Function Reefs

8-10 yrs old

11-13 yrs old

14-18 yrs old

Climate & Environment

Computer Science

Science

Four types of coral reefs exist on earth, model their unique design by creating sections in code and combining those functions to produce your reef

Submitted By: Minecraft Education

June 13, 2018

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Skills

Creativity
Critical Thinking
Project Based Learning

External References

Reef types

Types of Reef Formations from Coral Reef Alliance

Expedition Web

NOAA Expedition Web on Coral Reefs

Supporting Files

Worlds & MakeCode Files

Learning Objectives

MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
Students will identify four types of coral reefs
Students will investigate using functions to create sections of coral
Students will create programs calling functions to create different types of reefs
Students will present their types of reef to their peers, including the Minecraft creation

Guiding Ideas

What are the four types of coral reefs on planet Earth?
What factors influence the development of each type of reef?
How are specific types of reefs at risk for bleaching and destruction?
What can humans do to help support the fragile reef ecosystem?

Student Activities

Around the globe, there are four types of coral reefs, each with their own design relative to their aquatic environment. These types are Fringing Reefs, Barrier Reefs, Atolls, and Patch Reefs. Each type of reef has its own unique characteristics and only grows relative to the specific environment where it was formed.

Students will break into groups, and each group will be assigned a type of reef. Examples of reefs from each of the four types are below:

Fringing Reef: South Molokai
Barrier Reef: Great Barrier Reef
Atoll: Aldabra Atoll
Patch Reef: Buck Island Reef

Each group will need to produce a presentation for their classmates on their type of reef. During these presentations, classmates will need to take notes as their background knowledge and compare between these reef types will be assessed. Working together, teacher and students should generate a rubric of expectations for the assignment, teachers can use this to assess the work and students can use this to guide their

Performance Expectations

Students will use Minecraft: Education Edition and MakeCode to create several clusters of coral and will label each cluster with a function name

Using the above clusters, students will create a program that moves The Agent around a Minecraft world and places these coral clusters, producing their group’s specific type of reef.

Students will use the Minecraft Structure Block to export a 3d model of their reef and import this model into a PowerPoint presentation on their type of reef.

Including the above work, student groups will present their learnings about each type of reef, how they are formed, where they are located on Earth, their Minecraft design work, and unique characteristics of the biodiversity and threats to the reef.