Why chemistry in Minecraft?

  • 6 minutes

Chemistry in Minecraft allows educators and learners to explore chemistry within the immersive world of Minecraft in a fun, accessible way that may not otherwise be possible in some classrooms. You can represent elements in several ways and differentiate between elements. You can identify when a chemical reaction has occurred and determine what elements, molecules, compounds, and mixtures were used. You can also conduct investigations and evaluate the experimental design.

  • Much like crafting in any Minecraft world, there are recipes and formulas to follow to produce the desired outcome.
  • the four special crafting tables in the Chemistry world follow rules similar to the actual rules our students must learn about the Periodic Table of elements.
  • Often experiments that could be done in the lab are difficult to do (for many reasons). However, lab safety is something that can still be addressed in Minecraft! Using the lesson Exploring Chemistry Safely, students can find potential hazards and decide on ways that reduce risks in a chemistry lab.
  • Conducting these same experiments in Minecraft using the special chemistry crafting tables give our students an accurate representation of those experiments in the virtual world.

Watch (3 minutes 9 seconds) and read

In this video you will see the San Juan Math, Science, and Technology center in Puerto Rico using game-based learning with Minecraft: Education Edition to pave the way for a new level of engagement among their students. The school decided to integrate Chemistry in Minecraft into their science curriculum and have seen exciting results in STEM learning.

Reflect

To learn more about this exciting integration, read more at the education.minecraft.net/blog.

  • What excites you about the possibilities of using Chemistry in Minecraft in the classroom?
  • In what ways might Chemistry in Minecraft support equity and access for your learners?