Middle Ages History Course in Minecraft: A Medieval Experience (8-Session)
Experience the medieval era in Minecraft and learn how Europe developed through a period characterized by constant change in culture and technology (Minecraft Java Edition for PC / Mac Only. NO iPad or Tablet).
Connected Camps
Average rating:
4.7
Number of reviews:(4,017)
Popular
What's included
8 live meetings
12 in-class hoursHomework
This class does not require any out-of-class work. We do offer optional challenges that students can work on as an extension of what is taught in class. We provide guidance and instructions for students who are inspired to delve deeper into the topic. The purpose of these challenges is to give students the opportunity to supplement their learning with additional material that aligns with their passions and goals. Students may then integrate their learnings into their project and showcase their accomplishments to their classmates. With this approach, students can explore the subject on their own. We give students the opportunity to share what they’ve explored independently with the class.Assessment
At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By building in Minecraft and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades. In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 3 - 6
PLATFORM: (Minecraft Java Edition for PC / Mac Only! Not compatible with Ipads, Kindles, Tablets, Phones, and Game Consoles) SKILL LEVEL: This program is meant for Basic level players. This program requires Moderate reading comprehension, Basic proficiency with computers, and no prior experience with Minecraft. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Draw your sword and ready your shield; it’s your chance to join a band of royal kings and epic knights in this Medieval Minecraft journey. Like all Connected Camps programs, this class offers a project-based, exploratory classroom environment that sits at the intersection of learning and playing. After all, kids learn the most when they're having fun! We’ll guide you through the Middle Ages, beginning with the fall of Rome and wrap up with the many cultural developments of European countries at the start of the Renaissance. To help you gain a better understanding of the Middle Ages, you’ll learn about the livelihood of different societal groups. Over the course of 2 months, you will: — Explore the timeline of technological and political changes in Europe and its impact on the development of different regions. — Discern the contrasting lives of serfs, knights, and lords to understand the roles each played during the medieval period. — Discover the “Dark Ages” and how the effects of war and economy shaped Europe’s passage into the Renaissance. — Create incredible structures and art to showcase the cultural aspects prominent to the Middle Ages. Setting the stage for many of your favorite legends and fairytales like King Arthur or Snow White, the medieval period is an influential part of history that still lives with us today. This period follows shortly after the Fall of Rome and continues onwards through the crusades and into the beginnings of the Renaissance. As you learn more about the significance of the Middle Ages, you will discover a connection between the history of reality and some of the most successful games and movies you’ve experienced! PARENTS: The Middle Ages play a vital part in many children's fairy tales and folklore where the concept of a hero and the supernatural are born. In this course, students will engage in historical group discussions and relive the culture of the medieval times through a tailored Minecraft experience. This program is a natural extension to our Roman History course and traces Europe's past from the 5th to 15th century. This is an 8-session course that balances discussion time with plenty of hands-on experience so students can cement what they’re learning and explore the topics they're interested in. We combine Minecraft with education so your child can engage their passions as they learn in a positive, interest-driven environment. Please note that we will be asking for your camper's in-game username so that we can add them to our server's safelist.
Learning Goals
Day 1 - Set Up and The Beginning of Middle Ages: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids to our course’s objectives. To start off the class, we’ll revisit the Fall of Rome and the beginning of the Middle Ages in a Minecraft fort and battle activity.
Day 2 - Feudalism System: What exactly is Feudalism? Students in this class will explore the structure of feudalism in Minecraft and learn why the system was used and adopted.
Day 3 - Religions of the Holy Roman Empire: In this session, we’ll visit the religions of the Holy Roman Empire and learn about some of the Major Popes and controversies influenced by the church. To solidify their understanding, kids will participate in a group build of a church after touring differently styled churches.
Day 4 - Middle Ages Kings Highlights: From castles to kings, the class will learn about the accomplishments of the important Roman Kings and what kind of castles they lived in. They will also learn about different types of castles and participate in a group build of one.
Day 5 - Cultural Aspects of the Middle Ages: What was the culture of the Holy Roman Empire like? How did people interact and what was the art style like? Students will learn about different cultures and relive them through Minecraft minigames.
Day 6 - Conflict and The Crusades: What made the Holy Roman Empire dark? We will focus on the conflicts at the time and how the crusades came to be. Students will then get onto Minecraft and play through a Survival Day in the Roman Empire.
Day 7 - Technology of the Middle Ages: We’ll take a step back and focus on the technological advancements of the Middle Ages and not just the Roman Empire. The class will then take a tour and see different technological advancement in Minecraft and build a windmill.
Day 8 - The End to the Middle Ages: As the Middle Ages transitioned into the Renaissance, we will discover what marked the end of this era. Students will tour a Renaissance town and craft their own pieces of art influenced by that time period.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Some of the topics we cover in this program do not fit all points of views of our learners and parents. Our programs are secular and this course incorporates science-based information in its curriculum. Students in this class will participate in discussions that may pertain to the deaths of historical figures and topics like war and religion.
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Internet safety is a top priority for us and our goal is to create a safe, connected community of learners that is moderated by our instructors. Throughout our programs we strive to educate our learners on internet safety and best practices for connecting online.
In our programs, our learners are often making friendships and connections with others in class. While we encourage positive online friendships, we think it’s important to practice these principles of internet safety:
— Do NOT ask others to connect online outside of our programs without first confirming with your parents. Our programs are a safe, moderated space for learners to engage but we can’t moderate connections outside of our classes.
— Do NOT give away personal information which includes but is not limited to: your name, address, phone number, passwords, location, email address, and parental information.
— If an individual asks for personal information, you should inform a counselor or your parent for guidance.
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Common Sense Media Resources for Parents:
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/keeping-games-fun-and-friendly
Keeping Games Fun and Friendly: learn how to keep your child's experiences positive and fun when communicating in online games with others.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/video/modal/4141366#
The Power of Words: help your child learn that words exchanged online are indeed powerful, and offer strategies to use when confronted with cyberbullying.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/videos/private-and-personal-information
Private and Personal Information: learn the difference between what personal things your child can safely share online and private information that should not be shared.
Supply List
A Minecraft Java Edition account must be purchased by the learner. Participants will receive access to the Connected Camps Minecraft Server where the program will be run. To access the server, each learner will need the Java edition of Minecraft and will need to set their version release to 1.12.2. Other Minecraft versions like the "Minecraft for Windows 10 version", console editions, and pocket editions for mobile devices will not work for this course. A pair of headphones and microphone are also needed for communication with the class.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved or associated with Mojang.
Joined June, 2020
4.7
4017reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn alongside one another. Our programs are designed based on extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine, who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and directly tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/
One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, social studies, and the arts, and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.
The curriculum for this program was designed by a team of counselors pursuing degrees relevant to the material at hand. The learning experiences in this class are driven by these counselors’ academic expertise in the field, along with their desire to share their passion for the subject with a group of excited learners. All of Connected Camps’ curricula are vetted by the organization’s Product Manager, Matthew, who possesses a Masters in Secondary Education and a deep belief in the power of collaborative virtual learning.Reviews
Live Group Class
$155
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
90 min
Completed by 135 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
2-10 learners per class
