Washington D.C. Marketplace Map

Published: 15-06-2021

Overview

The Washington DC Minecraft world portrays most of the important landmarks of the Capital of the United States.   The buildings are mostly faithful reproductions and mostly in the right place to each other.

Students can use the map in several different ways that are explained in greater detail in the lessons below:

• The players can move about the city in an immersive world.
• There is a story built into the map based on building an eco-friendly car.
• There are 17 points-of-interest to explore with facts to discover when you visit them.
• There is an in-game quiz that uses 10 of the 17 facts you can discover in the game.

Lesson Plan Guides

Grand Tour

Materials Needed:

1. Computer
2. Projector
3. DLC Washington D.C. World
4. Study Guide Handout (Printable)
5. Point of Interest Quiz (Printable)

Instructions:

1. Choose Free Play Mode at the beginning of the game. 
2. Choose to play in Creative. Note: This will allow you to fly which will get you to the points-of-interest much faster. Ask for help from the students on how to fly in Minecraft if you need to. On a PC you push jump twice by doubling tapping.
3. Go to all 17 points-of-interest in the game. Use the teleportation function if you want to get there quickly. 
4. Use the taxi to enter the quiz room. There are 10 questions based on the 17 points of interest. Answers to these can be found at the bottom of the lesson plan. They are under the “In-Game Quiz Answers.”
5. Print out and hand out the study guide that uses all 17 points-of-interest.
6. Print out and hand out the quiz for all 17 points-of-interest.

Scavenger Hunt

Materials Needed:

1. Computer(s) Computer Lab Preferred
2. Projector
3. DLC Washington D.C. World
4. Study Guide Handout (Printable)
5. Point of Interest Quiz (Printable)

Instructions:

Each student can have their own computer. You can also divide the class into groups so that each group has a computer.

1. Inform students to choose Free Play Mode at the beginning of the game.
2. Inform students to choose creative mode so that they can fly. This will reduce the time it takes to walk or drive between buildings so that you can focus on history. 
3. Let students know to use the taxi item and then press the button for the car lab. 
4. Show them the map in the car lab and how to use it. The car parts are optional, but they aren’t necessary to take the in-game quiz.
   1. Click on a button beneath any car part. The point-of-interest where that car part can be found will show up. For example: if you click “Steering Wheel”, words will show up that say it can be found at the Pentagon. 
   2. Its location will show up on the map as a red dot. 
   3. Compasses can be found on either side of the map. They will point the way to that point-of-interest. 
5. Provide the students a certain amount of time. Whoever collects all 17 fact books is the winner. 
   1. Each fact book can be found at a point-of-interest. They are numbered 1 to 17.
6. Have all of the students use the taxi item. Tell them to click on to the quiz room. Have kids take the in-game, multiple-choice quiz. It uses 10 of the 17 facts making it 10 questions long. Answers to these can be found at the bottom of this post. They are under, “In-Game Quiz Answers.”
7. Print out and hand out the study guide that uses all 17 points-of-interest.
8. Print out and hand out the quiz for all 17 points-of-interest.

Build an Eco-Friendly Car that Runs on Trash

Materials Needed:

1. Computer(s) Computer Lab Preferred
2. Projector
3. DLC Washington D.C. World
4. Study Guide Handout (Printable)
5. Point of Interest Quiz (Printable)

Instructions:

Students will gather car parts to build a car that runs on trash while learning about the history of Washington DC.

1. Have your students choose Story Mode. This means that they cannot fly to the points-of-interest. They will need to walk or ride vehicles. This version of the game will take longer than a single class period.
2. Go over the rules before they begin. Use the map in the car lab to find all 17 points-of-interest.
   • Do this by clicking on the car part you want to search for. The point-of-interest will then show up where that car part can be found.
   • There will now be a red dot on the map to show you where that point-of-interest is located.
   • Take a compass found in a chest on either side of the map.
   • Follow the compass point. It will lead you to that point-of-interest.
3. The student (or group) who has found all 17 fact books, made an eco-friendly car, and earned the patent item by completing the in-game quiz wins the game. 

How To Declare A Winner

The winner must have the following items in their player inventory:

• 17 Books that are titled: [1-17] Fact. 
• They should show you one of their eco-friendly cars (there are a total of 4 eco-friendly cars that show up in the game after they have built the first one). These cars look very different from a regular car in the game.
• If they have successfully finished the quiz, you should see an item in their inventory labeled: US Patent.