Differentiation opportunities in Survivalcraft: The Maze Runner & Lord of the Flies

I created two infographics to share my ideas for differentiation with Survivalcraft:  The Maze Runner & Lord of the Flies.  I hope you enjoy them as much I enjoyed making them!

The Maze Runner

In Scenario 1, student teams can draw a design of their maze including dimensions and possibly even some traps!  Students can also research the power and uses of redstone in Minecraft and incorporate moving parts of the maze into their design.  Students could also create sections of one maze that connect to one another through the moving parts.  For their wiki, students can write a journal entry as a Creator and describe the elements they included without giving away their secrets!

For Scenario 2, students can build a series of hidden tunnels within their community that may be discovered by the trainees.  I also thought it would be fun for each team to develop a vocabulary for their community; one that trainees won’t necessarily understand right away but could still figure out from their reading of the text (and if they had to create vocabulary in their own communities).  Vocabulary could be included as signs or books in the maze but should also be written on the wikis; students would also get the option to submit their writing as a scouting report from a Beetle Blade.

For Scenario 3, students can create their own community badges to award to any trainee that completes their maze.  Students could also collect statistics on their maze – the average number of attempts taken solving the maze, average and/or fastest time taken to solve the maze, total distance covered in the maze (counted by blocks) and used to calculate average pace of trainees that completed the maze (blocks per second or minute).

Lord of the Flies

In Scenario 1, I included some ideas for tasks that could work for either teachers or students.  They can research the time period in which the story takes place.  Supplemental content could even include pictures, maps, major events, etc to provide context and detail for the task of building the home communities of the boys.  A town or neighborhood (community) brochure could be created from screenshots and descriptions of the boys’ daily lives and activities at home.  As students are starting out the experience, they (or the teacher) can keep a running list of Minecraft tips and hints to share knowledge of the game and help lesser experienced players (which could include the teacher!).

In Scenario 2, I shared some ideas for teacher tasks in supporting students.  Teachers can build a chain of islands in their chosen area and allow each team to stake their claim on an island.  The islands do not need to be far apart but rather could be close enough to see others around them.  I also suggested that teachers can use tools in the game to remind students of their scenario tasks – books, signs, assignment description, etc.  And finally, if teachers are able, they should allow more time in this scenario for the “culture” of each community to develop and evolve.  Extra time could also include pockets of time throughout the day or week that students may log on to work on tasks; those that need the extra time would benefit and be able to gain confidence in engaging more with the content.

In Scenario 3, I highlighted ideas for creating symbols – concepts/themes, emotions, relationships, opposites or lessons learned.  I also included some bonus writing prompts at the end to give options for writing a wrap up of the experience!

For my diffi-tool during Survivalcraft, I’m going to keep working on wiki Student Resource pages for both experiences.  I will observe students in the game and provide tutorials and support through a wiki page.  I’d also like to have some discussion element on the Resource page where students share ideas, tips, and comment on events in the game.  I think using a wiki should encourage collaboration and interaction outside of the game as a way to continue the experience in an “open” environment.  Up until now, the wikis have not been utilized as much as they could be and I want to provide information and support in a way that is easily accessible to students.  I also plan to post pictures (screenshots) from each day in the game, which students are welcome to use on their pages if needed.