By Dustin Delfin, Middle School Math Teacher
A sixth-grade tradition in math class has been exploring mathematical concepts in our fictional Minecraft Math City. Since the start of the school year, students have been applying the skills learned in class to real-world situations. Here is a list of concepts explored in sixth-grade math and how they relate to our Minecraft Math City simulation.
| Learning Objective | Real-World Scenario |
| I can find the percent of a quantity, and I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers. | Select an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral education path and determine the cost of student loans.
Select a career you are qualified for and calculate your monthly net income (after taxes and benefits). Choose a property of land to purchase and calculate the interest and monthly payments for a 30-year loan. |
| I can interpret the meaning of absolute value on a number line, I can understand how numbers move along a number line, and I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers. | Review your bank account and how your monthly bills and spending habits will be impacted. |
| I can plot ordered pairs on a coordinate plane (in all four quadrants). | Locate the addresses of plots of land in the Minecraft Math City. |
| I can write and simplify algebraic expressions by combining like terms, I can evaluate algebraic expressions, and I can calculate the area and perimeter of figures. | Design and build your dream house in Minecraft and create a Zillow Page. |
Students were given time to contribute buildings, structures, and houses in Minecraft. They were asked to use their creativity within the plots of land formed by the Cartesian coordinate plane.
With Math City existing in a digital world, we wanted to bring it to life in the physical world by partnering with Mr. Lawrence and the Middle School Makerspace. Each structure in the Minecraft city was exported, scaled down to size, and sent to the 3-D printer. Below are some process pictures of the town’s assembly.
Students had the opportunity to paint their houses to add character and more individuality to the city. Once completed, they glued their individual dwelling to the appropriate location of the city.
Now that we have completed the construction of our Math City, sixth-grade math students will end the school year developing their own businesses. They will develop and run their own economy, existing within their newly designed Math City.