Building Museum Learning Block-by-Block
About
ROM is currently the only museum in the world to have multiple worlds curated into the Minecraft Education in-game library, filled with custom-built blocks, characters, and museum objects to bring museum learning to interactive and engaging life.
ROM Minecraft worlds are designed to leverage the power of this amazing learning tool to create immersive, engaging, and memorable learning experiences covering Earth Sciences, Climate Change & Sustainability, Math, Coding, Visual Arts, Music, and more.
Uses the intrinsic motivation built into the Minecraft platform to increase student engagement.
Captures all the pedagogical benefits of using models or dioramas to reflect student learning, but without the limitations of desk space or budgets (and no mess to clean up after).
Includes built-in tools for assessment, literacy differentiation, translation, and student security.
Cultivates STEAM skills including spatial mathematics, cartesian coordinates, engineering, circuit logics, critical thinking, and problem solving.
Develops critical 21st century skills including communication, collaboration, creativity, and social-emotional skills.
Minecraft Activities
For detailed activities and supporting materials for each Minecraft world, click on the image cards in the Learn More section below.
Museum Minecraft: Rocks and Minerals
Students will begin their journey in the Royal Ontario Museum’s research centre in the fictional world of Rocklandia. From there, they will travel to three different research sites to help ROM scientists with their studies of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
Along the way, students will encounter challenges blocking their path that they will need to code their way through with the assistance of Indigenous scientists and the Minecraft agent.
After visiting all three research sites, students will return to the research centre and build their own museum to share their learning about rocks and minerals.
Museum Minecraft: Sustainable Style: A Climate Change Resource
Inspired by Noelle Hamlyn: Lifers, this resource includes several optional activities covering Science, Art, Music, and Climate Change topics for Junior, Intermediate, and Senior grades.
Students begin their journey on a sunken cargo ship, and must use clues from the Virtual Lifers exhibition to unlock doors and find their way to the ship's bridge. From there, students are transported to their hometown and become the town’s new Urban Planners, remaking the town to be more sustainable.
Development of ROM Minecraft Worlds was generously supported by Barrick.
The Science of Minecraft (with ASL)
In this video with ASL interpretation, we dig into Minecraft with a casual, informative, and fun look at some of the science behind the game. We explore real rocks from the ROM’s collections, compare them to their Minecraft counterparts, and even break them down to see what they’re really made of!
Learn More
Project: Museum Minecraft: Rocks & Minerals
Project: Museum Minecraft: Sustainable Style
The Science of Minecraft
Language Support
While we work on the official translations for the Museum Minecraft worlds, you can use this video to learn how to change the Game Language and Coding Language, as well as how to auto-translate any in-game dialogue, boards, or books using the Immersive Reader.
Minecraft Education Support - Immersive Reader and Game Language
Teacher Training
Minecraft 101 for Teachers
Follow along in this play-along session designed to familiarize teachers with the functions and controls in Minecraft Education.
Teacher Coding Camp
Play along in a simplified world aligned with the coding skills needed for Museum Minecraft: Rocks and Minerals or Museum Minecraft: Sustainable Style to learn the basics of Minecraft MakeCode.
More Hands-on STEAM Programs
