This....Is.....MINECRAFT!

You probably don't have the same voice in your head saying that, but my son turned me on to Element Animation's hilarious clips involving the villagers of Minecraft.  While I have no idea how to play, I have to admit - the videos are hysterical!


So I knew the Minecraft theme would be popular with students, so I made sure this was our grand finale of all the summer sessions.  Our normal times were 10-12, but I let this one go onto 1, when the parents realized they had gone over.  I never saw kids having so much fun just sharing and visiting each others Minecraft worlds!

This session had very little prepwork to it.  I found some Minecraft clipart that was free to use for bookmarks and my "Welcome" sign.  I also offered the library's collection of iPads (9 of them) for anyone who needed one, but most of the students who came brought their own devices.    I also laid out different Minecraft strategy guides we had ordered this past year for students to look at, reference, and check out.

The kids loved it so much, I'm putting feelers out there for a possible Minecraft club for after school this coming year.  Obviously, I will have to talk to my administrator about it and get permission, but it sounds like there would definitely be some interest!  I'm also working on a Makerspace in our library that would possibly include access to Minecraft.  I did a brief lesson last year, using some of the Element Animation videos for reading comprehension review (inference/prediction/cause and effect, etc) and had the students actually use the time to build Minecraft worlds after the initial lesson.  The kids were in the middle of state testing, so I figured it was a fun way to review, but also a way to "relax".  It also had the added benefit of the students working cooperatively, giving each other directions on how to build (and what to build), and manipulating the world.  I had thought about adding a writing prompt to the activity, where students had to write a story about their world, or even design it before playing, but figured they were also stressed enough!  Now that I have it downloaded on our iPads, I might do an activity earlier in the year and maybe have the students do some follow up or pre-activities to it.  There's so much out there about Minecraft and its educational possibilities!

So I'll leave you with some pics of my 'crafters having fun!

Also, here's a {link} to the bookmarks on Google Drive, if you'd like to use them in your classroom/library!