Building a Story Setting

3-5 yrs old

6-7 yrs old

8-10 yrs old

Art and Design

Reading and Writing

In this lesson, students identify a setting and then create a space in Minecraft where a story can take place.

307

Submitted By: Minecraft Education

October 25, 2016

Lesson Plan
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Skills

Communication
Creativity
Critical Thinking

External References

Top Ten Settings In Childrens Books

Learning Objectives

Students will identify elements of setting in multiple examples of published text.
Students will create a Minecraft world, or an area within the world, that includes specific elements for the setting in a story.
Students will develop a written story that utilizes their Minecraft world appropriately as the setting.

Guiding Ideas

   Mini-Lesson (whole class)
•    Hook with a picture book with an easy to spot element of setting: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson107/107BookList.pdf
•    Identify elements of story setting from the book and continue to generate a list of elements found in different stories throughout the coming lessons
•    Read text from a read aloud and identify phrases and words that the author uses to create the scene in the reader’s mind. (Examples of great texts found in Supporting Files below.)

Student Activities

Independent or cooperative group activity

•Using Minecraft, students build a setting for a story they will write later.

• Note: Students can work with classmates to create the same setting in Minecraft and still end up with very different stories.

• Students write a detailed description of their Minecraft world, or a narrative that utilizes a detailed description as the setting for their story.

Performance Expectations

•    Screenshots or screencast of world
•    Written story or detailed description
•    Class discussion or individual written reflection of learning
o      Make a T-Chart for what elements of setting were easy and difficult to incorporate in the Minecraft world.
o    Make a T-Chart for what elements of setting were easy and difficult to incorporate in the written story or description.
o    Allow students to reflect upon how detailed elements of setting can enhance writing. Allow time for students to share favorite parts of their story or description with each other.