Minecraft Simulation: Hunter-Gatherer Life

The Agricultural Revolution can be a sticky subject for students.  In the past, my students have understood the concept of hunting and gathering, and they have understood the concept of farming.  However, it was difficult for them to see how the development of agriculture could have led to a better, more efficient lifestyle for migrating peoples.  In a modern world where the grocery store is just down the block and Amazon ships everywhere, it's always been tough for students to relate to the continual daily struggles of a hunting and gathering society.  So, to shore up this conceptual weakness, enter Minecraft: Education Edition. 

My thinking is that students first need to experience hunter-gatherer life on their own.  The struggle to survive environmental risks, coupled with the need to hunt food and gather supplies is intensified by the fact that they are working alone.  This could be parlayed into a group hunter-gatherer simulation to reveal the benefits of living in a tribe or group.  Students could also begin to explore some limited labor distribution.  As they hunt and gather in groups, they will discover that it can be easier to survive threats, but that many environment challenges remain constant - such as exhausting the supply of animals or plant resources. 

Finally, students could experience the benefits of agriculture by growing crops and domesticating animals instead of chasing them all over the virtual world. They could develop more sophisticated tools and establish permanent settlements. 

Last week, my students completed the solo survival portion of this instructional sequence, and today they engaged in a group survival simulation.  Here's how that looked in my classroom:

Google Docs - The Minecraft Quest Deliverables for These Lessons

As before, I created Google Docs to structure student gameplay.  These docs act as the deliverables for the Minecraft quests I designed, which are posted in our 3D Game Lab (MLS).  There is a Solo Survival document and a Group Survival Document.  Feel free to use either with your students, and let me know how it goes!  Here are some screen captures from docs my students completed: