Session participants will explore how Minecraft: Education Edition can be used to support secondary Science standards, provide students with immersive experiences that offer learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom, and engage students with a tool that they are familiar with and enjoy! Participants will be presented with several standards-aligned Minecraft: Education Edition lessons available in the Minecraft Library, will get to view student samples, and will even have the opportunity to participate in a sample science class build. Standards-aligned lessons will include using redstone to study and create circuitry in Physics and 7th Grade Science; building, labeling and explaining the structures and functions of Eukaryotic cells in Biology and 7th Grade Science; studying the periodic table, chemical equations and chemical reactions in Chemistry and 8th Grade Science; exploring biomes and examining sustainability efforts in Earth and Environmental Science and 6th Grade Science. Participants will walk away with a collection of lessons, rubrics to use with students, and tips for implementation. Participants will also learn strategies for progress monitoring, differentiating, and providing extension opportunities with coding. The most important thing participants will learn is that THEY do not need to be Minecraft experts- the students are! These can be empowering learning opportunities that allow the students to lead their learning!
