SpringvilleMuseum of Art

Social Studies and Visual ArtLiving in Minecraft: Biome Communities Third Grade

Objectives

• Students will create a community using the computer game Minecraft.• Students will explore how a community develops including industry and economic development.• Students will learn how a community connects to the environment (ei. natural resources and climate)

Background (for teachers)

Minecraft is a virtual phenomenon that is taking the gaming world by storm. Many children begin playing at a very young age. On this game, users create virtual worlds, using geometric building blocks, resources discovered onsite, and their own creativity. The game can be played on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Most of your students have probably been exposed to this game at some point, but if you are not familiar with Minecraft, spend some time visiting the website and familiarizing yourself with this game.

Note: This lesson plan can be taught using the actual game on computers or iPads in your classroom, however, if your classroom or school does not have these resources, you can also teach this lesson using the paper resources provided to you.

Minecraft must be purchased and downloaded onto your computer or device, however, you can also play a free demo for a month before you purchase it. In addition, MinecraftEdu is designed specifically for classroom use. We encourage you to look into and experiment with Minecraft before you teach this lesson in your classroom.

Introduction

Begin by asking students about their communities. In efforts to get the students thinking about elements of their communities’ culture, ask some of the following questions:

• Where do you live?• What language do speak in your community? • What religions are common in your community?• What traditions are common where you live?• What is the climate like?• What natural resources do you have in your community?• What kind of government would you find in your community?• What laws are important in your community?

Gary Smith, Youthful Games, 1984

Materials• Images from the Museum (See Images from the Museum)• Minecraft worksheet• 11”x 17”Paper• Drawing Supplies• Pencils• Ipads or Computers ifpossible• Minecraft.com

Images from the Museum

• Gary Smith, Youthful Games• Calvin Fletcher, Washday in Brigham City • James Taylor Harwood, Richards’ Camp, Holiday Park-- Weber Canyon (Images available below or at smofa.org)

Utah Core Standards

Social StudiesStandard 1Students will understand how geography influences com-munity location and development.

Social Studies Standard 1 Objective 1Determine the relationships between human settlement and geography.

Social Studies Standard 3 Objective 2cResearch community needs and the role government serves in meeting those needs.

Visual Arts Standard 3 Objective 2Discuss, evaluate and choose symbols, ideas, subject mat-ter, meanings, and purposes for their own artworks.

SpringvilleMuseum of Art

Social Studies and Visual ArtLiving in Minecraft: Biome Communities Third Grade

Next, show various images of communities from the Springville Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Ask students the following questions about each image:

• Where do you think this community is located?• What is the climate like?• What natural resources might you find here?

Discuss with students the essential elements of a community. What does a community need in order to thrive? What role do laws and government play in a community? Why are they important?

Learning Activity

Break the students into small groups. Each group will be given the assignment to create a community based on a virtual Minecraft region. Ideally, these students will have access to Minecraft on a computer and will be able to create an actual community using the Minecraft game. If you are not able to access Minecraft digitally, you will find screenshots of different Minecraft regions or Biomes and descriptions of each Biome attached to this lesson plan.

Each group will be given a different Biome (or region) and will be asked to fill out the provided worksheet.

After the different groups have finished their worksheet, Pass out a large sheet on paper (11”x17”) and give them time to draw and color a larger version of their community’s flag. As indicated on the worksheet, students should incorporate two or more of their Biome’s natural resources into the design of their flag.

Variations

If your students have access to Minecraft on computers or devices in their classroom, you may give students time to start constructing important buildings in their communities. As students build their virtual communities, have them screen shot their lands and share them with the class.

Extensions

After students have completed their “Living in Biomes” worksheet and design their flag, you could have them create a constitution for their community. They can brainstorm community needs and how their community’s government can help meet those needs.

Assessment

After students have created their flag, give them time to present their Minecraft Communities to the class. Make sure they answer all of the worksheet questions.

Their community flags should include at least 2 natural resources from their assigned Biome.

SOURCES

Minecraft.comMinecraftedu.comhttp://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Biome

Living in BiomesCreating Communities in Minecraft

What type of Biome did your group receive?

What natural resources are found in this environment?

What are some challenges that you might encounter if you were living here?

Together with your group, come up with a name of your community:

_____________________________________________

Using at least one of the Natural Resources found in your biome as inspiration, design a flag for your community:

What symbols and colors did you use in your flag? Why did you choose these colors?

What food would your community members eat?

What will your community members use for shelter and clothing?

What jobs might the people in your community have?

What will your community members do for fun?

Considering the needs of your community, write 3 Laws for your community:

1. __________________________________________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________________________________________

Desert Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

barr

en a

nd re

lativ

ely

inho

spita

ble

biom

e co

nsisti

ng m

ostly

of s

and,

larg

e du

nes,

dea

d bu

shes

, and

cac

ti. S

ands

tone

is c

omm

only

foun

d un

dern

eath

the

sand

. It a

lmos

t nev

er ra

ins

in th

is bi

ome.

No

pass

ive

mob

s sp

awn

natu

rally

in d

eser

ts. S

ugar

can

e ca

n be

foun

d if

the

dese

rt is

nex

t to

an o

cean

or r

iver

bi

ome.

The

lack

of v

isual

obs

truc

tion

mak

es m

obs h

ighl

y vi

sible

at n

ight

. Des

ert v

illag

es, d

eser

t wel

ls an

d de

sert

tem

ples

are

foun

d ex

clus

ivel

y in

this

biom

e.

Reso

urce

s:Sa

nd, C

acti,

Dea

d Bu

shes

, San

dsto

ne, S

ugar

Can

e, D

eser

t wel

ls

Savanna Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

rela

tivel

y fla

t and

dry

bio

me

with

a d

ry g

rass

col

or a

nd s

catte

red

acac

ia tr

ees.

Vill

ages

can

gen

erat

e in

this

biom

e, a

nd it

is o

ne o

f onl

y tw

o bi

omes

(the

ot

her b

eing

pla

ins)

whe

re h

orse

s spa

wn

natu

rally

. Rai

n al

mos

t nev

er fa

lls in

this

biom

e, si

mila

r to

the

dese

rt.

Reso

urce

s:Ac

acia

Tre

es, T

all G

rass

, Hor

ses,

Cow

s, S

heep

Mesa Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:M

esa

is a

rare

bio

me

mad

e of

har

dene

d cl

ay, s

tain

ed c

lay,

and

dead

bus

hes

– sim

ilar t

o a

dese

rt. R

ed s

and

will

also

gen

erat

e he

re in

stea

d of

regu

lar s

and,

w

ith o

ccas

iona

l cac

ti. It

s com

positi

on is

use

ful w

hen

othe

r sou

rces

of c

lay

are

scar

ce. H

owev

er, fi

ndin

g m

esa

biom

es c

an b

e di

fficu

lt du

e to

thei

r rar

ity.

Mes

as c

an c

onta

in a

bove

gro

und

min

esha

fts. T

hey

also

allo

w g

old

ore

to g

ener

ate.

Reso

urce

s:De

ad B

ush,

Har

dene

d Cl

ay, 6

col

ors o

f Sta

ined

Cla

y, Re

d Sa

nd, C

acti,

Red

San

dsto

ne,

Abov

e gr

ound

min

esha

fts, G

old

Ore

Jungle Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

very

den

se, b

ut ra

ther

unc

omm

on tr

opic

al b

iom

e. It

feat

ures

larg

e ju

ngle

tree

s tha

t can

reac

h up

to 3

1 bl

ocks

tall

with

2×2

thic

k tr

unks

. Oak

tree

s are

also

co

mm

on. T

he la

ndsc

ape

is lu

sh g

reen

and

qui

te h

illy,

with

man

y sm

all l

akes

of w

ater

ofte

n ne

stle

d in

to d

eep

valle

ys, s

ometi

mes

abo

ve s

ea le

vel.

Leav

es

cove

r muc

h of

the

fore

st fl

oor—

thes

e “b

ush

tree

s” h

ave

singl

e-bl

ocks

of j

ungl

e w

ood

for t

runk

s, s

urro

unde

d by

oak

leav

es. W

hen

insid

e a

jung

le, t

he s

ky

will

bec

ome

notic

eabl

y lig

hter

. Thi

s is t

he o

nly

biom

e co

ntai

ning

jung

le tr

ees.

Vin

es a

re fo

und

alon

gsid

e m

ost b

lock

s and

may

be

foun

d cl

ose

to th

e su

rfac

e in

cav

es. O

celo

ts, j

ungl

e te

mpl

es, a

nd c

ocoa

pla

nts

spaw

n ex

clus

ivel

y in

this

biom

e. M

elon

s ca

n sp

awn

here

, mak

ing

jung

le b

iom

es th

e on

ly p

lace

whe

re

mel

ons n

atur

ally

spaw

n. M

elon

s spa

wn

in sm

all p

atch

es, s

imila

r to

pum

pkin

s.

Reso

urce

s:Ju

ngle

Tre

es, J

ungl

e Te

mpl

es, F

erns

, Flo

wer

s, V

ines

, Oce

lots

, Coc

oa P

ods,

Mel

ons

Forest Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

biom

e w

ith a

lot

of t

rees

, occ

asio

nal h

ills,

and

a fa

ir am

ount

of

tall

gras

s. O

ak a

nd b

irch

tree

s gr

ow in

thi

s bi

ome.

Mus

hroo

ms,

gra

ss, p

oppi

es, a

nd

dand

elio

ns c

an o

ccas

iona

lly b

e fo

und.

For

ests

can

occ

asio

nally

be

gene

rate

d in

the

cent

er o

f pla

ins

biom

es. T

his

is on

e of

the

best

bio

mes

to s

tart

out

in,

due

to th

e ab

unda

nce

of w

ood.

The

freq

uenc

y of

tree

s m

akes

it d

ange

rous

to n

avig

ate

at n

ight

, due

to o

bscu

red

visio

n. F

ores

t bio

mes

are

also

one

of t

he

smal

lest

bio

mes

.

Reso

urce

s:O

ak a

nd B

irch

Tree

s, F

low

ers,

Wol

ves,

Mus

hroo

ms

Extreme Hills Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

high

ly m

ount

aino

us b

iom

e w

ith d

ull g

reen

-blu

e gr

ass

and

a fe

w s

catte

red

oak

and

spru

ce t

rees

. Cliff

s, p

eaks

, val

leys

, wat

erfa

lls, o

verh

angs

, floa

ting

islan

ds, a

nd m

any

othe

r str

uctu

res

exist

, offe

ring

outs

tand

ing

view

s. S

now

fall

may

also

occ

ur a

t cer

tain

hei

ghts

, thu

s cr

eatin

g “i

ce c

aps”

on

the

top

of th

e m

ount

ains

. Mor

e un

derg

roun

d ca

ve s

yste

ms

are

pres

ent h

ere

than

in a

ny o

ther

bio

me.

Fal

ling

is a

signi

fican

t risk

, as

ther

e ar

e m

any

ledg

es a

nd s

udde

n dr

ops l

arge

eno

ugh

to c

ause

seve

re fa

ll da

mag

e or

eve

n de

ath.

Ext

rem

e hi

lls a

re th

e on

ly b

iom

es w

here

em

eral

d or

es a

nd si

lver

fish

can

be fo

und

natu

rally

.

Reso

urce

s:O

ak T

rees

, Spr

uce

Tree

s, G

rave

l Flo

wer

s, E

mer

ald

Ore

, Mon

ster

Egg

ice Plain

s Bio

me

Desc

riptio

n:A

rela

tivel

y ra

re b

ut e

xpan

sive,

flat

bio

me

with

a h

uge

amou

nt o

f sno

w. I

t doe

s no

t rai

n in

this

biom

e —

 it s

now

s in

stea

d. L

akes

and

rive

rs a

re fr

ozen

ove

r. Hi

lls te

nd to

be

mor

e m

ount

aino

us. S

ugar

can

e w

ill s

paw

n in

this

biom

e, b

ut c

an b

ecom

e up

root

ed w

hen

chun

ks lo

ad a

s th

e w

ater

sou

rces

free

ze to

ice.

Th

ere

are

very

few

nat

ural

oak

tree

s in

this

biom

e. S

pruc

e tr

ees m

ay a

lso g

ener

ate.

Due

to th

e bi

ome’

s size

, sno

w co

ver,

and

scar

city

of w

ood,

initi

al su

rviv

al

beco

mes

diffi

cult

in c

ompa

rison

to o

ther

bio

mes

.

Reso

urce

s:Sn

ow, S

now

fall,

Oak

Tre

es, I

ce, S

pruc

e Tr

ees,

Iglo

os, O

ccas

iona

l Tal

l Gra

ss

Gary Smith, Youthful Games, 1984

Calvin Fletcher, Wash Day in Brigham City, 1929

James Taylor Harwood, Richards Camp, Holiday Park - Weber Canyon, 1888