How does a coal power plant work? Where do granite countertops come from? How do you get gold and gemstone jewelry from metal and minerals that were in the ground? This "Earth Science – Natural Resources in Minecraft and the Real World" course will teach students about renewable and non-renewable resources, minerals and rock types, precious metals, gemstones and the methods used to mine them from the Earth and convert them to objects for human use.  

This is a self-paced course and does not have scheduled online meetings. This flexible schedule allows students to work at any time, 24/7 for the duration of the course. The flexibility of the course works great for families with varied schedules and allows students from anywhere in the world to participate! 

On average, students will complete about 2-3 hours of course work for each 1-2 hours of building time in Minecraft. Students can spend more time on their Minecraft construction projects they create during the course if they wish. Optional labs and activities based on the science concepts of the lessons are also provided. 

For the included reading comprehension lessons, students have the choice of working on content at a grade 2/3 (ages 8-10) or grade 5 level (ages 10-12). In this way, the course is appropriate for students in grade levels 2-6 (ages 8-12) depending on their ability. Students will have an earth science-themed article to read with comprehension questions to answer and will also have a weekly science quiz on the topics of the lessons. 

The lessons include reading articles, taking quizzes, watching video lessons, creating your Minecraft builds, and posting screenshots/pictures of your Minecraft builds so your teacher can see them. The teacher will provide feedback on the Minecraft builds that are posted and can always be reached via the Outschool message/email system with any questions. 

Class participants will do all Minecraft building on their own personal device. Minecraft is required for all students but the version/device does not matter. Students will use creative mode in Minecraft to build their weekly tasks. If they want to explore and collect resources (mining) in Minecraft they are welcome to do so but "mining” is not required. Many versions of Minecraft are available such as Pocket Edition for iPad or Android tablets, Xbox, Nintendo or Play Station gaming consoles, Java edition for PC/Mac computer, and Windows10 version for PC’s. Downloading or purchase of a Minecraft account for each student must be made separately and prior to the start of class. Instructions on how to build with Minecraft are not part of this course. Students with a few weeks of Minecraft experience through play or otherwise will have the skills needed to complete the builds in Minecraft. Minecraft is a building tool for this course (think of it as digital building blocks). The lessons and information in this course are not official Minecraft products and are not associated with Mojang.

What is NOT included:
This course will not include a group server or realm. Students can work together if their devices are compatible but partner/group projects are not required. Most learners will build in Minecraft on their own. This course will not include instructions on how to build in Minecraft. This is intentional so that learners can strengthen their creativity and exercise their minds to make their own creations.

Course Topics:

"Renewable and Non-renewable Resources"
Teaches about fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas as well as renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy. Students will start work on their “museum of natural resources” that they will work on throughout the course. 

"Rocks and Minerals" 
Course participants will Learn about the difference between rocks and minerals. They will also learn about the rock cycle and how rocks are created including igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks and how they are expressed in the game of Minecraft. In Minecraft students will continue to work on their “museum of natural resources.  

"Gold Rush!" 
Students will learn the history and significance of the gold discoveries in California, Alaska, and Australia. Students will learn how the “gold rush” spawned boomtowns and industries across the globe. During this unit students will add to their “museum of natural resources” and also create a replica of an 1800’s mining camp. 

"All that glitters isn’t gold" 
Learners will get information about precious gems, how they are mined and then refined into sparkling jewelry. This week’s quiz will focus on diamonds, emeralds, and other precious gems. During this unit students will finish their “museum of natural resources” and also create a shop to sell products made from the natural resources in Minecraft such as diamond swords, gold ingots, and shiny emeralds. 

"Catch up and wrap up". 
No new tasks are assigned for this unit but students will submit any late or missing work, add any missing features to their builds, update their discussion posts, or complete the offline labs and activities that have been provided in previous lessons.  

All student participants must have a working version of Minecraft to participate. Any costs for Minecraft accounts are not included with the course fee.  


This course will follow Outschool’s self-paced course refund policy. For more information on the Outschool refund policy, you can view the website here:   
https://support.outschool.com/about-outschool/refund-policies-and-happiness-guarantee