EdTech Insider

** Here is the .mcworld file you’ll need to run this (or a similar activity) in your classroom **

Using Minecraft as a tool for enhancing reading comprehension can be an incredibly powerful and engaging way for students to interact with a text. In my own experience, I have found that students are much more likely to pay close attention to the words on the page when they know that they will be creating a Minecraft build based on what they have read.

One example of this was when my students read the book “Airborne” by Kenneth Oppel. They were already interested in the story, but their excitement and focus really intensified when they learned that they would be creating a build in Minecraft based on a particular chapter. They were thrilled by the challenge and I have never seen them pay such close attention to the details of the text.

The students worked hard to build the “setting” of the book in Minecraft and then had a “buddy class” review and vote on the winner. It was amazing to see how invested they were in the project and how much they enjoyed using Minecraft as a way to interact with the text in a more meaningful way.

Using Minecraft to enhance reading comprehension can be a highly effective and engaging way for students to interact with a text and deepen their understanding of the material. As a research project my sixth graders also explored an Athenian structure on their own, and created replicas as part of an Ancient Athens Build Battle. Kids from other classes got an opportunity to explore our builds and vote on the winners!

I’ll try to dig through my digital files for some of their builds. In the meantime, here is the ‘grid’ I used to separate groups into their build areas. Be warned! Ender Pearls can be used to travel through the barrier… So if you’ve got some troublemakers they can still get around!