MinecraftEDU can be used to support literature in English/Language Arts classes in the following 10 step process: 1) Determine accessibility and support for implementing MinecraftEDU. 2) Establish the learning purpose, such as understanding characters or settings. 3) Have students work in pairs to complete a MinecraftEDU tutorial to evaluate the experience. 4) Create class norms for MinecraftEDU use with students based on the tutorial experience. 5) Have student pairs gather textual evidence about an assigned setting structure as they read. 6) Plan a map of the literary setting and have students start building their assigned structure. 7) Give students time to build structures and place information blocks

1. MinecraftEDU
for Assessment in ELA
Lisa Waxman & Erin Zaich @lasdk8
Twitter @lwaxman

2. Closing
Turn to a neighbor and discuss one way
you might be able to use Minecraft to
support literature.
Post here

3. Resources
1. Rubric for using MinecraftEDU with The Giver
2. Creating MinecraftEDU Quicktime Video
3. Directions- Minecraft Tutorial
4. MinecraftEDU lesson in ELA day by day
5. MinecraftEdu Wiki

4. Step 2: Support
Accessibility to MinecraftEDU?
Find support for
implementation if possible

5. Step 3: Purpose
What do you want students to be able to do?
Do you want them to understand characters? the
setting? The interaction between character
and setting?

6. Step 4: Evaluate Experience
Evaluate student experience
Assign mixed-ability pairs to complete
MinecraftEDU tutorial

7. Step 5: Establish norms
Ask students about tutorial experience
What happened?
What were the challenges?
With students, create a list of class norms and
consequences for use of MinecraftEDU

8. Step 6: Gather Textual Evidence
Assign pairs a significant structure from the
setting to study closely while reading.
As students read, have pairs gather details about
the assigned structure (patrons, location,
purpose, appearance) using a shared Google
Doc.

9. Prepare to Build
Have class sketch out a map of the setting before
beginning to build in Minecraft
start to create their structure in a MinecraftEDU
“flat” world.
Teacher creates a “flat” world for each class wit
one identifiable landmark from the literature
that students can recognize.

10. Step 7: Build
Give students time (I used 2 days a week over 4
weeks) to build structures.
Students place information blocks on the inside
and outside structure to justify their design
using evidence from the text.

11. Step 8: Script
Students play the role of a character interacting
with the Minecraft environment.
Students write a script that includes evidence
from the text.

12. Step 9: Quicktime
After rehearsing, each student creates a
Quicktime video as the character interacting
with the environment.
Students are evaluated on the authenticity of
their design and character tour compared to
the text.

13. Step 10: Assessment
Based upon authenticity of the character &
design demonstrated in video
Based upon essay (with textual evidence) included
in the info blocks
Self-assessment
Class vote on “most authentic world” with
justification

14. Info Blocks
Students type the justification of their
design using info blocks in front of
their structures

15. Example