08/12/2022
Experts from Cambridge University Press & Assessment have collaborated with Microsoft to launch a new winter-themed Minecraft world to help children learn English. Gormi’s Winter Wonderland is Cambridge’s second foray into using Minecraft as an English language learning resource following the success of the award-winning Adventures in English with Cambridge Episode 1.
Gormi’s Winter Wonderland is designed to encourage children aged 8 and above to learn English by solving puzzles and tasks which are focussed on real-life communication skills. It’s suitable for beginners at level A1 and above of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR), the international standard of language learning ability. The in-game challenges encourage students to practise a range of new language skills that focus on new words, words in new forms, spelling, word formation, visual clues and critical thinking skills.
The game has been developed by the same Cambridge experts who produce the world’s leading range of English language learning and assessment products. Gormi, a character from 2021’s award-winning Adventures in English with Cambridge – Episode 1 now takes centre stage in this new adventure. Players are tasked with helping Gormi prepare for a winter party and progress through the game by solving challenges and puzzles along the way.
Alex Martin, Product Manager at Cambridge said:
‘We wanted to create a compelling English language learning experience and Minecraft was the perfect platform, because it’s loved by millions of children all over the world. Gormi’s Winter Wonderland presents in-game challenges that encourage children to improve their English by learning and using relevant language and real-life communication skills. Players are encouraged to process the meaning of the language they encounter and then use it to progress through the game. It’s a really fun experience that I’m sure will resonate with children and parents all over the world.’
Players are free to explore and complete the puzzles in any order they like with hints provided in ‘weather reports’ that can be found all around the igloo. They are encouraged to persevere and try an activity more than once in order to succeed. Alex says that children shouldn’t focus too much on their mistakes:
‘When learning languages it’s very easy to get hung up on mistakes, but this is a necessary component of language learning. That’s why throughout the game players are encouraged to try again if they fail a challenge.’
You can read a blog about the game here: https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/blog/english-cambridge
To find out more visit: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/games-social/adventures-in-english/