U SING M INECRAFT TO B UILD S CALED P ROP M ODELS L INDA D. B ROWN TEP A ZUSA P ACIFIC U NIVERSITY

This Lesson is for a High School Visual Arts Class, which has mixed grades of 9-12 Occurs early in the 3D Design Unit making scale models using ratios, measuring, & Minecraft. Students are told they are prop designers for a film doing a story about people who shrink & grow. Utilizes Game-based Learning to engage students to solve an art problem

1.Understand that the Artist Community is an avid consumer of new technology, ingeniously finding new ways to create Art. (VA 3 HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT; ISTE 5.b) 2.Be able to make scale models using ratios. (VA 2 CREATIVE EXPRESSION) 3.Be able to measure using rulers, scales, calipers, and other measuring devices. (VA 2 CREATIVE EXPRESSION) 4.Be able to use Minecraft to explore ratios and scale model building in a cooperative group. (ISTE 1.a,b & 2.d, 5.b; Common Core Reading 7) 5.Understand that Artists use Math in the real world. (VA 5 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS; ISTE 5.c) 6.Understand various reasons why artists use scale models. (VA 5 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS) Standards Based Objectives

White Board, Markers, & Erasers Computers (Lab), Thumb Drives, Internet access, Minecraft Accounts, Computer (in class), Projector System, Screen. Rulers, Yardsticks, Architectural Scales, Calipers, Dividers, Plumb Bobs, Measuring Tapes, Sewing Tapes, Protractors, Carpenter Square, Triangles, Angle Finders, Sliding T Bevel, Combination Square, Graph Paper, String. Materials Every member write “angle finder” spelled correctly on a scrap of paper. Which is bigger, a yard (raise right hand), or a meter (raise left hand). Draw a 45, a 30-60, & a carpenter square on the white board. Hold up an architect scale & ask what it is called. Write “half-size” 3 ways on the board. (1/2.5 1:2) Write “Plumb Bob” on the board, what is its purpose?

P ERFORMANCE A SSESSMENT O VERVIEW

Expectations Use Minecraft to work out all of the proportions with scale models. Teams of 4 will build: 1 large object made small (5:1) 1 object made full scale (1:1) 2 small objects made large (1:288) TEAM EFFORT ~ organization & co-operation is essential Each team member takes responsibility for 1 model All team members need to learn methods and technical vocabulary, take notes, & fill out their own copy of the work forms.

Professional Development ( Homework) ~ Due in a week Pros are lifelong learners who study their craft & keep up on things. 1. Watch any film/TV clip that uses props to change the size of things. Find one with real props, not digital. 2. Films like: Borrowers; Babes in Toyland; Land of the Giants; Indian in the Cupboard; Honey, I shrunk/blew-up the Kids; classic Godzilla; Gulliver; Darby O'Gill and the Little People; Nutcracker; Fantastic Voyage; Tom Thumb. 3. Write 1 sentence for each point: Film Name, type, where did you find it? URL? Describe clip (characters, setting, action) Describe prop Did it work? why?

Recall that Art Classes are grades 9-12 Teams are assigned with a mix of abilities Experience with Minecraft; Skills in math, academics, or art; Experience with organizing projects or keeping accurate records; Spatial comprehension; Bilingual Distribute “experts” & give group points for gains made through peer tutoring Advanced students need extra challenge & complexity Add metric conversions to their measurements Minecraft experts may take on additional leadership roles A CCOUNTING FOR D IFFERENT N EEDS

Liked the assignment Favorite Part was the Actual Model Building in Minecraft Pros: Easy Set-up & Clean-up Fair, everyone has exactly the same stuff to work with Making scale models in Minecraft first will make it easier to build them in real life S TUDENT F EED B ACK Student work in progress “My Cell Phone”