Block-Based Coding with Minecraft Education
Animal Research Center, Grades 3-5
About This Course
Starts July 22nd, Tues/Thurs 3-5pm for 4 weeks
Students who are ready to take their skills to the next level will learn essential computational thinking skills in a fun and interactive manner with Minecraft Education’s unique Code Builder feature.
You'll learn to program your Agent helper to rescue sea turtles, create safe habitats for pandas, and change perceptions about misunderstood gray wolves. Rather than just playing Minecraft, you'll harness the power of block-based coding to make a difference in virtual ecosystems while developing essential computational thinking skills.
By the end of this course, you'll not only understand fundamental coding concepts but also gain awareness of environmental conservation issues and how technology can help address them. Join us for this perfect blend of coding, creativity, and conservation that prepares you for future technological challenges while fostering a commitment to protecting our natural world! Once students have successfully mastered the fundamentals of block-based coding in the immersive environment of Minecraft, they will be introduced to the exciting world of coding with Python in Minecraft Education, further enhancing their programming abilities.
What You'll Learn
Learn conditionals, functions, coordinates and more in block-based coding with lessons designed to follow CSTA standards.
Develop fundamental coding skills including sequencing, loops, and conditionals through Minecraft's block-based programming environment while solving real-world animal conservation challenges
Apply computational thinking strategies (decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms) to design solutions for environmental problems
Create meaningful projects that demonstrate understanding of animal habitats, environmental protection, and the impact of human development on wildlife
Hands-On Projects
Sea Turtle Conservation Initiative: Students will design and code a sea turtle protection program that helps hatchlings safely reach the ocean. They'll use sequencing and loops to guide turtles around obstacles, clean beaches of debris, and create protected nesting areas while learning about the real-world challenges sea turtles face.
Polar Bear Habitat Restoration: Students will develop a solution for preserving polar bear habitats affected by climate change. Using conditional statements and loops, they'll code systems to rebuild ice platforms, provide food sources, and create protected areas while incorporating their own creative design elements.
Wildlife Corridor Construction: Students will collaborate to design and implement wildlife corridors connecting fragmented habitats across different biomes. They'll utilize all coding concepts learned throughout the course to create bridges, tunnels, and safe passages for pandas and wolves while demonstrating understanding of how human development impacts wildlife movement.
Our 4-Week Course Plan
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![Code Builder]()
Week 1 Class 1 - Intro to Code Builder
Introduction to Minecraft Education and basic coding concepts; students will learn navigation, become familiar with Code Builder and MakeCode blocks, and code their Agent to perform simple sequential operations while developing their coding mindset.
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![Sea Turtle Mission]()
Week 1 Class 2 - Algorithms, Sequences, Pattern Recognition
Sea Turtle assistance mission; students will use pseudocode to create algorithms, practice testing and debugging code, and apply sequencing and pattern recognition to help sea turtles navigate safely to the ocean.
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![Polar Bear Sequence]()
Week 2 Class 1 - Loops and Conditionals
Polar Bear rescue operations; students will implement loops and conditionals to help polar bears affected by changes in their Arctic environment, requiring problem decomposition and algorithmic thinking to create effective solutions.
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![Minecraft Loops]()
Week 2 Class 2 - Nested Loops
Panda habitat protection project; students will use loops and nested loops to help relocate a panda from a town encroaching on its natural habitat and create a protected area that meets the animal's needs.
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![Wolves Sequences]()
Week 3 - Advanced Coding Concepts
Gray Wolf perception campaign; students will apply advanced coding concepts to create educational exhibits and simulations that help correct misconceptions about wolves, demonstrating how technology can support wildlife conservation education.
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![Minecraft Students]()
Week 4 - Collaborative Biome Project & Showcase
Collaborative biome improvement initiative; students will work in teams to apply all learned coding concepts to self-selected conservation challenges across different biomes, building structures like bridges, mazes, fences, and towers while presenting their solutions to classmates.
