Theater Course in Minecraft: Write & Perform a Minecraft Drama (5-Session)
Dive into the world of theater and team up with other drama enthusiasts to create a uniquely scripted Minecraft play in this week-long camp (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
5 live meetings
7 hrs 30 mins 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
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: Have you ever wondered how it would feel to be a part of a live performance or play? In this course, you’ll get to explore the artist within you and work with other students to create a short dramatic play from script to presentation. 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! This is a repeatable course that will have a different script and story each time you attend. Each course will give you a different practice and experience in drama as the script, story, and group changes. You’ll get to explore different roles like story writing and costume designing as you work behind the scenes to prepare for the actual performance! Over the course of five weeks, you will: — Discover the fundamentals of playwriting and how to produce a narrative-driven Minecraft drama. — Collaborate with other students to create a storyboard and split job responsibilities. — Learn how to audition and rehearse for different roles. — Create a final presentation and coordinate cues, stage positions, and special effects with your team. On the first day of the course, you and your team will get to work on the storyboarding and what roles each person will be playing. We’ll then show you the ropes and how to be successful with your responsibilities to prepare for the final performance. On the last few days of this course, you’ll get to practice and rehearse your roles before we put on the final show. PARENTS: This is a course for kids who want to explore their interest in theatrical performances and story writing in a constructive and supportive environment. Your child will get to explore the many aspects of playmaking which includes special effects, set building, script writing, and costume design. Like real-life production teams, your child will learn the essentials of project management and how to coordinate their job functions with other students to accomplish established team goals. This course runs for five weeks in a row. We balance group discussion time with plenty of hands-on experience with other students. Our Theater programs have a variety of different scripts and stories, so students can take on a variety of projects to continue their practice. 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 Introduction: Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids with our camp’s objectives. After a brief introduction, the class will explore different components in Theater and the type of genres in drama. The class will then vote on a topic and what roles they’d like to play.
— Day 2 - Theater Roles: This is the session in which the real brainstorming begins! We’ll explore different acts in a play and write down ideas for our characters, settings, and plot while also learning about the different responsibilities that go into a theater production.
— Day 3 - Script, Plot, and Initial Rehearsal: Students will flesh out the script and decide on how to adapt the play into Minecraft. Using a shared document, the kids will iron out the characters, plot, scenes, costumes, roles, and script they’ve created. Students will begin building confidence with their role in the theater production with some initial group rehearsal!
— Day 4 - Rehearsal and Fine Tuning: The stage is revealed! Students will get to rehearse their roles and set up the stage. Through collaboration and teamwork, we’ll rehearse for the big show that starts on the next day.
— Day 5 - Showtime: As this is the final session, we’ll assist students in completing their final scenes and scripts. The class will then perform the play for their peers!
Other Details
Parental Guidance
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 1.16.5. 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
$105
for 5 classes1x per week, 5 weeks
90 min
Completed by 10 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
3-12 learners per class
