Carlingford
Multigrade 4th, 5th and 6th class
Lesson 1:
The teacher will explain that pupils will be working in groups to research, sketch, build and present a number of those fortified buildings surrounding Carlingford harbour. These will include King John’s castle, Taaffe’s castle, the Mint and the Tholsel. Each project will be showcased as part of national heritage week.
The pupils will be divided into groups of mixed ability. Each group will brainstorm the attitudes, behaviors and skills that would be sought in an individual group member. The teacher will seek feedback from each team before drafting a list of rules for collaborative work. The teacher will highlight that each team will self evaluate their efforts during the review stage.
Lesson 2:
The pupils will partake in a walking tour of Carlingford, sketching individual buildings and utilising ipads and cameras to capture notable features or elements of each. A visit to the heritage centre will allow for preliminary research and the collection of photographs, documents and maps.
Lesson 3:
The teacher will assign a building to each group and utilise a WALT chart to outline the objectives for this project. Each group member will be assigned a specific role.
The children will engage in research using class computers and books to gather information about the features and functions of their building, the materials used, consulting photographs and creating timelines to document how it has changed over the years.
The children could create sample buildings using lego or wooden blocks.
Lesson 4:
The teacher will model and demonstrate the actions required to build on minecraft education including accessing inventory, placing and removing blocks and basic coding.
The children will engage in a free play session to practice these skills using a pre-designed world on Minecraft.
(The teacher will allow the pupils to develop their skills over the course of a week or two by asking them to build a two story house with a kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and one bedroom.
The teacher may host a number of mini whole class lessons at the start of these practise sessions to introduce more complex building skills before allowing the pupils to practice individually.)
Lesson 5 onwards
The pupils will begin building their assigned project.
The teacher will encourage them to consult the photographs gathered as well as their own sketches continuously and to adapt accordingly.
The children will utilise NPC and blackboards to tell the story of their building and to provide information to guests.
The building phase can be extended over the course of a week or two.
Review:
The children will record videos of their buildings, explaining it’s history and noting important features. Each video will be showcased in celebration of National heritage week.
The children will review the process, outlining what they might do differently, highlighting their favourite part of the project and suggesting future uses of Minecraft Education in school or at home.
The children will reflect on their teamwork using a group self evaluation form.
Integration: English – Oral language,
Maths – Shape and space, measures
Geography – Natural environments
Science – Materials
History – Continuity and change
Art – Construction
Skills : Problem solving
Collaborative skills
Computational skills
Analytical skills
Self evaluation or reflective practice