Animal Vs. Animal - Building Animal Battles in Minecraft Weekly Challenge

We will join together on an Animal Adventure.  While building and creating in Minecraft, we will be learning about animal characteristics, instincts, and habitats.  We will list out strengths and weaknesses of each animal.  Compare these with the animal I have paired it against. Then determine if they were to fight each other which animal would win.  Matches will be based on animals not living in the same, but similar habitats.  So these are matchups that will not actually occur in the wild.  This allows students to really think about and look at the strengths and weaknesses of these animals and how these are adaptations for their survival in their habitat.

This 8 week class will cover animals from around the world and all habitats.  


3/1 - Week 1 - Harpy Eagle vs. Sloth
3/8 - Week 2 - Hornbill vs. Flamingo
3/15 - Week 3- Sea Lion Vs. Octopus
3/22 - Week 4 - Walrus vs. Polar Bear
3/29 - Week 5 - Hippo vs. Elephant
4/12 - Week 6- Bullfrog vs. Sparrow
4/19 - Week 7- Honey badger vs. Monitor Lizard
4/26  - Week 8- Pepsis vs. Tarantula

Session starting May 3
5/3 - Week 1 - Dusky Dolphin vs. Sand Shark
5/10 - Week 2 - Lion vs. Badger
5/17 - Week 3 - Hippo vs. Lion
5/24 - Week 4 - African Wild Dog Vs. Leopard
6/7 - Week 5 -  Pig-Tailed Macaque vs. Sun Bear
6/14 - Week 6 - Australian Sheep Dog vs. Fox
6/21 - Week 7 - Mantis vs. Scorpion
6/28 - Week 8 -  Elephant Seal vs. Walrus

Session 3 
7/19 - Week 1 - Axolotl vs. Pufferfish
7/26 - Week 2 - Grizzly Bear Vs. Western Gorilla
8/2 - Week 3 - Komodo Dragon vs. Nile Croc
8/9 - Week 4 - Hippo vs. Bull Shark
8/16 - Week 5 - Jaguar vs. Lion
8/23 -  Week 6 - Wolverine vs. Badger
8/30 -  Week 7 - Wolf vs. Cougar
9/6 -  Week 8 - Polar Bear Vs. Siberian Tiger

 I want the students to be very involved in the discussion to make this a fun and exciting learning experience. 

During class, students will also be able to build in their own Minecraft game.  They can choose to play in whatever game platform that they are comfortable with.  I want them to use a version they are used to.  This leads to less frustration and means fun and learning can take place.  

We do offer a Java whitelisted Minecraft Server or a Bedrock Edition server students are welcome to join during class  A whitelisted server is a security feature with Minecraft.  This means that if your user ID is not registered with us, you cannot play on the server.  This makes it a safe place for your child to play and build and meet other students from around the world.

The class will be presented in an open discussion style as I present them with facts about each animal.  I will encourage participation with questions and through presenting facts supporting their opinions.  I want the students to dig in and learn knowledge from others and discover the knowledge they already have.  Students are encouraged to share their knowledge openly about both the subject we are learning, but also about Minecraft. I love hearing student's stories about builds and what they have learned. 

This class is great for beginner builders or those with a lot of building experience.  Great for elementary/early middle school level students or students with special needs.  Projects are not graded, and all students comfortable with sharing their projects weekly are encouraged to do so.

I have been teaching using Minecraft for over 8 years now.  My experience includes teaching for over 13 years both in classroom, but also as a homeschool parent of four kids with special needs and learning disabilities.  I studied History and Elementary Education through IPFW and love using Minecraft as a tool to reinforce with students the information they are learning about.  Minecraft is a great learning tool.  It helps to build critical thinking skills as students re-create projects in their game platforms.  Creating in a cube world takes a lot of work and a lot of thought.