INTRODUCTORY LESSON
What's this lesson about
During this lesson, students will get a quick introduction to the Active Citizen game, meet Alfred Nobel, learn about the Nobel Peace Prize, meet the Laureates in the game and get ready for gameplay. This lesson is designed to provide students with basic information they need to play the Minecraft Active Citizen game.
Learning goals
- Students will know who Alfred Nobel was and what the Nobel Peace Prize is.
- Students will understand who the characters in the Active Citizen game are and learn about their background and history.
Materials
- Lesson slides
- Student worksheet
- Large poster paper for each student
- Markers or Crayons
LESSON
Introduce the Nobel Peace Prize:
- Ask students to raise their hands if they have heard of the Nobel Peace Prize before.
- If a majority of students have heard of the Nobel Peace Prize ask them what words/names they associate with the prize. Document their responses on a poster or on a board. Use the Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize slides to clarify facts.
- If a majority of students have not heard of the Nobel Peace Prize ask them what they think the prize might be about. Use the Alfred Nobel and Nobel Peace Prize slides to clarify facts.
- Ask students what a “laureate” is. Document answers.
- Ask students if they can name laureates who have recieved the prize. Document answers.
- Ask students to think about why it is important or special to receive a Nobel Peace Prize and ask them to share their thoughts.
- Explain to students that they will be playing a Minecraft game about the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel laureates. In order to make their gameplay engaging and successful they will need to meet the characters in the game ahead of time.
- Return to the lesson slides and guide students through the slides about the four laureates featured in the game:
- Wangari Maathai
- Malala Yousafzai
- The 14th Dalai Lama
- Fridtjof Nansen
- As you move through the slides have the students take notes on facts and information they think is most important and most interesting about each laureate.
Have students use the facts they gathered during the presentation and the large poster paper to create a four way Venn diagram. Ask students to look for unique characteristics of each laureate and commonalities between the laureates. Encourage students to take time to think about what choices and sacrifices laureates had to make in order to be active citizens and make the changes that led them to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ask students to share their Venn diagrams or worksheets:
- What did they learn about Alfred Nobel, Wangari Maathai, Malala Yousafzai, the 14th Dalai Lama and/or Fridtjof Nansen
- What skills, tools methods did they use?
- Where did they find commonality?
- What did they think was most interesting?
- What are they most excited to learn more about during game play?