Minecraft City: Build, Govern, and Run Your Own City!
You've Just Been Elected the Mayor of a Minecraft City - now it's time to build and govern it....but watch out! Someone is running a re-election campaign against you. Can you keep your citizens happy and make sure they vote for you again?
Right Brain Curriculum
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(566)
What's included
6 live meetings
6 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. We send out optional bonus work each week.Class Experience
As the newly-elected mayor of a brand-new Minecraft City, students have their work cut out for them! In this problem-solving and social studies class based loosely on "Sim City," students not only build their city but govern it. During each class, as they work to construct the perfect metropolis, our student mayors receive individually-crafted "telegrams" from a fictitious "cabinet" of advisers. While each mayor's "Construction Adviser" alerts them to engineering and design issues in their city, an "Environmental Adviser" also presents tough decisions as the mayor tries to keep his or her city "green." The city's Ambassador helps the mayor work on trades and border questions with other student mayors nearby, while the city's "Political Adviser" sends the mayor telegrams to help establish the laws of the city. The mayor must also keep up to date on weather events, security concerns and, potentially, citizen protests as he or she attempts to keep up his or her periodically updated poll numbers in an attempt to win re-election as mayor. The class concludes with each student's re-election campaign in their own city. Along with this societal simulation, each week's class will consist of a civics-related theme as students are presented with history and civics lessons that relate directly to their own decision-making for their individual towns. These include the Bill of Rights, Constitutions and Laws, Taxes and Tax plans, Health Care and Health Care plans, City Budgets and a collection of difficult decisions facing real-life mayors. Student mayors also meet in "state summits" periodically as they negotiate with other mayors in the class on inter-city issues such as shared police and fire services, security, borders and trade. Class Components: Day 1: City Planning and Design: Public Works and Construction in Your City Day 2: The Politics of Being Mayor: Taxes and Healthcare Day 3: Your City Charter: Establishing City Laws and Working with the Town Council Day 4: Developing your Platform and Comparing it to you Re-Election Opponent Day 5: The Politics of Being Mayor: Re-Election Strategies For Your Upcoming Campaign, The Campaign: Can You Win Re-Election?!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Please note that while this class does sometimes relate to political issues, we always take an "NPR" type approach to each issue and never infuse our lessons with our own political opinions. All questions are presented in a "some people feel this and other people feel that" type of teaching philosophy. Our goal is to get students excited about thinking about these subjects for themselves and to make up their own minds, not to push any particular political philosophy.
Supply List
Students will need to download Minetest, the free public domain version of Minecraft. This is a no-cost program that is easy to learn and modify and has worked really great for our online classes. We do provide technical support for successfully downloading the program. Students will also need to use Google Sheets, although they don't necessarily need a Google account to do this. Please note, Minetest/Minecraft does not run well on a tablet or Chromebook so your child will probably need a laptop/desktop computer for the class. Students who have never played Minecraft/Minetest are more than welcome. We have a short tutorial that should get them up to speed in no time. The game is very user-friendly and intuitive.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Not an official Minecraft product. Not approved or associated with Mojang.
Joined July, 2018
4.9
566reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Right Brain Curriculum is a Massachusetts-based education company offering engaging, project-based online learning programs. Our mission is to create outstanding, student-centered enrichment programs that allow children to experience real life in a fun, engaging learning atmosphere. Currently, we run four different versions of our Metrocraft class, a civics-based program that takes place in a Minecraft-like world.
Right Brain Curriculum is managed by Matt Bowling, Education Director and Savvy Reuben, Director of Teaching & Learning
Matt holds a Master's in Education Administration with Principal's license from UMass Boston as well as a Master's in Elementary Education from Northwestern University. Matt has more than 15 years experience as a classroom teacher for grades 2, 3, 5 and 7 in both public and private schools in California and Massachusetts. He has served as a Director of Curriculum and Instruction in both public and private schools in the Boston area.
Savvy has more than ten years experience in education, working in private, public and charter schools in New York City and Boston.
Her education focused on teaching, curriculum planning, classroom management and a specialization in autism/intellectual disabilities. She attended Trinity College and Teacher's College of Columbia University.
She absolutely loves teaching and wants every class to be a unique, submersive, and positive experience where students feel free to be creative, take risks, and have a whole lot of fun while learning something new :)
Reviews
Live Group Class
$149
for 6 classes1x per week, 6 weeks
60 min
Completed by 195 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
10-18 learners per class
