Island Building

Skills

Collaboration
Creativity
Critical Thinking

External References

Treasure Island world in Minecraft to support lessons.

LITCRAFT uses the popular Minecraft gaming platform to build accurate scale models of authorial maps from classic works of literature.

Java World

Treasure Island Minecraft world file for Java editions of Minecraft.

Supporting Files

Island Building

Full lesson plan and additional activities.

Treasure Island Excerpts

Excerpts from Treasure Island to support activities.

Learning Objectives

To think creatively and imaginatively about place and space in literature.
To work together to design and plan.
To understand basic scale.

Guiding Ideas

Reading Comprehension

Read the suggested excerpts from Treasure Island found in the attached PDF document and answer the following questions:

Why is the anchorage behind an islet do you think?
Use the passage to explain the reason for these place-names: Fore-mast hill; Spyglass hill; Captain Kidd’s anchorage.
Why do Silver’s eyes “burn in his head” when he looks at the map. Why is he disappointed?
Why does “a chill strike for a moment to every heart”?
What does Silver mean when he says “You wouldn’t look to find a bishop here, I reckon.”
What does the use of a human body as a pointer to the treasure tell you about Captain Flint?

Student Activities

ISLAND BUILDING

For this final task you are free to be creative and undertake your own island build! Use the attached Treasure Island Minecraft world. Directions can be found in Chest #5.

The island you are standing on is called Skeleton Island. How might you reshape and design the island to make it more fully represent this name?

PLAN

In pairs or threes talk together, brainstorm and decide what you are going to do.

DESIGN

Before you start to build IN-GAME take some squared paper and map out your island.

Decide what you want to put on it. Think about natural features (trees, caves, waterfalls etc.) Think about secret places – passageways, trapdoors etc.

Don’t worry if you need to redraw to get it right.

MAP TO SCALE

If you can, make the map to scale! Skeleton Island is approximately 114 Minecraft blocks long by 110 Minecraft blocks wide. If you make each square on your paper = 10 blocks in Minecraft you can map accurately to scale (1:10).

BACK IN-GAME

Now re-enter the Minecraft world and build your own Skeleton Island. Scavenge items from the ship and fort if you need to.

You can get rid of the starting point and chests.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHALLENGE

Why not build some simple tasks into your island as we have done for you?

Chests and books are given here for you to set your own challenges!

SWAP WORLDS

Take a screenshot when you have finished and print it off to keep!

Now swap devices with another group and explore each other’s island (but don’t destroy it!)

FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY: ‘ISLAND BUILDING’

Students are asked to research the life of a historical pirate and give a short presentation on

them.