Road Construction Ahead

11-13 yrs old

Computer Science

Math & Economics

Science

Students will use Code Builder to build a roadway between two mining camps.

Submitted By: John Miller

January 25, 2019

Lesson Plan
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Skills

Critical Thinking

Supporting Files

World File

World file for student use

Learning Objectives

Students will understand relative position and master the fill command by building a cobblestone road between two mining camps.
Students will systematically evaluate multiple design solutions to determine which best meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (NGSS MS-ETS1-2)

Guiding Ideas

Before beginning, students should have a preliminary understanding of how longitude (x), elevation (y), and latitude (z) are used in Minecraft. Click here to learn more about positions in Minecraft.

Understanding position and the coordinate system in Minecraft is important to master when learning about blocks and using block commands.

The fill command allows for placement and replacement of blocks, including blocks of air, in large quantities relative to the position of the player.

Student Activities

Consider having students work in pairs to complete this construction project while encouraging cooperation and investigation. Having graph paper, or scratch paper on hand may be helpful.

Students will use the fill with block command to build several cobblestone road segments between two mining camps. The success criteria will vary and require them to change direction and elevation. They will also need to construct a bridge across a river and bore a tunnel through solid rock by utilizing chat commands.

To complete this task, they will need to create several fill with block commands, including:

fill with cobblestone
fill with air
fill with cobblestone or air from <player position> to <position east and west, above and below, and north and south of the player>

If students are not familiar with the fill command, you can find more information by clicking here.

It is important for students to understand that they are creating a three-dimensional, cubic region when their command is run and should experiment freely before laying down road.

Red sandstone slabs are present to guide players to their destination. A sample road bed has been laid down to mark the starting location.

Students will make progress along the pathway while laying down cobblestone using the fill command.

Operators (replace, hollow, outline, keep, and destroy) can also be investigated. These will allow students to further customize their roads.

Performance Expectations

Students should be able to reach the second campsite after laying cobblestone across the plain, over the river, up the hill, and through the mountain.

Students should create an assortment of fill commands to meet the positional challenges.

Cobblestone should rest at ground level.

Students should be able to answer the following questions: