Coral barrier project: Younger Elementary
Examples
Video
Video script
Welcome to Minecraft Ecosystem builder:
In this activity, you’ll be using Minecraft to create an ecosystem, specifically a coral barrier project.
- First, you’ll create a new world and name it “Aquarium” in creative mode. Make sure to select “infinite world” as the world type, and scroll down to turn on “always day” and turn off “weather cycle.”
- Once you spawn in the world, hit the space bar twice and hold it down to fly up. You can use the W, A, S, and D keys to move around and find water. If you see light blue water, that’s a good place for seagrass and coral because it’s warm water.
- Hit the space bar twice again to get down to the water. You can dive underwater and use the W, A, S, and D keys to maneuver around. You may see some underwater creatures, such as squid, fish, and seagrass. If you’re lucky, you might even spot some coral!
- Tell your coach or teacher what you found underwater.
- Next, press the “E” key on your keyboard to open your inventory. Click on the magnifying glass and look up “coral.” Select some coral blocks that you like. Close the inventory by pressing “X” in the top right corner.
- Dive back down to the sea floor and use the scroll bar to select the coral on your hotbar. Find a good spot on the sand or dirt and use the right button on your mouse to place the coral on the floor. Design your own coral barrier!
- Press “E” again to open your inventory and search for “fish.” Select “tropical fish bucket,” close the inventory, and scroll to the fish bucket. Use the right button on your mouse to drop fish into your aquarium. Each click will add one fish, so if you click 10 times, you’ll have 10 different fish swimming around!
- Finally, when you’re done, you can capture a screenshot of your coral barrier project and submit it to our system.
Remember, coral can only survive in warm water, so don’t try to put it on land, as it will die in a few seconds. Real coral in the ocean is the same, so if you have a chance to see it while diving, don’t take it back to land, as it will die.