learn the logic of creating instructions for a computer along with the technical skills of dragging blocks, editing, and having a revision mindset. 

The activities in this lesson focus on the beginning skills of dragging, dropping, and nesting code blocks in the Minecraft: Education Edition Code Builder. The lesson wraps up with an invitation to reflect on the importance of understanding how to give instructions to a computer in a class discussion. 

Coding In Minecraft Grade 2-3 Activity 1 Video

Activity 2

Suggested Materials (in addition to M:EE): paper and pencil to plan code. 

In this lesson, students will get to immerse themselves in a whole new world of code! Students will take a third-person control view to learn the principles of sequencing and movement. They will begin by exploring movement in their world using the horizontal and vertical positions of x and y. Learning the x and y coordinates of the cartesian plane to access the full spectrum of moving, students will create a sequence to code the agent to move through a maze.

The lesson wraps up with students being invited to share their strategies for when they faced challenges in creative and logical work like this. You might use this opportunity to develop a structure in your classroom to support students’ questions and successes. One possibility is to ask students to share which aspect they were best at and encourage classmates to ask these peers for support when they encounter troubles. 

Note for Educators: This is a longer lesson and, depending on your student's coding ability, it may be advisable to break the lesson up after each agent challenge. 

Coding In Minecraft Grade 2-3 Activity 2 Video

Activity 3

Suggested Materials (in addition to M:EE): Paper and pencil.

In this activity, students will be introduced to the computer science concepts of loops and repeats. Students will have an opportunity to explore tasks in the real world that require things to happen over and over again, such as traffic lights, playlists, and sports. Next, students will start to experiment with the idea of loops and repeats in code. Loops and repeats help coders with making their code more efficient. Students will then extend this logic to situations in their code builder world. 

The lesson wraps up with an invitation to reflect and share about their growth in coding up to this point. This point in the lesson may be a good place for educators to facilitate goal-setting and celebrations about learning in their classrooms. 

Note to Educators: These activities will require a lot of patience and troubleshooting on the students’ parts, so it may take longer than expected to complete these two challenges. Use this as an opportunity to coach students to problem solve, help their peers identify errors, and use teamwork to find the solution. If students are struggling with coding or you are running short on time, it’s ok to end this lesson after completing the “Destroy and Collecting Challenge,” or skip this lesson and move directly to Lesson 4. 

Coding In Minecraft Grade 2-3 Activity 3 Video

Activity 4

Suggested Materials (in addition to M:EE): Word Processor or pencil/paper for planning and gathering research, teacher vetted resources for research.

In this activity, students will be invited to combine all the skills they learned in the previous three lessons to show off and create something of their very own! Students will be challenged to build their own challenge for the agent. Students will build a maze and then code their agent to go through the maze. The lesson wraps up with an invitation to share what they created and to “tour” their classmates' builds. 

Coding In Minecraft Grade 2-3 Activity 4 Video

Activity 5

Suggested Materials (in addition to M:EE): Graphing paper to help plan build, brainstorming and collaboration time, Copy of the code: https://makecode.com/_4A9EMXhVTecK 

In this final lesson students will be challenged to solve problems in code. Students have to figure out how to help the code agent blow up the zombie horses by debugging the code. Debugging means to run your code step-by-step to find the exact point where you made a programming mistake. Students will be presented with code that has an error and will be asked to collaborate to solve the problem. The lesson wraps up with a challenge to use their coding skills to build another maze.

Coding In Minecraft Grade 2-3 Activity 5 Video

Potential Extensions

Offline Coding Challenges:

Students can engage in offline coding challenges using tangible materials like coding cards, programmable robots (e.g., Code-a-Pillar), or even simple board games designed to teach coding concepts. This hands-on approach reinforces computational thinking skills without the need for digital devices.

Storytelling with Code:

Encourage students to create stories or narratives using coding concepts they've learned. They can write stories incorporating sequencing, loops, and conditionals, and then translate these stories into simple code using symbols or pseudocode. This activity fosters creativity and reinforces understanding of coding logic.

Mathematical Problem-Solving Challenges:

Integrate coding skills into mathematical problem-solving challenges. Provide students with math problems or puzzles that require logical thinking and algorithmic strategies to solve. Students can use their coding skills to develop step-by-step solutions to these math challenges, reinforcing both math and coding concepts simultaneously.

Collaborative Coding Projects:

Facilitate collaborative coding projects where students work in pairs or small groups to design and code interactive stories, games, or simulations. Assign specific roles to each group member (e.g., programmer, designer, tester) to encourage teamwork and division of tasks. This activity promotes collaboration, communication, and project management skills.

Robotics Exploration:

Introduce students to basic robotics concepts by allowing them to explore programmable robots or robotic kits. Students can learn to program robots to navigate obstacle courses, complete challenges, or perform specific tasks. This hands-on experience with robotics reinforces coding skills and provides a real-world application of computational thinking principles.

Rubric (Optional)

Following Directions:

4: Student consistently follows coding instructions accurately without assistance.

3: Student mostly follows coding instructions accurately but may require occasional guidance.

2: Student inconsistently follows coding instructions and requires frequent guidance.

1: Student struggles to follow coding instructions even with significant assistance.

Creativity and Exploration:

4: Student demonstrates creativity by exploring different coding options and experimenting with variations.

3: Student shows some creativity in coding solutions but may need encouragement to explore further.

2: Student's coding solutions lack creativity and show minimal exploration of alternatives.

1: Student demonstrates little to no creativity in coding and relies heavily on provided instructions.

Problem Solving:

4: Student effectively identifies and solves coding challenges independently.

3: Student demonstrates problem-solving skills with minimal support or guidance.

2: Student struggles to identify and solve coding challenges, requiring frequent assistance.

1: Student has difficulty identifying and solving coding challenges even with significant support.

Collaboration (if applicable):

4: Student actively collaborates with peers, listens to ideas, and contributes positively to group work.

3: Student participates in group activities and contributes ideas but may need reminders to collaborate effectively.

2: Student shows limited engagement in group work and requires frequent prompting to collaborate.

1: Student has difficulty working collaboratively with peers and may exhibit disruptive behavior.

Persistence and Effort:

4: Student demonstrates perseverance in overcoming coding challenges and shows consistent effort.

3: Student persists in tackling coding challenges but may require encouragement to stay focused.

2: Student displays occasional perseverance but easily becomes frustrated with coding difficulties.

1: Student shows minimal effort and quickly gives up when faced with coding challenges.

Introduction to Code Builder block coding:

ISTE Standard: Empowered Learner

Indicator: Students use technology to create, adapt, and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.

Exploring the coding space and sequencing by coding an agent:

ISTE Standard: Innovative Designer

Indicator: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful, or imaginative solutions.

Developing Loops in order to collect and create:

ISTE Standard: Computational Thinker

Indicator: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.

Sandbox challenge of creating a sustainable home using code:

ISTE Standard: Knowledge Constructor

Indicator: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

Debugging:

ISTE Standard: Creative Communicator

Indicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats, and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Introduction to Code Builder block coding:

NGSS Connection: Crosscutting Concepts - Cause and Effect

Explanation: Students explore the cause-and-effect relationship between their code and the actions of the agent in the Minecraft world. They learn how changing code sequences leads to different agent behaviors, reinforcing the concept of cause and effect.

Exploring the coding space and sequencing by coding an agent:

NGSS Connection: Science and Engineering Practices - Developing and Using Models

Explanation: Students use coding to create models of real-world scenarios in Minecraft, such as navigating through a maze. Through this process, they develop and refine their understanding of sequencing and spatial relationships.

Developing Loops in order to collect and create:

NGSS Connection: Crosscutting Concepts - Patterns

Explanation: Students identify and apply patterns in their code, particularly when using loops to repeat actions. They recognize how patterns in code can efficiently achieve specific outcomes, reflecting the crosscutting concept of patterns in science and engineering.

Sandbox challenge of creating a sustainable home using code:

NGSS Connection: Disciplinary Core Ideas - Earth and Human Activity

Explanation: Through the challenge of creating a sustainable home, students engage with concepts related to human impacts on the environment. They consider factors such as resource management and environmental sustainability while designing their virtual homes.

Debugging:

NGSS Connection: Science and Engineering Practices - Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Explanation: Debugging involves systematically identifying and correcting errors in code based on evidence from the agent's behavior in the Minecraft world. Students engage in argumentation as they justify their debugging decisions based on observable evidence.

Grade 2:

Math.Content.2.OA.C.4: Use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays with up to 5 rows and up to 5 columns.

Math.Content.2.NBT.B.5: Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.

Grade 3:

Math.Content.3.OA.C.7: Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations.

Math.Content.3.MD.C.7: Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.

British Columbia:

Mathematics (Grade 2): "Recognize, describe, and create repeating patterns using manipulatives, diagrams, sounds, and actions."

Science (Grade 3): "Identify patterns in the natural world and construct explanations based on evidence gathered through inquiry."

Alberta:

Science (Grade 3): "Investigate and describe patterns in the natural world and in human-made structures and objects."

Ontario:

Mathematics (Grade 2): "Identify, describe, extend, and create repeating patterns involving one attribute, through investigation involving the use of manipulatives, and describe the rule used to create the pattern."

Science and Technology (Grade 3): "Assess the impact of daily and seasonal changes on living things, including humans."

Quebec:

Mathematics and Science (Cycle 2): "Recognize and use patterns and spatial relationships in different contexts (e.g., numbers, sounds, geometric shapes, diagrams, and schematics)."

Science and Technology (Cycle 2): "Recognize that the environment contains a diversity of objects and elements that can be described and classified according to observable characteristics."

Saskatchewan:

Science (Grade 3): "Investigate patterns in the natural world and human-made structures and describe ways in which these patterns are used."

Manitoba:

Science (Grade 3): "Investigate changes in the environment and describe factors that contribute to these changes."

New Brunswick:

Mathematics (Grade 3): "Demonstrate an understanding of spatial relationships, using positional language to describe location and movement."

Nova Scotia:

Mathematics (Grade 2): "Identify, describe, and extend repeating patterns."

Newfoundland and Labrador:

Technology Education (Grade 3): "Design and create solutions to real-world problems using technology."