Exploring Minecraft - Farming

Students will:

• Know how to use tools, create a survival world, and manage a farm in Minecraft. 

Vocabulary Words:

1. Survival Mode: Survival mode is the mode where students can craft items from blocks.  In this mode, there is a set number of “lives”.  You can breathe underwater for a limited amount of time and need to eat food.

2. Tools: Tools are specific items that have a purpose. An example would be a hoe used to prepare the ground for planting seeds.

To prepare for this lesson:

• Watch the video Minecraft Survive and Thrive to become familiar with the basics of Minecraft including how to create a world, eat, and farm.

If you are not familiar with Minecraft here are instructions:

• Watch the video Minecraft Beginners Guide - Part 1 - Tools, Weapons, Food and Surviving to become familiar with the basics of Minecraft including how to create a world, eat, explore, place and destroy blocks, and the different modes.
• If you are going to allow your students to play Minecraft at school, you will want to enroll in the Education Edition.
• Install Minecraft on the student devices. 
• You will want to visit this page to get started. You will need an Office 365 Education account to log in to the full version of Minecraft: Education Edition.
• If you do not have a license, you can still use Minecraft: Education Edition with a limited number of logins. Minecraft: Education Edition is licensed via yearly subscriptions purchased through Authorized Education Partners or directly with the Microsoft Store for Education. 
• If you would like to try a free demo lesson, the Hour of Code has a free lesson for you and your students to try. 
• There are many class resources for teachers to use depending on the age group and the curriculum they teach. There are lessons to teach math concepts, teach about different cultures and the different landscapes that people live in, teach coding, chemistry, and much more. 
• Minecraft has an amazing Help Center. There are lots of tutorials to learn how to use the resources, how to purchase it, game features, and a FAQ. 

See Accommodations Page and Charts on the 21things4students.net site in the Teacher Resources. 

Directions for this activity:

1. Talk with students about what happens on farms.  Ask how they think they would farm in Minecraft (virtually).
    
2. Share with students your completed Minecraft farm example.
    
3. Have students open up their device to Minecraft and show them how to create a world.
    
4. Show students the Minecraft farming how-to video, pausing as each new concept comes and have them try. 
    
5. Have students explore Minecraft by building a farm by their house out of materials that are around them and share with the teacher and other students.

Different options for assessing the students:

• Observations
• Check for understanding
• It would be best to have students take a screenshot of their finished house and farm. After completing, students can upload their completed project onto a Classroom assignment for the teacher to see.